[caption id="attachment_325" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Congaree National Park"]
[/caption] To skip the chatter and go right to the pics of this walk, click the link below:
Weston Lake Loop Trail - Congaree National Park(Opens in new window) 4.4 mile loop hike on the Weston Lake Loop Trail (Congaree National Park - South Carolina), 260 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - April 26, 2009 Just back from nearly two weeks in California and Washington on business, I just didn't have the energy for a long drive to the Smokies despite the sunny and warm late-April Sunday weather. So I decided I would stay closer to home and take a motorcycle ride to our own National Park that is just 45 miles southeast of Irmo, Congaree National Park. Formerly known as Congaree Swamp National Monument, the park is now known as Congaree National Park. This would be my first visit since moving to these parts nearly 8 years ago. I've spent the majority of my years living in swampy Florida, and I must admit the thought of walking through a swamp had not been high on my to-do list. But I thought I would give our swamp a chance, and if it turned out to be a drag at least I'd have a nice motorcycle ride to get there and back. Well, as is usually the case with walking, I would not be disappointed. [caption id="attachment_326" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The boardwalk along the Weston Lake Loop Trail"]
[/caption] Starting at the very nice visitor center I grabbed a park map and scoped out a trail with a reasonable distance. Since I've been away for a while I didn't want to be gone all day, so I chose the 4.4 mile Weston Lake Loop Trail. Coming out of the visitor center I noticed the nice wooden sign with a dial hanging between the restrooms, which was a mosquito-meter. That's something that you don't have to think about when hiking the Smokies, but if you visit this park you better either bring a lot of bug repellent or an extra pint of blood. The meter on the mosquito-meter was on 4 (out of 6), which was the severe category. I ran out of pictures on my disposable camera (still trying to finish up the camera I used in the redwoods areas) before getting a picture of the meter, but category 5 and 6 basically warned it was armageddon and you better be wearing armor. See a nice photo of the meter
here. Did I mention how much I love swamps? I'm a mosquito magnet and once again was not prepared for this walk, so I ducked back into the visitor center for some citronella wipes and promptly rubbed myself down. In the time it took between noticing the meter and ducking back in the store for the wipes, I had already been nailed twice by the flying banes of my existence. Warning, these evil things mean business around here, so if you visit make sure you prepare better than I did! So off I went on the elevated boardwalk above the swamp. Soon I would stop for picture and like a stooge drop my camera. Life went into slow motion as I helplessly watched it fall onto the boardwalk, slowly and agonizingly slide across the boardwalk, and drop over the side....PLOP, into the legendary swamp muck! My pictures from California were on that camera, and I was not about to let the swamp claim it, so over the side I went and into the muck. I retrieved the camera before it got too waterlogged, but after seeing my pictures after getting them developed today I probably wasted the effort. I should've let the swamp claim it. On the bright side, at least it wasn't my good camera. As you cruise the boardwalk you start to notice the forest change from mixed hardwood to tupelo and cypress, and you start to see the strange and eerie pointed cypress root columns sticking up out of the muck. The cypress trees grow wide at the base to help them stay anchored in the muck. Soon you drop off of the elevated boardwalk and onto the forest floor and muddy trail. You cruise through an flat old-growth forest and soon reach the first bridged stream crossing. This crossing is not like anything you'll find in the Smokies, and immediately the Doobie Brothers start ringing in your head. Oh, Black Water....This water was barely moving, and it was jet black. The cypress trees growing out of the water made for a good picture spot. This is the swamp you picture in your mind when you think swamp. You look both ways to make sure Mel Gibson and his band of Patriots are not camping nearby. [caption id="attachment_328" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Oh Black Water, keep on rolling..."]
[/caption] Soon I reached the intersection with the River Trail and turn left to head around the top side of Weston Lake. The lake is not visible until I get to the opposite leg of the loop, but on the right is a very interesting scene of the slow moving deep black river meandering through the huge cypress. I stop every 30 seconds and take a picture, this is not stuff you see everyday. I start to worry about two things, the first of which is how many pictures do I have left in my disposable camera? I'm snapping away like a madman, and soon I would run out of shots unfortunately before even reaching Weston Lake. Next time, bring the digital! The second thing I worried about? Well, I was trying to play a balancing act with the speed of my walk. The trail was flat and I was cruising at a good speed. But I wanted to go fast enough to get a workout but not so fast that I started sweating badly. It was quite hot on this Sunday, in the low 90's which is well above average for late April even in these parts. Was I afraid to sweat like some kind of ninny? No, that wasn't it at all. Every time I stopped 100 mosquitos gathered around me to have lunch. If I began to sweat, that would spell the end for the citronella coating that was keeping me alive in the midst of the flying devils. So I made good, but not too good time as I cruised along amidst 1000's of flying devils, a huge array of emerald-colored flies, dragonflies, spiders, and probably lots of snakes. Ahh, the swamp, you've gotta love it! On the back side of the loop I lemented that I used up all of my pictures, because it was even more picturesque than the back side of the loop. The cypress trees were gigantic and the swamp areas more scenic, and I continually yelled at myself for not having my real camera with me. Soon I reached the beginning of the boardwalk and a nice spur over to the very peaceful and serene Weston Lake. Turtles, fish, and birds were everywhere, and you'll have to take my word for it because I sure couldn't take any pictures of them. One highlight on the way back was a former National Champiion Loblolly pine that was right beside the trail. This tree was impressive. It has recently been replaced on the top of the list by another nearby tree, so this guy now sits in second place. Another highlight of the walk back was a bright orange/yellow bird (unidentified, but not a goldfinch) that followed me for a while. The remainder of the trail is on the elevated boardwalk and I soon looped back to where I started. My impressions of the swamp? Well, I can't say it's a place I'd walk too often, but it was beautiful in its own way and with the right equipment (i.e. gallons of bug repellent) and in the right time of year it makes for a peaceful outing. I left with the feeling that the Congaree National Park was indeed very unique and worthy of National Park status. For pics of this walk, click the link below:
Weston Lake Loop Trail - Congaree National Park(Opens in new window)
Dan DeSetto
