{"id":1054,"date":"2021-09-24T20:03:39","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T00:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=1054"},"modified":"2023-11-15T13:12:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-15T17:12:17","slug":"september-24-2021trip-5-congaree-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/steveandmarleneontheroad.com\/?p=1054","title":{"rendered":"September 24, 2021 : Trip 5, Day 2 – Congaree National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We got up this morning not knowing what to expect. What is it like in a swamp anyway? Is it muddy? Is it dark? Is it full of nasty creatures and mosquitoes? Well, yes and no. Today was a perfect day for a stroll through a swamp. The sun was high and the air was cool. The water was low and still muddy. We saw the creatures of the swamp, but avoided a mass of mosquito bites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The drive to Congaree was an interesting drive through the low country of South Carolina. It included windy country roads, lots of levied roads through wet lands, and interesting scenery along the way. That was an appropriate prelude to our travels through the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We knew this would be different when the posted speed limit in the park was 27 miles per hour. Winding our way back to the Visitor’s Center was an enjoyable drive. The park had many visitors, but we still felt alone in the swamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We stopped in the Visitor Center to get our park stamp and our all important trail map. Since we had planned our trip, the trails had changed because of a washed out bridge on one of the trails. The amended map was a very helpful guide to the park. The trail was part high boardwalk, part low board walk, part fire road, and part trail through the swamp. It was a great well marked walk through the park. The rangers were very helpful with our final preparations before we ventured out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since we are preparing for longer, more difficult hikes out west, we carried full gear today. That made the nice weather even more enjoyable. Another enjoyable feature of Congaree is its groves of large trees. This area includes one of the largest and oldest stands of cypress trees in the United States. Cypress trees have several unique features. They are water resistant. They have knees that extend out in all directions. They can grow very tall. They really like wetlands. Here are some pictures of Cypress trees in Congaree. The short stubs you see are the knees that grow from the roots of the Cypress tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another item of note in the pictures above, you can see that the green moss suddenly stops growing about six to eight feet up on some of the trees. This is an indication of how high the water can be at times. We picked a good time to come, otherwise we might have been swimming rather than walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an area with so much water you expect to see green everywhere. However, there were other colors as well. One that really stood out was a bright yellow fungus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once we got to walk off of the boardwalk we got to get close to the variety of life in the swamp. In most places “tall” trees may grow to 60 feet. In Congaree, the average height of trees is over 130 feet. In addition to being very tall, Cyprus trees can grow very large trunks. Here are two examples of larger Cyprus Trees as shown by the size of their trunks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So far you have seen us walking on relatively dry ground, so how can this be a swamp? Here are some pictures of the creeks and standing water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It was surprising to see how fast the water flowed in some of the creeks. We could watch leaves floating quickly down this creek. It was definitely not a lazy backwater creek. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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This is Weston Lake. Beneath its calm surface there is a lot of activity. We saw several turtles, Three different fish that were three or four feet long, and an alligator floating down stream with just his eyes and nose above the surface. We also heard and then saw the waves from something that was either diving or jumping in the water.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Here is a different view of Weston Lake that shows how the sun reflected on the small waves on the pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is easy to see how you could spend a fun afternoon just watching the activities on the lake.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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When we were done watching the wildlife at Weston Lake, we got back on the boardwalk to return to the Visitor Center. This picture reminds us of the time and effort put into building a boardwalk in the swamp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was quite a project to build this boardwalk just a few miles back into the swamp. It must be a fun structure to maintain as well.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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One of the last special sights on our walk back to the Visitor Center was a grove of Palmetto Trees. The Palmetto is the state tree of South Carolina. They are interesting trees, even when dwarfed by the giant trees growing around them.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Our drive back home was special because we traveled most of the way on back roads. Two things of special note. We could drive for several miles without seeing anyone else on the road. Also, these roads were extremely straight. If you look closely at the picture below, you can see a small gap in the green at the horizon. That is the road straight ahead. When you get to that next hill, you will likely see another stretch of straight road before you. Interstate Highways are an efficient way to cover lots of miles. Back roads are a fun way to travel that lets you see more sights and have more fun while you travel. The road less traveled is time well spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Time well spent on the road home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We got up this morning not knowing what to expect. What is it like in a swamp anyway? Is it muddy? Is it dark? Is it full of nasty creatures and mosquitoes? Well, yes and no. Today was a perfect day for a stroll through a swamp. The sun was high and the air was 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