Congaree at Sunrise

I started early on 2025. Day 2.

I started early this morning. 1:30am to make Congaree by sunrise.

So I drove in darkness to get to hike in the home some of America’s oldest deep wood forest on the East coast. Congaree. It’s not too big. Just southeast of Columbia SC.

Parking was empty and few arrived before I left.

I planned to stay the day, and it would have been nice but …

• Very flat – especially if used to Shenandoah and Blue Ridge.
• Very wet – the boardwalk made it passable but the bogs, mud, Congaree River tributaries made the ground quite muddy (and being in my wife’s Subaru, I tried to stay out of the mud … you’re welcome honey).
• A bit cold – I prepared for this so I didn’t feel it but the board walk had a slick black ice in places that made the pace go slower than expected, considering the flat raised platform.
• Very much the same ask along the path … there were cool things of which to take note, but not much more than what I saw on the 3 mile trek.

So, I headed out towards Florida better 10am.

Here are some of my highlights …

• Beautiful old trees
• Bald Cyprus knees protruding from much like thousands of tree stumps
• Palmettos – the states symbol
• Stream coming off the later just at sunrise – a beautiful sight
• There was a loud subs, like rhe collapsing of a tree
• Very few animals – Fox squirrels, fluttering birds, woodpecker (unusual considering cold of January)
• Excellent trail guides and notations along the way (on Paper, the app wasn’t working)
• Serene, solitude, time to reflect – beautiful hike – having never been here

All in all, great way to start 2025.

How is your 2025 starting?

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Here’s the photo drop …