A few years ago, I noticed a National Park in South Carolina that had somehow slipped past my radar. In April of last year, I packed the car and drove out. It’s about a four hour drive from Atlanta. The rains that come with a southern spring had filled the swamp, and the park just screamed...green.
Sure, mid-October is a little early for autumn colors in this part of the world, but the summer heat had finally broken and it was due time for a revisit to the park. Last year I did the longest loop trail in the park, as well as one of the shorter ones. The plan was to get an early start and spend the better part of the day exploring everything else.
One last look at the hourly weather forecast over breakfast. The chance of rain started going up at 9A, with it already being up to 50% by 10. By noon, 100%. Fortunately, the park was less than a half hour drive from the motel and I was in their parking lot by 8A. At least I could get two hours in.
Seen on the drive...
From the visitor center, a two and a half mile boardwalk loops through the swamp, now mostly dry. All trails intersect the boardwalk at some point. It didn't take long to find the beginning of the two and a half mile Bluff Trail. In all honesty, I just didn't want to commit to a longer trail. Sure, I had appropriate rain gear. But, anyone who's been caught miles from the car in the rain will tell you, waterproof is relative. While it was certainly a pleasant walk through the woods, I didn’t see anything I would have considered a bluff.
Back on the boardwalk, I worked my way around to the start of the Weston Lake Loop. This loop trail runs four and a half miles. Any other day and I would be all over it. Doing the mental math, the double loop would have brought me back to the visitors center a little past noon. I’ve had to hike miles back to the trailhead in the rain before. It’s not something I particularly enjoyed. So, I sufficed with a short segment of the lake trail.
In the end, I made the right call. That familiar sound of rain on tree leaves greeted me for the last stretch to the visitor center. By the time I was driving out of the park, it had become a light, but steady rain.
Waiting for the Parks Department to clear a downed tree..
Florence, South Carolina was founded as a railroad hub, connecting the Wilmington and Manchester, the Northeastern and Cheraw and Darlington Railroads. Now, it serves as the crossroads of I-95 and I-20.
During the Civil War the town was the site of a large supply depot as well as a railroad repair center. On the east side of town is the Florence National Cemetery, adjacent to what was once the Florence Stockade, a prisoner of war camp that held as many as 18,000 union soldiers.
My home for the night was a place called the Florence Express Inn. It's your basic, standard independent motel. Though it does have an attached bar. I wandered in for happy hour just for something to do and wound up chatting with some of the locals.
Coming Up,
Acid Park
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