From 3124’ to Sea Level, Loving South Carolina

As spring quickly turns into summer, we are reminded just how quickly time passes.  Before you know it the seasons change, and those things you said you were going to do this year will have to wait yet another year.

I have asked a friend of mine from out West for years to experience hiking in South Carolina.  After several years of trying to coordinate our schedules,  I was finally going to have the opportunity to showcase S.C.’s mountains with a hike to the top of Table Rock.  Folks unfamiliar with the Blue Ridge Escarpment in South Carolina often underestimate the challenge of the hike and are always impressed with the beauty and uniqueness of an area where so many species of flora and fauna thrive.



After our hike, I asked my friend what he thought about it and he called it “a great hike, so much to see, a beautiful place.  Phil, you really do have mountains in South Carolina!” As a smile quickly appeared on my face he reminded me what makes our state so special. “While I loved the hike up the mountain, I think the hiking trails at Hunting Island are second to none.  The walk through the maritime forest ending up on the beach was unbelievable,” my friend exclaimed of his recent trip to Hunting Island. From over three thousand feet above sea level with views of spectacular waterfalls and wild turkeys to sea level beside the mighty Atlantic under the watchful eye of egrets and great blue herons , the diversity of our natural resources is dramatic and well worth a trip.

 

What a great time of year to experience this diversity.  Try a mountains to the sea trip spread out over a couple of days. Hike a trail in the mountains, then put Hunting Island or Edisto Beach on your list of must do hikes along the coast. You’ll experience first-hand the diversity that defines South Carolina.



If you have never experienced what takes place along the fall line in the middle of our state you owe it to yourself to make a trip to Landsford Canal State Park to see the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies in full bloom in the Catawba River.  Words do not do this this experience justice, as the blooming lilies of white blanket the river like a January snowfall.



Remember time waits for no one!  Summer is right around the corner, and it’s time to make plans and make some memories that are timeless.  Explore South Carolina!  Add a dash of fun with an outdoor movie at Sesqui, sit beside a campfire and look at the stars, feel the ground shake beneath your feet at Charles Towne Landing as the cannons fire, and be sure to take pictures, laugh out loud and make lots of memories!




See you in the parks!



Phil