Page 10 - Volume 15 Number 1

Congaree National Park’s Boardwalk Wilderness Trail allows visitors to stroll among the old-growth floodplain forest without getting their feet wet. Many of the trees are some of the largest of their species known to exist.
hardwood forest remaining in North America. Such forests were decimated for the wood used in ships, buildings and the railroad industry. Those trees will never repopulate, as the floodplains they are so well suited for were lost along with the trees; drained to create pasture, farmland and cities. It is only by a combination of luck and a few tireless individuals that this stand remains as an example of what once was. Massive trees stretching well over 100 feet tall, spreading their roots far and wide for stability in the swampy ground, and enduring for hundreds of years through hurricanes, fires and infestations. Congaree’s floodplain forests are home to some of the largest trees east of the California Redwoods and Sequoias and many of the largest known examples of many specific species (Bald Cypress, Pawpaw, Sweetgum, Loblolly Pine) anywhere in the world.
While Congaree National Park is best known for its impressive trees, the forest makes up only about a third of its protected area. The remaining acreage is mostly natural floodplain and is teeming with amphibious creatures, waterfowl and insects and many species (both plant and animal) are rebounding as preservation efforts have brought forth positive results. Congaree contains many miles of hiking trails for closeup viewing of the forests, wetlands and wildlife. A 2.4-mile raised boardwalk loop trail is accessible year around, including by wheelchairs and strollers. The remaining miles of trails are natural and, given their floodplain home, vary
ended soon after, post-war economics in the South kept advancement on the building to a crawl and another decade was needed just to complete the main structural elements. The interior was completed between 1881 and 1891. Finally, it was not until 1907 that the exterior was completed. This 56-year construction timetable is one of the longest for any U.S. state capitol building.
Air of the Ancients
Twenty miles southeast of Columbia, lies one of South Carolina’s hidden gems. There, a tiny stand of old-growth floodplain forest still flourishes. Now known as Congaree National Park, it protects 27,000 acres. Of those acres, 11,000 are nearly all that remains of what was once 35 million acres of such floodplain forests, stretching from Virginia to Texas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. It is, by far, the largest tract of old-growth bottomland
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greatly in condition from season to season and even day to day. While it is a perfect day trip from Columbia to visit Congaree, one word to the wise – it is not necessarily a year-round destination for those adverse to mosquitoes. The blood thirsty creatures are abundant in these soggy bottomlands and rarely do the winter’s get cold enough to really knock down their population. They can be a nuisance throughout both spring and fall and torturous during summer. To avoid them (mostly anyway), winter is the best time to visit.
Heart of the Low Country
In South Carolina, Columbia and most other non- coastal areas are often referred to as Up Country; and it’s the Low Country that is better known and more tourist driven. The Low Country is generally considered to be thecoastalcountiesencompassingMyrtleBeachtothe ›
JANUARY 2021