This year, 2020, has been the most screwed up year I have ever lived. Between the ‘pandemic’ lockdowns and the ebb and flow of a disease that threatens the world nothing has been simple. I try to take my Mom, who loves to travel, to a different National Park every year. Our plans were cancelled and our reservations refunded and all looked to be put on hold. Time is a cruel mistress, once she has passed by there is no going back. We did not get to go to our Park of Choice, but we did get to go to and experience a National Park that was new to us. And it came about unexpectedly in the way most treats do. My son was sent to Columbia, SC on a work assignment and he invited us to come and bring him a little home cheer.
It turns out that Congaree National Park is only 17 miles from Columbia. We packed our National Park Passport books and walking shoes and headed that way. On Friday while my son was working, Mom and I made our way to the Park Visitor Center. The Covid guidelines have some facilities open but not fully accessible, which was the case with the book store. We picked up a Self-Guided Boardwalk Tour brochure and proceeded to make our way around the 2.6 mile Boardwalk. The Self-Guided brochure is full of interesting information and called our attention to many things we would have overlooked while giving us a bit of Park history and description. The Boardwalk is an easy jaunt through what was to us an alien landscape. Mom made the hike easily though she did tire a little from the distance. “Congaree protects the largest remaining tract of old-growth bottom land hardwood forest in North America.” The brochure tells us and the trees were magnificent. We identified Beech Trees, Cyprus, and Loblolly Pine Trees. It was a beautiful temperate day for this lovely outing. We strolled the Boardwalk checking out the Cyprus knees jutting up from the swampy earth. There are places that give me, a fantasy aficionado, that sense of Middle Earth. One could almost imagine Elves, or Hobbits popping up. Congaree gave me that sense as we wandered the Boardwalk and I hoped I could talk my son into coming back and going on some of the other trails with me. I wanted to step off the Boardwalk and wander this magical place down the well marked trails.
Lucky me, my son agreed to ride back out and go on some backcountry trails. We did the 1.6 mile Sims Trail to where it ended at Wise Lake, the trail was graveled and mushy in places as one might expect. The Weston Lake loop trail was closed for part of its length, we hit it where it crossed the Sims Trail and wandered about 3 miles of it to hook back onto the Boardwalk. It was every bit as good to explore the trails as I had imagined. It was a bit cooler and overcast this Halloween day. Congaree is pet friendly and we saw many folks with their dogs. We feel like we hit this Park at a good time, the insect population did not make an appearance. I imagine in the summer mosquitos are pretty bad.
Congaree is a beautiful unique park and well worth checking out. Until next time, keep looking for the magic in this world.
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 