Palmetto Trail: Enoree Passage Section 3

Palmetto Trail: Enoree Passage, Section 3, MP 27 to MP 37 – 10.2 miles – 5/13/23

My Centennial Trail thru-hike in South Dakota is coming up fast and I’ve been training with my new Gossamer Gear backpack. Time to load it up for a 10-miler. My friend Mike invited me to scout hike a section of the Palmetto Trail in South Carolina, new miles for me. His friend Lynda, who’s training for her third Camino in Spain, joined us for a beautiful walk in the spring green of South Carolina.

We dropped my car at the entrance gate to Sedalia Campground (closed for some reason?) and followed Mike on a twisty-turny route to remote Forest Road 334, MP 27 of today’s trail section. [Most hikes with Mike begin this way and that’s why I appreciate his skills and willingness to do complicated things.]

Lynda heading into the woods

Mike’s focus along the route was documenting blowdowns and other issues requiring trail maintainer crews, marking GPS coordinates, photos and description of the conditions. [He noted more than a dozen blowdowns that needed major work.]

Slow going, while Lynda and I pushed ahead and then waited in the shade for him to catch up. The air was hot and muggy, South Carolina’s specialty. Nature kept us on our toes today, showing her miracles beneath our feet.

In our first mile we crossed Sispring Branch on a medium size bridge 

A campsite fire ring not far from the road 

Mike pointed out a concrete foundation wall on a small rise, no clues as to its long-ago function. As we turned back to the trail, Lynda nearly stepped on a very large black snake.

My guess is he was longer than 5 feet, with a small head, a chubby body and narrow end. We noted his white underbelly. [My research *Google* says maybe a black rat snake or a black racer.]

Crossing the Enoree River on an impressive high bridge

Enoree River, muddy water from recent rains

The boardwalk on the north side needs some love. Some boards felt “squishy” and some were missing altogether. More notes and photos for the maintainer folks.

From that point, the trail mostly follows Johns Creek, not visible from the trail because of foliage. Saw another black snake before it could surprise us. Is it bigger than the first one?

Turkey tail fungus thrives on dead logs

We crossed the grassy dam on the eastern edge of Macedonia Lake (the first of three lakes on today’s hike) looking for a place to eat lunch. While the view was sweet, the bugs and direct sunshine were not. 

Mike asked what, in addition to shade, were requirements for a nice lunch spot. We decided on ferns and logs to lean or sit on.  Soon a shady bit of open forest covered in pine needles, leaves and ferns appeared, and we spread out so everyone had a personal log. The humidity was still intense, but the break for rest and conversation revitalized us to push on.

Sundrops

Heal-all

Common cinquefoil

At the second lake (Sedalia Lake) we encountered a couple of fishermen. An elderly Black man asked us where we were walking and we explained that the Palmetto Trail goes across the state. He didn’t know about that, he said, but “we used to play in these woods as kids because that’s all there was to do!”

At the third lake (Johns Creek Lake) we saw our new friend again – he had relocated to try a
new fishing spot. Rain clouds began to roll in as we entered the last stretch of our hike.

We reached Old Buncombe Road and cut across a church parking lot and cemetery to Bombing Range Road (where did that name come from?) Just a half-mile further, we reached my car and blessed air conditioning. We retrieved the second car as fat raindrops began to splatter around us.

The shakedown: my Gossamer Gear pack weighed about 20 pounds today, and final pack weight for the Centennial Trail will hopefully be no more than 25-27 pounds. I practiced adjusting straps and belts and I think the pack is going to work well. I also wore my newest pair of Altra Timp 5 trail shoes.

Time to refuel and hydrate. We found the Hillside Restaurant & Bar in Chester, SC – delicious food and Black Widow cider! Another happy ending to another walk in the woods with friends.

“It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”
 ~Every Southerner That Ever Lived

“If it gets any hotter, I’ll have to take off stuff
I really ought to keep on.”
 ~See Above

Palmetto Trail: Swamp Fox Passage & Awendaw Passage

Palmetto Trail: Swamp Fox Passage & Awendaw Passage – 4/3/21 – 12.7 Miles

How do you feel when you’ve got a loose end hanging out there on a hiking map? It may not bother you one bit, but for me it’s always just at the corner of my eye, pulling my attention away from whatever else I’m trying to do. Carol and I both wanted to finish up the Swamp Fox Passage of the Palmetto Trail and add on the Awendaw Passage to get us to the South Carolina coast. We were on a mission. The first chance we both had was early April…and away we go!

You will remember, dear reader, that our prior progress ended at Halfway Creek Road back in January. We had about 13 miles remaining, so we planned to camp at Halfway Creek the night before and get an early start on hike day.

We met at Buck Hall Recreation Area on the Intracoastal Waterway, about 32 miles north of Charleston. It’s part of Francis Marion National Forest and is also the eastern terminus of the Palmetto Trail. I moved my gear to Carol’s car and left mine patiently waiting our triumphant return.

We’d planned to eat dinner somewhere instead of cooking at camp, but the few restaurants that were open made us a little COVID-cautious. Ultimately we got takeout meals at McClellanville Diner on Highway 17, drove back to Buck Hall’s picnic area, and sat at a picnic table to eat and finalize our hike plans.

At the Halfway Creek camping area…is this really a camping area? No toilets of any kind, no running water, no electric outlets, and no fee station, just a gravel parking lot and tents set up at random. A couple of campers looked like they had been there a while.

So we walked in a little ways from the parking lot and set up, too, with one eye on a lone guy with a big bonfire and his cranked up car stereo. (He played his favorite song a few times throughout the night but I’m sure I slept some.) If you’re planning a trip, consider spending a few bucks and reserving a campsite at Buck Hall Rec Area.

In the morning we debated about leaving our tents up to dry but decided to pack everything up for a quick departure after our hike. We ate breakfast in the car, locked it up, and found our starting point. It looked a lot like the previous ones.

Another chilly start, but it warmed up a lot during the day

Frosty foliage

What’s different is more green, fewer puddles

Flame azalea

Cinnamon fern

Our final miles of Swamp Fox Passage were underwhelming compared to our previous hikes but we found glimpses of interest along the way. Carol used a flower ID app for foliage and emerging flowers. At this time she was taking a Master Naturalist certification course and I enjoyed hearing about what she was learning.

Bridge over Steed Creek – this creek flows south to join Bell Creek, and together they form
 Awendaw Lake (a very skinny 125-acre body of water) and Awendaw Creek

Fern growing on a cypress stump

Shortly after the bridge, the Swamp Fox takes a right turn towards its eastern terminus at Highway 17 and the Awendaw Passage continues straight (the trailhead parking to begin both sections is at Highway 17.) Carol and I continued straight to hike 6.5 miles on the Awendaw Passage.

After two miles of “business travel” getting across Highway 17 and down to the water's edge, we were introduced to magnificent Awendaw Creek and, across the way, the Intracoastal Waterway and Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. As the trail undulated alongside the creek, I felt a shift in mindset along with the change in scenery: anticipation and curiosity about what’s around the next bend.

Ugh – Can we get a bridge over Highway 17?

But then Carol would miss this chance to ID another flower in the middle of a divided highway

Dewberry

Wisteria – native or invasive? Hard for us to tell

Our first look at Awendaw Creek (looks more like a river to me)

Most of the trail between Mile 4 and Mile 2 follows the creek and the transition from pine forest  through coastal grasses to maritime forest of live oaks, shrubs and saw palmettos. Just scroll on through.

Taking a break on the boardwalk

Resurrection fern

As Awendaw Creek flows into the Intracoastal Waterway, the trail turns inland and passes through a pine forest to go around private land, then crosses Buck Hall Landing Road to a boardwalk for the last quarter mile to its terminus at the Recreation Area. 

Trail’s End

The timing was right for Carol and me to hike the Swamp Fox Passage in the wintertime, but finishing the section today gave us a taste of spring, especially the Awendaw Passage and especially with a Master Naturalist! As always, we have much appreciation for those who create, protect, preserve and conserve these lands.

“I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless
 I spend four hours a day at least - and it is commonly more than that - sauntering through the woods
and over the hills and fields,
 absolutely free from all worldly engagements.”
~Henry David Thoreau