With predictions of heavy thunderstorms for the weekend I was afraid
most of the group would cancel but I was pleasantly surprised.
Seventeen people comprised our group Friday night with only three
cancellations and those not due to predicted weather. Joy and I
arrived around 11 am and set up camp, I had intended to scout Green
Pond Landing but after talking with the ranger I was assured there
was plenty of water to paddle out to the river. That left we to just
hang around camp and greet everyone as they showed up. It wasn't long
before the camp started filling up. Colleton State Park is a small
campground but the ranger and his staff have always gone out of their
way to accommodate us. They have always allowed us to use the
enclosed pavilion without charge and even provided us with firewood
this year.
Before the night was over our group consisted of Dave, John and Fran,
Jay, Diane and her Grandson Chris, Mike and Cathy, Bonnie, Jim, Steve
and Ginger, Steve from Louisville, Barry and Tammy and Joy and I (and
the Dog). Friday was overcast but no rain while we set up camp and
prepared for our feast. As is our tradition we started filling the
tables with food right around 7 pm and before we were done we had
enough to serve three or four times our numbers. With Jay providing a
Turkey and Joy and I a Spiral Cut Ham, and everyone chipping in with
casseroles, greens, salads, vegetables, breads and the like, we had
so much that sampling a little of everything was out of the question
so I just went with my favorites. That isn't even mentioning the
desserts, cakes, brownies, cookies, pies and all. No diet stayed
intact that night. After we finished and cleaned up it was off to
Jay's camper for the campfire circle to catch up with what everyone
had been doing and to relive past trips. With full stomachs and the
little bit of exercise from setting up camp it wasn't long before we
drifted off to our respective beds.
River Scene
Friday night the storms moved in and I slept very little. The
lightning put on quite a show and the rain came down hard. I was
concerned for our tent campers but no one showed up at the door to
get in out of the weather. Saturday dawned warm but wet and everyone
faired pretty well except Diane and Chris whose tent had leaked and
they had quite a bit of wet gear. We loaded up our gear and actually
left camp pretty close to 9 am, definitely a first for our group! The
day stayed overcast with a couple of light sprinkles but the
temperature was very comfortable. Green Pond landing is just upriver
9.5 miles from the camp and is a very pleasant paddle. Mike was kind
enough to offer to run the shuttle in his vehicle so we shuttled all
the other cars and trucks back down to the campground before we
started our journey, Thanks Mike!
Joy coming down Green Pond Church Landing
The river level was 2.5 feet at the gauge near Givhans and any lower
than that would make it hard to get to the river at Green Pond. We
had an easy paddle the few hundred yards out to the main river and as
we left I spotted the only Great Blue Heron we would see either day.
The river was low but there was plenty of water for canoes and
kayaks. There were very few blowdowns and almost no sweeps to be
concerned with. Lots of turtles were out sunning (?) or at least
enjoying the warmer temperatures. Steve had brought his new Mohawk
canoe and graciously agreed to let Chris use it for the weekend and
Chris was in heaven. I had known that Chris wanted a canoe so I had
made a bent shaft paddle to give him in hopes he would be getting one
soon. He had actually slept with the new paddle that night and put it
to good use both days that we paddled. Birds were in short supply but
we did see a few ducks, woodpeckers, a kingfisher or two, a few hawks
and lots of vultures. At one point Joy had a Turkey fly across the
river in front of her. Deer were bedding down close to the river and
several times we heard them crashing off into the woods, at one point
I must have passed with several yards of a nice buck but only saw him
after I passed and he headed back up the riverbank.
Fall Colors on the Edisto
At one point I spotted what I thought was a short cut flowing off to
the right and decided to take it, big mistake! It forked off the
river and ended up being about a quarter of a mile longer with a lot
of really bad deadfalls blocking the way. By the time I got back to
the river I didn't know if the group was ahead or behind me and the
radio I had wouldn't reach the group. Finally John called my cell and
I determined they were downriver and rejoined the group. They were
concerned and I won't make that mistake again! We took several breaks
on sandbars, eating lunch and just chatting. We scrounged up some
Fatlighter and just took our time. We got back to the camp and
completed the shuttle before 4:30 and made plans for our trip to
Dukes BBQ. Someone had suggested skipping Dukes and doing leftovers
from the night before but after seeing the look on Dave's face I knew
Dukes was a must! It would have been like telling your kids that
there would be no Christmas this year and besides that I like it
too……..
Dave with his Aircraft Carrier
Dukes was great as always and everyone filled up with BBQ, Fried
Chicken and all the fixins! Bananas Pudding is my favorite and
although I hadn't left any room, I still ate a small bowl full. Back
at the camp we sat around the fire and again exchange stories and
told tales on one another until it was time for bed. Some of us went
to bed earlier than others, right Barry and Tammy!!!!! Haha.
Rare Picture of a Flamingo giving live Birth!
It had worked so well getting an earlier start than our usual
noonish starts that we tried again for 9. Mike was agreeable to use
his truck for the shuttle again so we ran down to Stokes Bridge and
dropped it off. We put in across from the campground and were on the
water around 9:30 or so. We are going to get a reputation as a
serious paddling group if we keep this up….. The paddle was again to
be around 9 miles so we leisurely moved along. The day was bright and
sunny but chilly with the temperatures starting in the high 40's. The
sun was very warming and with just a few layer of clothes it was
quite comfortable. John and Fran, Jim, Barry and Tammy all had
somewhere to be and opted not to paddle along with Ginger who had a
sore shoulder.
Parking Lot on the River
This section has a few tight places with some strainers so we had to
pay a little more attention to our paddling but for the most part is
pretty easy. The wildlife was much the same with a few less turtles
but several more deer crashing thru the woods as we made our way
downstream. At one point there is a house on river right that has an
enclosure with a monkey or two and that was something we don't see
too often. Chris was enjoying Steve's canoe and did everything from
sitting to standing to paddling from a campchair in it. What a treat
to see someone that excited about paddling. Hope someone takes the
hint, right Nana!!!!!
Gator Dog Kayak Bound (Joy wanted some dog time too!)
With it being cool we didn't take that many breaks and before long we
reached Stokes Bridge. Back at the camp we loaded up and made our
rounds to say goodbye. I had hoped to stay until Monday but duty
called and I needed to be at work Monday morning. We got home just
after dark safe and sound. What a great trip, it was so great to see
everyone. Hope everyone made it home safe and sound. I am already
looking forward to our next adventure.
most of the group would cancel but I was pleasantly surprised.
Seventeen people comprised our group Friday night with only three
cancellations and those not due to predicted weather. Joy and I
arrived around 11 am and set up camp, I had intended to scout Green
Pond Landing but after talking with the ranger I was assured there
was plenty of water to paddle out to the river. That left we to just
hang around camp and greet everyone as they showed up. It wasn't long
before the camp started filling up. Colleton State Park is a small
campground but the ranger and his staff have always gone out of their
way to accommodate us. They have always allowed us to use the
enclosed pavilion without charge and even provided us with firewood
this year.
Before the night was over our group consisted of Dave, John and Fran,
Jay, Diane and her Grandson Chris, Mike and Cathy, Bonnie, Jim, Steve
and Ginger, Steve from Louisville, Barry and Tammy and Joy and I (and
the Dog). Friday was overcast but no rain while we set up camp and
prepared for our feast. As is our tradition we started filling the
tables with food right around 7 pm and before we were done we had
enough to serve three or four times our numbers. With Jay providing a
Turkey and Joy and I a Spiral Cut Ham, and everyone chipping in with
casseroles, greens, salads, vegetables, breads and the like, we had
so much that sampling a little of everything was out of the question
so I just went with my favorites. That isn't even mentioning the
desserts, cakes, brownies, cookies, pies and all. No diet stayed
intact that night. After we finished and cleaned up it was off to
Jay's camper for the campfire circle to catch up with what everyone
had been doing and to relive past trips. With full stomachs and the
little bit of exercise from setting up camp it wasn't long before we
drifted off to our respective beds.
River Scene
Friday night the storms moved in and I slept very little. The
lightning put on quite a show and the rain came down hard. I was
concerned for our tent campers but no one showed up at the door to
get in out of the weather. Saturday dawned warm but wet and everyone
faired pretty well except Diane and Chris whose tent had leaked and
they had quite a bit of wet gear. We loaded up our gear and actually
left camp pretty close to 9 am, definitely a first for our group! The
day stayed overcast with a couple of light sprinkles but the
temperature was very comfortable. Green Pond landing is just upriver
9.5 miles from the camp and is a very pleasant paddle. Mike was kind
enough to offer to run the shuttle in his vehicle so we shuttled all
the other cars and trucks back down to the campground before we
started our journey, Thanks Mike!
Joy coming down Green Pond Church Landing
The river level was 2.5 feet at the gauge near Givhans and any lower
than that would make it hard to get to the river at Green Pond. We
had an easy paddle the few hundred yards out to the main river and as
we left I spotted the only Great Blue Heron we would see either day.
The river was low but there was plenty of water for canoes and
kayaks. There were very few blowdowns and almost no sweeps to be
concerned with. Lots of turtles were out sunning (?) or at least
enjoying the warmer temperatures. Steve had brought his new Mohawk
canoe and graciously agreed to let Chris use it for the weekend and
Chris was in heaven. I had known that Chris wanted a canoe so I had
made a bent shaft paddle to give him in hopes he would be getting one
soon. He had actually slept with the new paddle that night and put it
to good use both days that we paddled. Birds were in short supply but
we did see a few ducks, woodpeckers, a kingfisher or two, a few hawks
and lots of vultures. At one point Joy had a Turkey fly across the
river in front of her. Deer were bedding down close to the river and
several times we heard them crashing off into the woods, at one point
I must have passed with several yards of a nice buck but only saw him
after I passed and he headed back up the riverbank.
Fall Colors on the Edisto
At one point I spotted what I thought was a short cut flowing off to
the right and decided to take it, big mistake! It forked off the
river and ended up being about a quarter of a mile longer with a lot
of really bad deadfalls blocking the way. By the time I got back to
the river I didn't know if the group was ahead or behind me and the
radio I had wouldn't reach the group. Finally John called my cell and
I determined they were downriver and rejoined the group. They were
concerned and I won't make that mistake again! We took several breaks
on sandbars, eating lunch and just chatting. We scrounged up some
Fatlighter and just took our time. We got back to the camp and
completed the shuttle before 4:30 and made plans for our trip to
Dukes BBQ. Someone had suggested skipping Dukes and doing leftovers
from the night before but after seeing the look on Dave's face I knew
Dukes was a must! It would have been like telling your kids that
there would be no Christmas this year and besides that I like it
too……..
Dave with his Aircraft Carrier
Dukes was great as always and everyone filled up with BBQ, Fried
Chicken and all the fixins! Bananas Pudding is my favorite and
although I hadn't left any room, I still ate a small bowl full. Back
at the camp we sat around the fire and again exchange stories and
told tales on one another until it was time for bed. Some of us went
to bed earlier than others, right Barry and Tammy!!!!! Haha.
Rare Picture of a Flamingo giving live Birth!
It had worked so well getting an earlier start than our usual
noonish starts that we tried again for 9. Mike was agreeable to use
his truck for the shuttle again so we ran down to Stokes Bridge and
dropped it off. We put in across from the campground and were on the
water around 9:30 or so. We are going to get a reputation as a
serious paddling group if we keep this up….. The paddle was again to
be around 9 miles so we leisurely moved along. The day was bright and
sunny but chilly with the temperatures starting in the high 40's. The
sun was very warming and with just a few layer of clothes it was
quite comfortable. John and Fran, Jim, Barry and Tammy all had
somewhere to be and opted not to paddle along with Ginger who had a
sore shoulder.
Parking Lot on the River
This section has a few tight places with some strainers so we had to
pay a little more attention to our paddling but for the most part is
pretty easy. The wildlife was much the same with a few less turtles
but several more deer crashing thru the woods as we made our way
downstream. At one point there is a house on river right that has an
enclosure with a monkey or two and that was something we don't see
too often. Chris was enjoying Steve's canoe and did everything from
sitting to standing to paddling from a campchair in it. What a treat
to see someone that excited about paddling. Hope someone takes the
hint, right Nana!!!!!
Gator Dog Kayak Bound (Joy wanted some dog time too!)
With it being cool we didn't take that many breaks and before long we
reached Stokes Bridge. Back at the camp we loaded up and made our
rounds to say goodbye. I had hoped to stay until Monday but duty
called and I needed to be at work Monday morning. We got home just
after dark safe and sound. What a great trip, it was so great to see
everyone. Hope everyone made it home safe and sound. I am already
looking forward to our next adventure.
