From Sparkleberry to Packs Landing

Some days are just absolutely perfect for paddling. This past Saturday was one of them. It was a Second Saturday, which meant a trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered. This particular Saturday we would be heading back to Sparkleberry Swamp, but the goal was to explore a new section of the swamp. There would be only three of us on this trip, and all three of us had the same two consonants in our names – Matt, Tim, and me, Tom.

Our typical trips take us out to Fifty Fools Cabin, then out to Riser’s Lake for lunch, then back. We always see some amazing swamp scenery, but today we wanted something different. I had a copy of John Cooper’s excellent 1973 map of the swamp, and I used that as an overlay in Google Earth to plot a course.

We still wanted to get out to Fifty Fools Cabin. That would get us into the deep swamp that we loved very quickly. From there we would make our way to Otter Flats, then down to Sparkleberry Lake. Ultimately, we would wind up in the upper open reaches of Lake Marion and make our way to Packs Landing for our take-out.

The day started with breakfast at Battens in Wedgefield.

Battens has one of just about everything. The stock isn’t deep, but it is extensive, including plumbing bits, fishing tackle, knives, and some food. While we were there lots of locals dropped by for take-out orders and a few for site-down meals.

We drove on down to Sparkleberry Landing and found it rather active. There were lots of vehicles with boat trailers, but the landing itself wasn’t too busy. We off-loaded the boats, then Tim and I ran the shuttle on down to Packs Landing.

Back at Sparkleberry there were a couple of other kayakers launching, but we weren’t worried about having company. It’s a big swamp. We got launched and headed out of the small cove around the landing and onto Sparkleberry Flats.

We followed our well-traveled path across the flats and into a somewhat hidden entry into the deep swamp. From there we paddled into what I like to call “The Cathedral.” It’s the first thick stand of cypress trees I ever encountered in the swamp and it made an indelible impression on me. On this trip several prothonotary warblers flitted around the trees as we entered the sacred space.

Conditions couldn’t have been more ideal. The water levels weren’t quite as high as we expected with the recent rains, but they were high enough that we could go just about anywhere we wanted. The temperature was wonderful – not too hot or too cool.

From the Cathedral we picked our own path over to Fifty Fools Cabin. We’ve visited this spot many times before, but this time we noticed some upgrades. I spotted a small window AC unit in an upper loft. It also looks like the owners have done more work expanding the deck. We decided it was too early to cook lunch on the deck, but Matt got out to check things. This time the door to the cabin was locked, which is unfortunate, but understandable.

We mused about how wonderful it would be if we had our own cabin like this out in the swamp.

From Fifty Fools we paddled over to another cabin I had marked on my GPS. This one also had AC and a string of lights, as well as a Trump flag prominently flying out front. This one also had security cameras. We figured that the owners bring out a generator when needed.

This one also had a toilet on the back. No privacy, and I wouldn’t want to paddle too close when in use. Looks like they had a five gallon bucket next to it, but still…

We had a sip of moonshine while lingering in the shade of the cypress trees, then headed south toward Otter Flat. We were hoping to find some high ground for lunch without having to paddle out to Riser Lake.

Unless you absolutely know that you’re on one of the main waterways like Fifty Fool’s Creek, getting over to Otter Flat can be a challenge, especially at moderate water levels. At low levels you don’t have much of a choice. At high levels you can get just about anywhere you want. Most of the time, though, you might run into impenetrable patches of vegetation or high ground. On the GPS I could see exactly where I wanted to be. I even saw a couple of johnboats heading down the main waterway. We just couldn’t get there. At least, it took us a couple of starts and stops. That was OK with us, though. We weren’t in a hurry. We knew we would eventually get there, and the day could be better for exploring.

One good thing about our aimless wandering was that we found a nice high spot for lunch. Tim commented that it would also make an excellent campsite. We set up The Most Photographed Stove in South Carolina™ on a fallen tree and started cooking brats. Matt left the sauerkraut in the truck, so we had mostly naked brats.

After a leisurely lunch we decided that we needed to start making headway to our end goal. It was three miles as the crow flies to Packs Landing and we didn’t know what we would encounter along the way. Following the current and my GPS we found our way out to Otter Flat and continued southeast. Along the way spotted lots of osprey and even a couple of small alligators.

Now we were in new territory. The route was mostly clear and easy to follow. We broke through one last dense stand of cypress and found ourselves on the open water of Sparkleberry Lake.

The waterway opened up even further as we entered the upper reaches of Lake Marion. Boat traffic also picked up. It was starting to get hot, so we clung to the clusters of cypress along the western bank of the lake. Out in the open the water was a bit choppy from boat wakes and wind, but it wasn’t too bad. In the distance we could see the railroad bridge across the lake.

Soon enough we were pulling into the cove where Packs Landing is located. This is a busy landing with a long fishing pier, long-term docking for house boats, and a campground. The ramp was crowded with boats waiting to either launch or take out. We found an old ramp with broken concrete off to the side that no one was using. It was perfect for our takeout.

We loaded the boats onto my trailer and made the shuttle back up to Sparkleberry Landing. After getting the boats and vehicles squared away we had one more stop to make. Dot’s Grocery sits at the corner of the main road and the dirt road down to Sparkleberry Landing. It’s always been an odd little building that attracted our attention, but we had never stopped. We decided to do that this time.

The store was much like Battens, but not as extensive. Like Battens, they only had one or two of the items they sell on the shelves at any one time.

The true gem was Dot herself. She was delightful. We vowed to make this a regular stop when we’re down this way. We bought some cold drinks and snacks, then headed our separate ways for home.

This was a spectacular trip. We saw wildlife and covered new parts of the swamp. This is certainly a repeatable route. In all we covered 7.6 miles.

Of course, I made a time lapse of the trip with the GoPro.