A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
This past week I had two opportunities to paddle the Bates Old River oxbow in Congaree National Park. For one trip we headed upstream into the deep cypress swamp, and for the second trip we headed downstream into the oxbow itself. Both trips were fantastic, each with their own characteristics. Each made me realize that … Read More “A Bates Old River Two-fer” »
It seemed like this trip was never going to happen. We had planned it for earlier this year, but the threat of a tropical storm cancelled it. The storm passed by and there was gorgeous weather that day, so we had cancelled for naught. This Second Saturday’s trip on Wambaw Creek seemed like it might … Read More “Exploring the Wambaw Creek Wilderness with Lowcountry Unfltered” »
I have been in serious need of hydrotherapy. More importantly, I was desperate to join up with my friends from Lowcountry Unfiltered and engage in some camaraderie and mischief. Jim Leavell expressed interested in doing another stretch of the Edisto, so I talked Matt into doing a bit that we had yet to explore. It … Read More “Edisto River from Good Hope to Sullivan’s Landing” »
This month the Lowcountry Unfiltered group decided to explore the Charleston Harbor. It was a great day, but not without its challenges. We battled wind, rain, tides, tricky currents, and crazy boaters, but still got to see some interesting history from the water. Our plan was to meet at Remley Boat Ramp, paddle under the … Read More “Exploring the Charleston Harbor by Kayak” »
Back in November the Lowcountry Unfiltered gang decided to head back to Low Falls Landing for our Second Saturday trip. Our trip would take us through the remnants of cypress forests and floating cabins and lead us to the discovery of an old paddlewheel riverboat.
I don’t know why, but this pandemic has given me the worst case of writer’s block…ever. I will try to catch up, but I make no guarantees. With writer’s block comes a loss of direction. When I’m out rambling I usually do so knowing that I’ll write about it here. It gets to be a … Read More “Back to the Santee with Lowcountry Unfiltered” »
The Second Saturday of August meant time for another adventure with my friends from Lowcountry Unfiltered. Matt and I bounced a few ideas around before settling on The Jungle, a section of Lake Moultrie featured as part of the Berkeley County Blueways. It was a new venue for us, and turned out to be a … Read More “Exploring The Jungle of Lake Moultrie” »
This was my last Second Saturday with Lowcountry Unfiltered before we move out west. I was hoping for an epic trip for this outing, and Matt came up with a perfect venue. This particular Saturday we would be exploring the wilds of the Lynches River through Florence County. It would be one of our longer treks, and take us through areas we had not yet explored. It did turn out to be an epic, and most excellent trip.
Read More “Paddling the Lynches River with Lowcountry Unfiltered” »
It was time. The Second Saturday in July marked our Ninth Annual Edisto River Rope Swing and Beer Commercial Float. This trip is by far the most relaxed of all of our trips and, as the name implies, features rope swings and beer. Throw in a few sand bars, bratwurst and sauerkraut, and good friends, and it becomes the epitome of why we do this.
Read More “Ninth Annual Edisto River Rope Swing and Beer Commercial Float” »
It was time to plan another Second Saturday trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered. We’ve been trying to expand our trips, visiting places that we haven’t done multiple times. There are lots of waterways in this state, so I don’t think we’ll exhaust our opportunities, but it’s fun to see new stretches of water. This time we decided to paddle part of the Little River Blueway, specifically, a section of Long Cane Creek. Our route would take us through a very remote, historical section of South Carolina, but there would be many, many obstacles before we reached the end of our paddle.