Two Lane Adventures: 2019 Rally Route - Monday September 23rd, 2019

Today, we decided to drive to Congaree National Park in Hopkins South Carolina. Congaree National Park protects the largest remaining tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in North America. As we walked, we discovered Congaree’s cultural history and its natural beauty.

Our first stop was the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. We learned that though known for its unique natural features such as magnificent stands of bald cypress and tremendous biodiversity, the landscape of Congaree has a rich cultural heritage as well. People have been using the floodplain for many purposes for over 13,000 years, long before it became a national park. While water has been an enduring force that has shaped this landscape, humans have left their mark as well. From prehistoric natives to Spanish explorers, Revolutionary War patriots to escaped slaves, loggers and conservationists, this forest landscape is rich in the stories of the people who have called it both a home and a refuge, and have helped to make it what it is today.

Astonishing biodiversity exists in Congaree National Park, the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States. Waters from the Congaree and Wateree Rivers sweep through the floodplain, carrying nutrients and sediments that nourish and rejuvenate this ecosystem and support the growth of national and state champion trees.

The boardwalk trail offers stations numbered 1 to 21. I will share some of these stations with you, as we walked along the boardwalk. At station #2, we looked at the ground on either side of the boardwalk and saw dark-colored mud, a mixture of clay and old leaves. This mud, called Dorovan muck, is eight-feet thick and plays an important role in the health of the floodplain. It filters water, traps pollution, and turns pollutants into harmless compounds. By filtering water, it helps keep the floodplain and the Congaree River clean.

The majestic bald cypress trees produce “knees” that rise up from the roots of the tree and can be seen throughout the forest floor. While their function is not entirely understood, it is believed that the knees provide the tree with extra structural support during floods and high winds. Bald Cypress trees can live to be 1,000 years old. Bald Cypress wood is rot and water resistant. Historically, the Catawba and Congaree tribes used these trees for canoes.

Water Tupelos dominate the landscape at Station #4 and are identified by their swollen trunks. These trees only grow where water is plentiful.

See the moss on the on the lower part of the tree trunk, this is an indicator of water levels from previous floods. Flooding is a natural occurrence in Congaree National Park and is important for bringing fresh nutrients into the floodplain.

At Station #6, we learned that standing dead trees are called snags. The tree itself may be dead, but snags are full of other life. Many species of insects, spiders and fungi make their home in and on the dead wood. At the base of this snag you will see the work of a pileated woodpecker. The woodpecker breaks off woodchip-sized pieces to reach the insects living inside.

See the many unique forms of fungi growing on snags throughout the forest.

The impressive height of Congaree’s forest is the result of the rich soil, frequent flooding, a long growing season and a history free of intensive logging.

Here the trees you see average over 130-feet in height, making Congaree one of the tallest deciduous forest in the world. The forest is rich in biodiversity, meaning it supports an abundance of many different kinds of living organisms.

At Station #9, the low area you see on both sides of the boardwalk is called a gut. Guts and sloughs are low channels in the forest that helps disperse water throughout the floodplain when the Congaree River floods. The guts fill with water prior to the entire forest floor flooding. During floods, silt and soil are deposited, replenishing the floodplain with nutrients.

The grand tree you see here is a loblolly pine. It is unusual to find pines growing in wetlands areas, however, loblollies can tolerate living in wet conditions better than other species.

Loblolly pines are the tallest trees in South Carolina. This tree is over 150-feet tall and is a former State Champion.

Once a bend in the Congaree River, Weston Lake is now an oxbow lake. Over 2,000 years ago the river gradually changed its course and meandered south, leaving behind Weston Lake. The lake is slowly filling with clay and organic debris.

We saw some yellow-bellied and snapping freshwater turtles. There were some smaller fish there too!

South Carolina is known as the Palmetto State. It is named after the state tree, the cabbage palmetto. The short, fan like palms beside the boardwalk are dwarf palmettos, relatives of the cabbage palmetto. They are the hardiest palms due to their ability to withstand freezing temperatures. Dwarf palmettos thrive best in wet, sandy areas where disturbance, like a hurricane, causes a gap in the canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor.

The 18^th Amendment was passed in 1919, prohibiting the sale and consumption of alcohol in the United States. Moonshiners and bootleggers found refuge in places like Congaree River floodplain to earn a living. The iron box we found is an old still, used to make alcohol.

Water and corn squeezings were used to make sour mash. The mash was heated and distilled through copper tubing to produce moonshine. The Congaree floodplain’s difficult terrain and tall trees made it a perfect place for moonshiners to hide stills and produce their illegal liquor.

On September 21, 1989 Hurricane Hugo left its mark in this part of the forest. Accompanying tornados likely touched down here, leaving large open gaps in the tall trees and canopy. Many large trees did not survive, but seedlings and vines sprouted with abundance of sunlight reaching the forest floor. Natural disturbances like this, play an active role in the forest renewal.

As a repoter and editor for the State newspaper, Harry Hampton began a campaign in the 1950’s to save the Congaree River floodplain. An avid outdoorsman and hunter, he spent time exploring the old-growth forest. The Sims trail, is a former road. Roads historically used by hunters, fishermen and loggers are scattered throughout the park. They serve as a reminder of the long human history and use of the land.

His efforts, with the help of many others, led to the establishment of Congaree Swamp National Monument in 1976, predesignated Congaree National Park in 2003.