3.5.08Today I paddle an unfamiliar route to the Congaree river from Cedar Creek from within the Congaree National Park. Preparation and planning are critical and I am up early with the ground crew reviewing the float plan, emergency action plan, and making sure I have proper safety and navigation equipment as well as extra food and water. My goal is to locate a magical place I remember from previous scouting trips down the Congaree. I have applied for the proper permits and alerted the rangers of our plans. Flood plains can be misleading because the water level changes constantly and there may not be any visible flow. Despite my preparation the navigational marks on the map stop making sense and I spend time portaging over log jams and through dried stream beds. A good compass and common sense tells me that if I continue southward I will eventualy reach the Congaree River. After a grueling trudge through the woods carrying a heavy kayak weighted with extra supplies and marking my route with memory techniques, I find myself at the edge of the woods looking over a cliff at a winding Congaree River that never looked so lovely. Getting my kayak in the water takes patience and enginuety and I have to jump in the river in order to clamber in the cockpit. The plastic zip lock bag that held my cell phone is not enough to protect it from the swim so now I have to rely on my back up radio to communicate. The trip proves worth the struggle as I am rewarded to see I have come almost directly to the magical place on the river that I had been searching for called Butlers Gut and the Clay Pit. I make sure my kayak is high above the water line and secured to a tree and enjoy an awesome night by the river looking up at the stars.(This trip should be done with an experienced park guide. Even after many years of experience as a kayak guide, I never go on any kayak trip without an approved Personal Floatation Device on at all times.)