3.6.08The symphony of sounds in a swamp at night can only be rivaled by those of the sunrise. This is what I have been waiting for: to watch and listen to the swamp awaken from the water. I am up just before the night sky begins to show its first shades of daylight. The familiar […]

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SANDHILLS SUMMARY
This thread of the web of water strings together friends and family as we pass through the Sandhills and fall line. The heavy paddle through the undeveloped stretch of the Saluda below lake Greenwood widens and joins with other tributaries at the mouth of Lake Murray and I find an familiar sign on a […]

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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 […]

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3-03
The Outdoor Classroom
Today I paddled to Saluda Shoals park in Columbia to meet a school group from Nursery Road Elementary. The classes showed up at the park courtesy of the LEEP bio-diesel bus. Helpful rangers Jay and Samantha showed us the unique plants of the park and Bert Cupts gave the students an overview of […]

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Hello everyone. I have just picked up the State Newspaper in Columbia, Ian and LEEP have made the paper. Yesterday was a great day for LEEP. We invited Nursery Road Elementary School to take part in WOW. Between Deirdre Cousins and LEEP we managed to get all three third grade classes to Saluda Shoals Park […]

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Today we were up at first light and on our way to the Congaree National Park, our first stop after leaving the rocks of the sandhills and entering into the inner coastal plains. The weather reports threaten thunderstorms and high winds so we must adjust our plans for the afternoon.  In the entrance to the […]

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3/02
Wow, what a fantastic day to explore the rivers of the mid-state of SC. We spent the day exploring Columbia’s Riverfront Park with Karen Kustafik, ranger for the City of Columbia Parks and Recreation Department. We looked at the place where the fall line begins and the Saluda & Broad rivers come together to form […]

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2/29/2008
Off to Dreher Island
Today I am paddling away from Lake Murray to camp at Dreher Island State. At the park I will meet Chief Louis Chavez of the Pee Dee Nation. He is the chief of the Beaver Creek Indians tribe. His ancestors were raised on the Edisto river and he will give us insights […]

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2/28/2008
Rest day at Lake Murray
After a long solo day on the river yesterday, I was able to meet up with the support crew late last night to take a rest day. Lake Murray dam sits on the Saluda river providing hydro-electric power for the Columbia area. Paddling across Lake Murray is challenging, but I got […]

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