Not a fan of swamps. I know some people think they are beautiful, but I don't get it.
I am one who is entranced by the beauty of big swamps, especially AmSouth swamps, and the ability to endlessly slalom among cypress, tupelo and hardwood trees, and the ever-imminent danger of getting totally lost within 100 yards of paddling.
Here are a few photos of my favorite swamp of all,
Sparkleberry Swamp in South Carolina, which comprises about 16,000 acres of flooded forest plus the Congaree and Wateree Rivers.
The put-in at Sparkleberry Landing in Rimini:
Winding through the trees, you eventually get into a "flat" (aka a sort of lake). You have to know which direction to go on the flat.
Crossing the flat, you come to the surrounding flooded forest. Where to go? Where are the water trails? Look for painted blazes on trees.
Sometimes you can see a water trail without any tree blazes:
But most of the time the vegetative landscape keeps changing, often chaotically, and the real or faux water trails seem to open up in infinite possible directions:
High enough ground to land a canoe is rare, unless you have experience and know where to go:
Many times there are no blazed trails, no obvious trails, and you are completely checkmated as to which direction to go. In those cases, you take a risk and be sure to leave bread crumbs on a mapping GPS, which is mandatory if you are alone and without a guide.
Yes, the beauty of some swamps is overwhelming, and the mental pleasure of never quite knowing which way to go is simultaneously spooky, titillating and exhilarating. (BTW, there is no bridge; the sign was taken from somewhere else and hung on the tree.)
