Residents can hit the trails, water
Whether you want to volunteer, paddle or take a road trip to Camden, National Trails Day in South Carolina may have something for you this Saturday.
National Trails Day, celebrated the first Saturday of June every year, evolved from the 1987 President's Commission on Americans Outdoors that recommended all U.S. residents be able to access a trail within 15 minutes of their houses. Since 1993, the American Hiking Society has worked with several public and private groups for National Trails Day.
This Saturday, Lowcountry residents can join in two free events listed on the society's Web site.
From 9 a.m.-2 p.m., The Backpacker store in Mount Pleasant and U.S. Forest Service are seeking volunteers to help refurbish a campsite and do some trail maintenance in the Francis Marion National Forest.
Volunteers are asked to bring their own shovels, clippers, work gloves, water, sunscreen and bug spray. The group will meet at the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center in Awendaw at 9 a.m. before proceeding to the campsite. The Backpacker will provide lunch and hold a raffle for prizes from the store. Call to sign up at 849-3482 or e-mail theback packer2@bellsouth.net.
Meanwhile, in Berkeley County, the Palmetto Trail Hell Hole Outdoor Center in St. Stephen will
offer a Wadboo Creek Paddle 9 a.m.-noon. Meet at the center, where a caravan will head to the Wadboo boat landing. Preregistration is required at 567-4480 or hellholecenter@palmettoconservation.org. BYOW (bring your own watercraft). Canoes and kayaks are available for a fee.
Meanwhile, American Rivers, a conservation organization for rivers, will dedicate the 80-mile Wateree Blue Trail as part of trails day at 10 a.m. Saturday at the landing below Wateree Dam. After the dedication, there will be an inaugural paddle down more than five miles of the trail.
The trail starts near the historic city of Camden and flows through Kershaw, Sumter and Richland counties. The river also winds through Congaree National Park and offers one of the best opportunities for multiple overnight river camping in an undeveloped river corridor in the eastern United States.
The trail offers visitors the opportunity to learn about Civil War and Revolutionary War sites, ancient burial grounds and other spots of historical interest.
American Rivers also recently launched a blue trail on the Congaree River and has published the Blue Trails Guide (www.bluetrailsguide.org) to help other communities that are interested in developing blue trails.
Multiple partners worked with American Rivers to make Wateree Blue Trail a reality, including the city of Camden, Congaree Land Trust, S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Central Midlands Council of Governments, Congaree National Park, Kershaw County, Kershaw County Conservation District, Kershaw County Historical Society, Richland County Conservation Commission, Friends of Congaree Swamp and Sumter County.
More on National Trails Day at www.americanhiking.org.
