December 9-11, Summerville, SC. Vince Payne, Dave Brytowski and I paddled two days Dec 10th and 11^th) on the Edisto River near Summersville, SC, which is about 30 minutes or so from Charleston. There is a 50 mile water canoe trail along the Edisto River and it is a wonderful, scenic black water river. I've wanted to kayak the Edisto River many years now. I've been to Charleston many times on business trips and I read literature about the Edisto River.

The Edisto is the world's longest free flowing "black water" stream and is considered one of the southeast's most beautiful rivers. So when I found out Vincent was leading the trip I jumped at the chance to join him on this paddle.

Initially, the plan was for us to canoe camp, or in my case, kayak camp. In other words, we were going to load up all our equipment and food in our boats and set up camp along the banks of the river. Vincent decided it was probably too cold to do this, so he opted to have us camp at the Givhans Ferry State Park, which is located right on the banks of the Edisto. I liked this idea. Camping from your boat adds another level of stress and work because you really have to plan what you're going to wear, eat and etc.

There were only going to be three of us on the trip: Vincent, Dave and myself. Vincent and Dave both got there before me. I wasn't able to leave the Atlanta area until around 1:30 PM. It took me about 4-1/2 hours to get there. This time of year the state park closes and locks up around 6 PM. When I called to talk with the park ranger about hours and such, he gave me the combination to the lock at the front gate. But I have a way of things happening to me so I was hauling butt to the state park before 6 so I wouldn't have to worry with the lock.

I got there right before the park was locked up. I went to the campground expecting to find a merry crew of folks with boats on their vehicles, but I only found a few RVs. As I was going to call Vincent at the pay phone, a nice park ranger came up to me and asked, "Are you Jamie?" He said my buddies decided to rent a cabin instead of camp. This made me really happy because it was suppose to get down below freezing that night. A nice warm cabin sure beats a cold tent.

The park ranger pointed me in the right direction toward the cabins and I pulled up to Dave and Vincent greeting me at the front door. They had already built a nice fire in the fireplace so the place was warm and cozy. The cabin was rustic, but charming. It had a full kitchen with microwave and fridge. It had a full bed in a bedroom and with bunk beds in a small bedroom.

By the looks of the rugged little cabin, we speculated that maybe the Civilian Conservation Corps built it. We later found out that is exactly who built the cabin. A little placard outside of the state park's main office explained that Givhans Ferry State Park as well as 14 other SC state parks was built by the CCC. The placard went on to explain that the CCC had very little tools and resources and built the structures with whatever material they found in the local area.

Vincent, Dave and I admired the little cabin as well as the beautiful white office building. These historic structures had stood the test of time and had been around about 70 years. They had a beautiful, stoic simplicity much like the people who built them.

Dave, Vincent and I talked about all sorts of stuff that evening. I really enjoyed the guys' company. Of course, we swapped river stories. I was happy to be along with such experienced wilderness boaters.

At one point, we decided to go for a walk because the flue in the fireplace hadn't been completely opened, subsequently, our little cabin became quite smoky. We figured fresh river air would clean out the smoke from our lungs. The night was quiet as we walked along the roads. We were joined by a friendly dog and when we came upon the state park's office building, we walked behind it and down to the river. The Edisto seemed dark and mysterious with fog oozing up from its surface.

We chatted a bit and looked at the small fish near the river's edge. Upon returning to the cabin, we found it was smoke free and we chatted a bit more with just a small fire going. I went to bed that night excited to finally be paddling the Edisto River.

The next morning we headed to the put-in. Our original plan was to paddle around 14 miles. We got to the put-in, but there was no public access and NO TRESPASSING signs everywhere. We thought it prudent to go to the put-in above at Colleton State Park. This, however, would make for a very long 20 mile day. Different references gave varied miles paddled for the Colleton to Givhans Ferry run. One reference said it was 19 miles and another said it was 23 miles. The current looked swift, so we figured we'd be okay.

We were putting in just after 10 AM and would get off just before it got dark around 5:00 - 6:00 PM. It was going to be a long day of paddling, but I kept thinking about the last day of my Paddle Georgia adventure. I figured 20 miles in a sea kayak on fast moving flat water would be a piece of cake compared to Paddle Georgia's last day of 20 miles of mostly flat water in a white water boat.

The morning was absolutely beautiful and it started to warm up just as we were getting on the river. Vincent and Dave paddled an Old Town tandem canoe and I paddled solo in my Necky Elaho sea kayak. We paddled at a reasonable pace and stopped a few times. We never stopped for very long because we were trying to beat the sun home.

We also noticed that there were duck boxes with ascending numbers on them. We speculated that these were probably river miles. I later found out that this is exactly what they were.

We also noticed little signs along the way that directed paddlers to "camp here". These signs were yellow and white and you had to paddle very close to them to read them. These signs were on Westvaco land, which is a timber company. I suppose they welcomed paddlers to camp along their land. We did notice that there were several really nice campsites along the way. We'd also heard from Mo Friedman that there was a river wide strainer with a tricky whirlpool to negotiate somewhere on our run. The current was quite swift and for the first few miles we saw many modest homes and fishing camps. About mile 3 or so, the river got very narrow and there were several deadfalls across the river.

This section of the river was creeky and pushy like a white water river without the white water. There was a huge strainer and perhaps in lower water it could have been the river wide strainer that Mo referred to. I could see how at lower water it would be very tough to negotiate. Maneuvering my 16.5' sea kayak was hard work, but it handled nicely. I could see where a beginner could flip or get caught up in the strainer because it is difficult to maneuver long flat water boats through tight corners around the deadfall.

I really liked this creeky portion of the river because it was neat to paddle the fast moving meanders. On one side of the river were rustic homes and cabins that were very modest and reflected the down to earth, stoic lifestyle of the locals. We all agreed these modest homes were appropriate for the laid back Edisto River. A huge mansion just wouldn't have looked right along the black water tapestry of the river.

The river took on many faces during the day's paddle. It went through suburbs and at one point went through a wildlife management area. We passed many, many floating piers and were amused at the many innovative ways folks constructed their piers. Like the generation of CCCers before them, the locals would take all sorts of material and make them into docks and piers. Through all the different scenery on the shore, the Edisto maintained its fast current and dark personality.

I was also amused by Dave and Vincent's banter. They bantered as only good friends can and it was obvious they went back a ways. The trip was worth the entertainment value of listening to their playful chides. We ate lunch along the river and were offered beautiful solitude with nothing but the river and forest as our companions. After lunch, we paddled onward awaiting the sights just around the bend. I love these wilderness type excursions because I get an opportunity to explore a river that I've not yet paddled. Even though civilization was just a few miles away, it felt like we were early pioneers boldly venturing into the new world. With each gentle bend of the river, we wondered what lay in front of us and the Edisto never disappointed us.

At about 4 PM, we figured we were close to the takeout. We came upon the limestone bluffs that were similar to Givhan's Ferry State Park. Unfortunately, the river slowed and the friendly fast moving current was now incredibly flat and slow! As the sun started to descend, I started to get really cold.

I paddled a little ahead of Vincent and David and I found myself paddling alone. I picked up the pace to try to generate some body heat. Despite the chilliness, the last few miles of the Edisto were absolutely spectacular. The mossy covered gray bluffs were about 20 feet high and the water was completely still.

The Edisto was like a mirror reflecting the autumn colors of the forest along the bluffs. With each stroke of my paddle, the mirror would ripple away into an abstract canvas of oranges, reds and browns. I paddled through the still waters of the Edisto until I finally reached the familiar landmark of the Givhan's Ferry State Park beach. Shortly afterwards, Vincent and Dave paddled up along side me. We were all happy to be at the take-out because it had been a long day. We took out at around 5 PM, which made for a 7 hour day. We were able to take out right at our cabins and we left our boats along the riverbank ready to go for the next day's paddle. There was a nice board walk and wood stairs that took us up the embankment to our cabin.

That evening, we again sat around the fireplace and talked about the day's adventure. We all ate nice, big meals and Dave proclaimed several times that life was good. Vincent and I whole heartedly agreed with each jovial affirmation of the goodness of life and the pleasures of paddling. I fell asleep easily. I love the feeling of falling asleep with the weariness from the day's adventure. As I drifted into the sleepy world of dreams, I thought to myself life is really good.

The next morning we put on to another beautiful, clear day. We had planned to paddle about 8 miles and we figured it would be about a four hour trip. This would allow us plenty of time to travel back home before it got too late. Although the day was warmer, there was much more wind, which made it seem chillier than the previous morning. We faced a pretty stiff headwind and the river seemed to be slower, but at some point the wind died down a bit. The first two miles took us about an hour to paddle so we figured we'd get off the river around 2 PM.

Again, the Edisto was very scenic and beautiful. The river meandered through another wildlife management area and we came across a hunting dog. He was quite curious about our boats. Later down the river, we met his owner who was patiently waiting for him to return. I told him we saw the dog and I apologetically explained that we probably distracted him. He smiled and said it was okay that he'd be back soon.

About mile 4, the Edisto got very creeky and narrow again. The water picked up speed and the deadfalls increased. In one of the sharp meanders, we stopped to eat a mid morning snack. Again, it was quiet and it seemed we had the river all to ourselves. I really enjoyed this section of the river.

The river was so narrow that the forest seemed to be intimately woven into one beautiful watery landscape. Every now and then, the Edisto's beauty would be punctuated by a super old and tall cypress tree. It was again another rewarding day of paddling.

About an hour after our break, I saw the beach where our cars were parked. It was only a little after noon, and we were at the take-out. We were all disappointed that the 8 miles didn't last longer. We speculated that the river must have really picked up speed the last few miles, which led to our speedy arrival.

Vincent, Dave and I said good-bye to the Edisto and all vowed to return maybe in the spring. Two days just isn't enough time to truly explore this black water paradise. It is really one of the great, classic low country black water rivers and is worthy of its reputation. If you enjoy flat water paddling, then you will have a delicious time exploring all the different flavors of the Edisto.

From The Eddy Line, 2006

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