I learned of this place several years ago and have wanted to visit it. I recall years ago seeing it on a map but with no clue as to what it was, there was not an interest in it. After visiting Congaree several times, I knew this would be a special place as it was the second largest old growth forest in SC behind Congaree.
It's a swamp. Sound exciting? What is a swamp? A swamp is a forest that is sometimes but not always, under water. Not to be confused with a marsh - a flooded grassland. Around here, there are also pocosins which are poorly drained flat forest. And, of course, the mysterious Carolina bay lakes which I recently blogged about here. More specifically, this is a Cypress-Tupelo swamp. The Bald Cypress trees are significantly larger and older than the Tupelos. The oldest Bald Cypress here is said to be 1500 years old. That is a mere teenager compared to the Bald Cypress trees in the Three Sisters swamp along the Black River in NC. The latest core dating done there has a tree pegged at 2223 years old. I have floated through the Three Sisters swamp twice and those trees are immense compared to what I saw today.
The 1.75 mile long boardwalk is the way to see the swamp. In a Covid world, you have to make reservations up to a month in advance and have to be in and out between 9 and 1 on the day of your reservation. As we drove up, we called to check in, gave our names and ticket number and were told to have a great time, call us if you have any questions.
In a non-Covid world, this is where you'd meet to get a lecture on the swamp, by the "Meeting Tree".
September 21, 1989 Hurricane Hugo blew through here. It made landfall just south of Myrtle Beach and roared inland. In this forest, it uprooted hardwoods and broke Pines in two or knocked out their branches but the Cypress stayed in place. Except the one above. It toppled and took out a section of boardwalk, in the foreground. In all, about 1/3 of the boardwalk was destroyed that night. My condo in Cherry Grove rode out the storm with minimal damage. A couple days later, I rode down with a friend to see properties his bank owned and how they fared. I recall the incredible devastation through the Coastal Plain. Entire Loblolly plantations were destroyed.
Cypress knees - what's the point? Nobody is sure but it is thought that they create stability. On dry land a Cypress may not have a knee or just one or several. In water, Cypress have many and they can be very large.
It doesn't look like a 7 ft high knee, but it is.
I know it is named the Francis Beidler Forest but this swamp has another name, Four Holes Swamp. The name dates back to the 1700s but no one remembers why it is named that. It is about 60 miles long and covers 40,000 acres, drains 430,000 acres and drops about 30 feet in elevation before it empties into the Edisto River. Right where we walked, the elevation was between 55 and 60 feet above sea level. We drove an hour and half from Kiawah Island to get here. I don't recall any hills.
It was a dreary and cold day with some light drizzle. We didn't hear much. A Barred Owl and Pileated Woodpecker made their presence known. The water looked still but where there was an obstruction, you could see it moving.
An inter-species affair in the swamp.
Knees at attention.
A bald knee of a Bald Cypress.
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