Seg #34 Palmetto-Swamp Fox Trail 12/11-12 2013 Halfway Ck-Monks Corner SC

End	Moncks Corner, SC	N 33.221241,W 79.910474	N-S miles 13.3
Start	Halfway Ck Rd	N 33.03081,W 79.72174	Trl lgth 29.9mi Ride 26.6

* Average and maximum speed, calories burned and temperature not available due not bringing my bike computer

Being a Midwesterner, one would think I would not write a post describing a trail ride in the month of December, but since I was heading back to GRU/MCG Augusta for a Periodontal Symposium, of all things, named after me, I decided to bundle a couple bike rides with some rounds of golf with my buddies; Randy, Steve and Dick.  After extensive trail analysis, I had determined that the only place I could fill a latitude gap of 33.22124 degrees to 32.95999 degrees was to ride a couple of  trails in South Carolina;  therefore I flew to Columbia, rented a car and drove to the Palmetto Swamp Fox trail north of Charleston. Before leaving Iowa, I considered boxing-up my bike and taking it on the airplane. That was too expensive. Then I checked shipping outfits like UPS and Fedex and found the cost of shipping unreasonable. "OK, I will rent a mountain bike (MTB) from a bicycle shop in Charleston", I told myself. I called every bicycle shop in the Charleston area listed in the Yellow Pages. The only rental option available was a single speed beach bike for $50.  "Heck", I thought. "Why not buy a bike off Craig's List, ride two trails and then turn around and sell it". 

I hawked this 29" Mongoose for $125 and sold it to Raj for $80. The larger
wheels made for good rolling over rocks, logs, roots, holes, etcetera that
plagued me on the Swamp Fox Trail. Rear shocks would have helped with
the sore buns. Glad I rode the tough trail before this easy Sawmill Trail

Craig's List did not let me down.  I found a bike for sale in Mt. Pleasant, SC, a short twenty miles from the Swamp Fox Trail. After several emails and phone calls with James on Morningdale Drive, I arrived at his home late at night, paid him for the bike and then disassembled and loaded the it in the back seat of the Hyundai Sonata I rented. The Red Roof Inn was close to where I bought the bike so I was in bed by midnight. 

The next morning I was off at the crack of dawn for the Palmetto Swamp Fox Trail (PSFT). I had a new toy to use on this ride. I call it my STAFD---Smarter Than a Fifthgrader Device (Samsung Note 3). After plugging-in the coordinates for where I would start riding, I was able to locate trail heads, much easier than other rides traversing America. About 9 a.m. I was ready to hit the trail where the Swampfox crossed Halfway Creek Road. This trail did not appear to be as user friendly as most of the trails I have ridden. In fact, it darn right tough with tree limbs, trunks and ubiquitous roots along with bumpy ground and six to twelve inch holes. Pine needles and tree leaves softened the ride a tiny bit but in retrospect it would have helped to have a bike with dual shocks. The bike I rode on this trip had front shocks and  twenty-nine inch wheels which slightly softened the body rattling from an alligator back trail surface. I would only average about five miles per hour on this rugged path. There was more guesstimating of speeds and distances due my forgetting to bring a bike computer from my my bike at home. 

One of several tree trunks across on the trail.  Maybe an
expert could jump over this hump in the road  but this guy
carried his bike over such obstacles. This ain't no bike trail. 

A triathlon-like run, bike and kayak
event was planned for sometime after
I rode the Swamp Fox Trail. Hundreds
of orange circles were painted to spare
runners of injury. My foot goes down
a foot but many holes were deeper. 

The Swamp Fox Trail is one of the Low Country’s oldest rails. It offers a long, flat, out-and-back journey through the swampy wetlands and coastal pine forests of Francis Marion National Forest. When Revolutionary War General Francis Marion sought refuge from British troops in the state’s Lowcountry swamps, he earned the nickname “Swamp Fox.” His guerrilla tactics and legendary reputation eventually led Boy Scout leaders to name this trail after Marion when it was built in 1968. As far back as the late nineteenth century, logging companies had already moved into the area, eventually developing a 300-mile network of rail beds for their logging trains. The network was abandoned during the 1920's; a decade before the Forest Service purchased the land. Today, the former elevated railway right of way  makes for hiking and mountain biking paths in stretches that are swampy. Single plank boardwalks and footbridges help negotiate the trail in the wet areas. Fortunately I did not need to deal with open water, only muddy stretches that I could ride through most of the time. No equestrian or off-road vehicle use is permitted yet I am convinced many of the holes in trail were horse induced. Deer, wild turkey, songbirds, and waterfowl were seen on my ride but no alligators, thank goodness. 

A real treat was spotting all kinds of
mushrooms. This orange globe shaped
Amanita was exceedingly pretty but deadly..

Globe mushroom opened

Although I had planned to complete the needed latitudes of the PSFT in one day, I could not make decent time on such a rough trail. So the next day I was back at the Witherbee Ranger Station to ride four miles southeast  and back to the car. I was able to talk to a expert mountain biker at the Ranger Station, This guy said he was an expert rider and thought this trail should not be considered as a biking trail but a hiking trail only. I am glad I toughed it out to complete all needed latitudes. Then it was off to Summerville, SC to ride the Sawmill Trail..