YMOS Pioneers! Trecking the Congraee National Forest

About a week or so ago, me and two friends decided we'd take a day hike the River Trail in the Congaree National Forest. It was a total of 12 miles and about 5 hours of hiking. It was a ton of fun and I love that I live somewhere you can drive 20 minutes outside of town and be in a legit forest. So at 8am, with machetes, harmonica, beef jerky, cameras, and high spirits  packed, we set forth on the first of many adventures together.

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~ Gear: Camel Back water bottle clipped onto my Kelty vintage cargo pack.

~ Gear: Machete clipped onto the other side! I pretty much thrashed this thing. I guess that's what you get with a $7.00 Walmart machete.

~ Gear: I really dig Walmart gear. I got this lined flannel for $15.00 and and this beanie for $4.00. Really swell.

 ~ We enjoy a steady pace. Eric.

~ Tom's botas aren't exactly the best hiking boots but they did the job. Plus, pants were a good idea considering much of the trail isn't well traveled so it was pretty overgrown.

 ~ Destroyed tree limb. Hypothesis: otter getting his grub on. It's quite impressive they can run though wood like this.

~ Eric examining the destruction left behind.

~Canoe access point up ahead. This creek leads to the main river. 

~ Morning's dew.

~ Daniel overlooking a small lake.

~ Pretty sure we found the entrance to the Shire.

~ Boar tracks. Scary.

~ Whittling useful tools.

Part 2 coming soon! stay tuned!