Later this month a few of us will attempt a 35 mile, one-day, circumnavigation of James Island.  To prepare for this rather long trip, we've been practicing with ~20 mile day paddles.

On June 10th, Jan, Allen, Ralph, and I rendezvoused at the Amoco Station in Jacksonboro and then headed over to Price Bridge Landing for the launch.  The Amoco station has a huge parking lot and is at the intersection of Highway 17 and 64.  It makes a terrific meeting point for trips on the Ashepoo or Combahee Rivers.

A good place to rendezvous when heading to paddling destinations near the Francis Marion Forest or Santee River is the Shell station in McClellanville.  On June 5th, I met Ralph there at 8:30 and then we headed to the Wambaw Bridge launch.

We are planning a 35-mile, one-day, circumnavigation of James Island (Charleston Harbor area) later this month, so we are in training.

According to a recent survey, Wapoo Cut is the second busiest boat landing in Charleston County.  On weekends, especially during the summer, it is best left to the trailerboaters and avoided by kayakers.

However, on a recent June 3rd morning, Helon and I found it at 50% capacity when we launched around 8:30.  Both kayaks were atop Helon's SUV and my pickup was pre-positioned at Folly Beach Landing, our take-out.

Following last year's drought (2007), we entered 2008 with most of Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie unpaddleable.  Slowly, especially in March and April, the lakes refilled.

On April 13th, Margaret and I decided to check-out Sparkleberry Swamp.  Was there enough water for a kayak?

Margaret had a long drive from Asheville and I had a 90 minute drive up from Charleston so we didn't launch until around 11 a.m.

What the heck is a widget, you ask?  Widgets arrive under several names including gadget, widget, blidget, and others.  If you use iGoogle for a homepage, then you're familiar with Google gadgets.

Gadgets, widgets, whatever, deliver unique information to a web page.  There are gadgets for weather, news, blogs, YouTube, games, puzzles, art, etc.

The ACE widget that I've created displays a Google map of all public boat landings and kayak launches that I've found so far in South Carolina's ACE Basin.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, about a dozen of us headed to Goose Creek Reservoir for our second annual St. Pat's paddle.  At this time of year Goose Creek rookeries are asquawk with Ibis, Egrets, and Herons.  This year, however, the 20+ mph winds suggested that we save this paddle for another day.

I arrived early and paddled down to the spillway.  By the time I returned to the landing to find the others pondering their next move, I was soaked.  Not really soaked, because on this chilly March morning I was properly attired in waterproof paddling gear.

Because I live on the Charleston Peninsula, I frequent kayak launches within an hour's drive of Charleston, South Carolina.  I remain amazed that thirty minutes outside of Charleston, I can launch on a river or creek, paddle for a couple of ours, and never see another boat.

With the unrestrained growth, however, that experience may soon fade.  Until then, the creeks, rivers, swamps, and ocean of the Lowcountry offer terrific opportunities for exploration and escape.

Today, March 13, 2008, my friend Helon and I launched from Folly Beach boat landing for a circumnavigation of Long Island.  We paddled down Folly River, then turned into Long River.  On the map, you will see that we paddled around Oak Island before continuting on our journey.

Long Island, marked on the map, is slated for development.  When we paddled past, we saw a 4-wheeler parked near the shore  plus boards and skids ready for the landing party that didn't want to get their feet wet.

Most of the land within the ACE Basin is protected either through conservation easement, wildlife refuge, federal ownership, or whatever.  The eponymous rivers are the Ashepoo River (middle), Combahee River (southernmost), and Edisto River (northernmost).

While not within the ACE Basin, this map includes the upper reaches of the three rivers and their tributaries.  Until I visit all of these landings, I'm sure that mistakes abound.

Just before 10am, this March 9, 2008 morning, the temperature struggled to climb above 40 degrees as we launched from Willtown Bluff.  Turning upriver, we paddled into the face of a 15 mph wind blowing down the river.  Because the Edisto is wide and the straight, there was marginal white caps.

Ten paddlers from the Lowcountry Paddlers joined this club trip led by Bill & Michelle.  About 30 minutes upriver we were able to paddle in the lee of the left bank.

This trip is just a tad over seven miles and we made it to Penny Creek Landing in time for lunch.  We rode the tide all the way from Willtown to the Penny Creek Landing.

More photos at Edisto River: Willtown Bluff to Penny Creek