Adventures In The Swamp. We Got To Hang With The Mushrooms, Tupelos, And The Cutest Little Snake I Have

Adventures in the swamp. We got to hang with the mushrooms, Tupelo’s, and the cutest little snake I have ever seen.

I gotta give the pricklies some more love and attention.

I love Prickly Pears so much.

Alright. I have to talk about the pine trees in Congaree National Forest.

This forest is full of inspiration.

This here is a unusually gigantic Loblolly Pine tree. One of the most common tree species found in South Eastern United States. On Average, Loblolly Pines will grow between 60-90 feet tall. Pine forests cover the landscape of South Carolina, and looks like this:

Recently discovering the fact that a quiet and remote National Park resided 2 hours inland from me blew my mind. How had I gone this long without knowing about its existence and significance? Anyone who knows me knows how much I love forests, so I immediately made plans to visit. I needed to see these giants.

I was amazed at the size of these Loblolly champions. The tallest towering at over 167 feet, which is unheard of! There are no pictures I could take that could show the height of these trees due to a thick leaf canopy, so I will explain.

This is a picture of a 12 story building in my hometown, which is about 145 feet tall. The pines in Congaree are TALLER than that. The champion pine is measured at 17 stories in height! Astonishing.

What an amazing and rare gift the floodplain has given us. Trees this tall are rare in this region of the world, so I am thankful to have found them. I can’t wait for my next visit to explore more of the ancient tree species in this forest.

Where to next?

Made this for my new header image, but I also had to share! Views as I leave the national forest.