After two glorious days in the Smokies, The Bearded Man is making the short three hour trip southeast to Congaree NP, where he will be camping at the Longleaf Campground. Congaree Swamp National Monument was established by Congress in 1976 and was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on June 30, 1983. In July of 2001 it was designated a Globally Important Bird Area, and on November 10, 2003 it was designated as the nation's 57th National Park.
Today's journey will take him through Prosperity, South Carolina, which was known as Frog Level prior to 1873. How a town goes from the name Frog Level to Prosperity is anyone's guess, but I'm betting it had something to do with alcohol.
During his planned two day stay at Congaree, The Bearded Man has a full slate of activities planned, including hiking the 11 mile Kingsnake Trail and canoeing a stretch of Cedar Creek. He has also been asked to participate as a guest lecturer on the subject of indigenous trees of the Congaree floodplain, a topic on which The Bearded Man is widely considered an expert. This particular lecture will center on the Sycamore, Bald Cypress and Water Tupelo species. He assures us that he packed several clean white t-shirts for his speaking engagements.
