by L. Woodrow Ross

Created on: September 11, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

As I sat near the campfire the first night and prepared to record the day's events in my journal, I had to heat the pen by the fire before it would write. The wind whipped the fire and the temperature dropped rapidly.

My friend and I were camping in the Jocassee Gorges area of upstate South Carolina and planned on a week-long stay. Thursday, Feb. 15, 2007, began our trip. The long hike in with heavy packs took a toll on us and then setting up camp was a chore. After a simple meal, I recorded the events of the day and the warmth of the fire counters the 29 degree chill in the air.

This is a remote area, only accessible by hiking. It is one of the wildest places in South Carolina and has been set aside as a wild, scenic area for recreational use. It is mountainous and several bold mountain streams and rivers course through the area.

Candle lanterns provided auxiliary light and the flickering fire supplied light as well. The surrounding forest has abundant dead wood for fuel. Camp sat on a high bluff above the dashing waters of Eastatoe River.

Day 2 was spent in stocking the woodpile and kindling supply. We covered the wood with plastic sheeting to assure a dry supply in case of rain. The temperature soared to 32 degrees.

The area is beautiful. A few hundred yards downstream is a place called the "Narrows" where the river flows through a restricted slot in the rocks and plunges down into a large pool. I have caught rainbow trout here in the past, but the temperature is so low that the fish are inactive on this trip.

We experienced light snow flurries on day 2, but no accumulation. We stayed in camp and kept a fire going all day. Once, I smelled cotton burning and determined that it was a spark on my pants. No major damage, only a small hole.

Our water supply came from the river. We boiled water and stored it in a large plastic container for drinking, washing and cleaning dishes.

The cold wind makes our skin dry and crack and we have to apply lotion, but it only does so much good. The cracks rapidly grow in number and depth.

Day 3 found 24 degrees at dawn. We hiked up the mountain in the early morning and looked for some wildlife, but the area is only lightly populated with wildlife.

We ate some salmon patties cooked over the fire. Later in the day, my friend's son and his girlfriend hiked in and brought steaks, potatoes and beer and we had a feast. They stayed a couple of hours and hiked out. It was a treat, then we were back to the basics for the rest of the trip.

Shortly

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