Lost in Congaree Swamp

[COWS]

This week a man and 2 small children ages 6 and 10 went for a walk in the Congaree Swamp national park near Columbia, SC, got lost, and spent a couple of nights there. He texted for help, then his phone died. It was reported that cell phone service there was not good. A park ranger went into the swamp at 4:30 AM before the birds were awake and noisey and they were able to hear each other. Survived by drinking water from the area and tried to eat raw turkey eggs.

The park is the largest virgin swamp forest in the US. It has huge cypress, gum, oak and some large pines at the edges. There are large numbers of wildlife, the most worrysome for walkers being wild hogs. I have been in the swamp and seen tracks of deer, pigs, birds, and one large bobcat track. The rangers say there are no cougars there or in the state but I have seen one 100 miles away near my home in Western SC.

The park headquarters is 4-5 miles from the Congaree River. A few years ago my wife and I walked the trail to the river. It is flat, low land subject to flooding on the park side. The opposite bank of the river is higher land and there is a high bluff on the river's edge there. Both of us have a good sense of direction, stayed on the trail, had a map, water, etc, and at no time were we unaware of the direction to get back out. It was also at the beginning of the day. The lost ones got to the park at 4:30 PM(man drove a taxi and the GPS in the car gave the time). Also, when we went it was late spring before the mosquitos were out and it was during a long dry spell. A couple of weeks later there was a heavy rain in the rivers drainage area, we went back, and all the trail was under water. There was lots of undergrowth among the huge trees and there was no tempation to leave the trail. There have been ice storms in the area with some wind and the trails now have downed trees and limbs to complicate walking.

COWS

[Pig in a poke]

Smart thinking on the ranger's part.