South Carolina rivers in the ACE Basin were fun to explore! ACE stands for the 3 main rivers in this area: Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto. There are numerous named creeks that feed these rivers and many other unnamed water routes through the salt marshes. We crossed the Intracoastal Waterway as we approached Edisto island. 20 people joined us on the Island. Most stayed at the Edisto Beach State Park Campground while a few rented a lovely house nearby. Saturday night we enjoyed delicious food under the shade trees of the picnic area with the sound of the ocean surf in the background…and the hum of Thermacells and bug spray to deter the mosquitos and no-see-ums.
Three of the river routes we paddled were tide dependent. We highly recommend the book Kayak Charleston by Ralph Earhart (http://kayakcharleston.net/). It very helpful when paired with the current month’s tide charts for Charleston, SC. Chris contacted the local paddling club for advice on area rivers. One of their members wrote this guide and gave Chris suggestions. It plus Google Maps (the measuring feature and the satellite view to zoom in) made all the difference since none of us had paddled these rivers. We planned a couple of backup outings just in case and scouted some of the put in and take out sites once we arrived. Our scouting caused us to substitute two backup options in place of planned ones.
Sunday we paddled a 10-mile section of the Combahee River, putting in near high tide. Very interesting to watch the water levels drop 4+ feet as we paddled with the tide as it flowed back toward the ocean. The scenery was beautiful with both a mix of forest early and salt marshes later as we went down river. However, we saw relatively little wildlife (true of most of the rivers on this trip) except for 2 or 3 small alligators and several Ospreys. We searched in vain for a lunch stop and did eventually stop near a platform where the adventurous could climb out and the rest ate lunch from their boats.
Monday found us on another section of the Combahee. We put in again at high tide again and learning from the first day, our point picked a lunch spot early. The tide was starting to turn when we got to the take out and you could definitely tell.
Tuesday we had a fun paddle with wild dolphins (!!) where Bay Creek joins the Edisto River and empties into the ocean at ‘Shark Hole’, a 70 – 80 feet deep area at the mouth of the river where dolphins and sharks come to feed at low tide. We paddled back to where we started as the tide came back in and helped push us ‘upstream’.
Wednesday was a free day and many explored nearby Charleston. A few found Angel Oak Tree – a 400-year old live oak tree on St. John’s Island. Others explored Botany Bay, a fascinating wildlife preserve on Edisto Island.
Thursday we were back on the river, this time the Edisto. Tides were not an issue this time as we were farther inland, though some of us thought we could tell a little difference as we came to the end. ☺ As a group we paddled about 34 miles this week according to Cindy’s Map My Walk app in its Paddling mode.
Friday’s weather forecast of thunderstorms for the planned paddle on the Ashepoo River granted all another free day to do things missed earlier like Botany Bay. It was a relaxing way to bring our visit to the low country to a close. We all met for a great dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Edisto and the ocean in the distance near Shark Hole and a pretty sunset. Two other great finds near our campsite were the farmer’s market that had veggies plus frozen dishes ready to cook such as crab cakes and seafood quiche and a seafood food truck with a picnic area. If you love scallops the food truck was the place to eat. Took 3 visits before we caught them open but it was worth it!
The photo album is here.