Boggy Gut Trail

Sea Pines-Hilton Head Island-south Carolina

I stumbled upon an unexpected nature trail while searching for old plantation ruins that were known to be haunted.  So, you all well have to wait until next week to find out if my ghost hunting is successful.

I parked near the information area of Sea Pines Forest Preserve to look at the directional board.  Two bikers were just coming in and I asked them if other people were walking the trail.  They said they did not see anyone but that most of the swamp trail is a boardwalk and that is good enough for me.

 

You can see that the swamp would have been impossible to walk through, and the most dangerous critters lie beneath.  Parts of the area were very thick from the long summer.  The farther I walked the quieter things became.  Just when I would get comfortable and focus on a photo I would here the grass ruffling.  It is also important to watch over your head because snakes and spiders like to climb trees.  But I kept going, admiring the wildflowers, small animals and bugs.

 

At the end of the boardwalk, the trail continues as dirt and a warning sign advises to note the number on the location markers in case of an emergency.  This is when I was just about to turn around and finish this outing at another time with friends. Then a family walked off the boardwalk and asked me about the trail, so one thing led to another and they invited me to tag along.  I was so happy and better yet they were from Germany so we had a lot to talk about.

 

We walked out to Lake Joe and Lake Thomas.  I kept assuring them that the lakes were full of alligators as they were on a quest to get a photo of one.  Sure enough,  we saw one gator peek his head out of the water and one harmless green snake wiggled across our path.  They were so excited to see more than a few turtles.

 

We walked the perimeter of Lake Joe and then headed back to the entrance.

 

Thanks to Restless Jo for helping me stay fit with and in touch with nature. Visit:

Jo’s Monday Walks for more adventures.

I’ll finish this journey soon because there is more to see:

 

Just minutes away is South Beach Marina where you can get a frozen drink or ice cream

Thanks for visiting 🙂

Alice