Our Student Led Expedition Blog, By Evan Harr

4-4-11
This past trip on the Edisto was quite miserable sometimes. There was a lot of rain, and of course, thunder and lightning came along with it. It was a tough paddle, but we were with the current most of the time. We did some fun things in Charleston, and when we were staying at Edisto Beach State Park.
There was some hammock camping, but mainly tent camping. I let Ray Ray use my hammock for a few nights. The other nights that had lightning storms were unsafe for hammocks. Everyone, no matter what, had to sleep in tents some nights. I preferred tent camping because it was so much warmer and nicer altogether. I still like my hammock a lot and love that my parents bought it for me. Tents are a lot better in the rain too because you don’t get nearly as wet or cold.
There was some terrible fishing. We didn’t even get one bite. It was lame because the bass are so dang lazy. I don’t like river fishing unless it’s fly fishing, which I’ve never tried. I wouldn’t recommend fishing in the Edisto River. I did get to troll a little, but I was more worried about hooking a dolphin than a fish. Some man gave us sardine and shrimp bait. It was really cool although it didn’t do anything for us. There was a time when I thought I had a fish, but that was only because I had a weight on the fishing pole. At one point I had four different fishing poles out since nobody was using any!
Along the paddle we stayed at a few different state parks. The first one was called Colleton State Park, and it was very small. It was kind of fun because we got to fish and play volleyball. The volleyball games were awesome, but unfortunately we didn’t get to play on sand. It was really awesome and tough even though some people weren’t even paying attention. I also got to charge my phone there! I really don’t even remember who won. Again, the fishing in the little stream still sucked.
The next state park was called Givhan’s Ferry, and it was like at least ten times bigger than Colleton. It was a lot of fun there, and the volleyball was amazing there. There was actual sand, but the ball was pretty flat. I made some sweet hits, especially my diving one. We played a few games, and got to be shoeless, which is always great at SOAR. One of the days, staff bought ice cream for us, which was really awesome. They were one of those drumstick ice cream cone things. They are covered with chocolate inside the cone, and on top of the ice cream. They also had peanuts over the chocolate. They were a very delicious and free snack. The next day, we went to the bigger store, and got some yummy snacks, and Cheerwine! I have loved Cheerwine ever since I had it the first time at Neo Cantina. Anyway, this campsite is where we got to have a zero mile day, which was really sweet because we also got to sleep in.
The last state park was Edisto Beach State Park. That was probably the best campsite that we stayed at. We had two campsites like at Colleton, and the staff got there own, just like the students. Our site was very secluded. It was a little walk into the woods, and then we went back into our sites that were by a little body of water. It was like a bay where we saw raccoons and deer. During our stay here, we went into the city of Charleston some of the days. One of the days we went to Charleston state park where we saw many historical things. We went on a boat that sent mail and cargo to other places, and we also saw where the wall was dug, and more. We also saw an African American grave, which was just flat land, since they were property and nothing more. We also went to the zoo and saw a Puma, Black Bear, Bison, an Elk, Deer, and a Bobcat. Tristan was very excited to see the Puma, since that is his trail name. The next day, we went to the beach. We did school in the building there, and then headed to the water. The ocean was freezing, and I only went in for a little. We also bought a kite, and it lasted for a while. I probably got the best run out of everyone because mine went really high. At one point when Stephen was flying it, the string came off of the kite and flew into the ocean. Tristan tried to get it, but it sank before he got close. It was probably my fault since I tied the knot for the kite. We also had some nice snacks and lunch at the beach which consisted of subs and trail mix. Right after people got tired of it, we went to Piggly Wiggly, which is now called Lucky Ducky. Anyways, I bought Cheerwine and Sweet and Salty Chex Mix. At camp, when Ray Ray was done with his gummy worms, and there was just sugar left, I kind of snorted it. The staff got really mad at me because someone decided to tell on me. It hurt, but was fun while it lasted. We went into Charleston one more time, and we saw April. We also went to the candy store, and a deli that was apparently really good. I couldn’t find my money, so I missed out on buying something there.
Overall, it was a great, but hard trip. We worked very hard and got some rewards along the way. I am thankful that it is finally over. It probably wasn’t my favorite, because it was pretty tough. I’m glad the semester is almost over, and summer is almost here. I have so many fun plans over summer, especially with SOAR kids, and I can’t wait. We have one and a half expeditions left, which I am stoked for. I will be free once again when I get home.