Congaree

Congaree is the last of the 7 National Parks in South Carolina that Lon needed to visit.  Today was finally the day!

The Park is about 2 hours from the house.

Wiki Bit: Congaree National Park, in central South Carolina, is a 26,276-acre (41.06 sq mi; 10,633.52 ha; 106.34 km2) United States national park. It received its official designation in 2003 as the culmination of a grassroots campaign launched in 1969. The park preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. The lush trees growing in its floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the Eastern United States, forming one of the highest temperate deciduous forest canopies remaining in the world. The Congaree River flows through the park. About 57 percent (15,000 acres or 61 square kilometers) of the park is designated wilderness area.

Working on his Jr. Ranger Badge at the Harry Hampton Ranger Station.  We thought it might rain so we went out to the boardwalk to get that part done.  
It was about 88 degrees, overcast and cool.  A very nice time to walk the boardwalk

This is one spectacular mushroom

Checking out a spider web.

We ran into a very nice lady, she wanted to take Lon's photo when he was all kitted out with all his badges.  We said okay. She was taking 79 4th graders from Sumter to Congaree for the first time.  She said most of them had never heard of Congaree or had ever been to any national park!
She wrote a grant to get more kids into the park.  All those kids got Jr. Ranger Badges today.  They were thrilled!  The news article is in the Sumter Item. But you have to be a subscriber to read it.

On the boardwalk. There was one section that was in need of repair, so we did not do the entire loop.

Deer! We really saw a deer!  How cool is that?

And a cardinal!

So pretty, and the bugs were not terrible today

WOW.  That was the most gorgeous dragonfly I have ever seen

One of the items Lon needed to check off was a tree taller than his house. I think this qualifies.

The visitor's center is named after him.

Getting his badge!  

It was the perfect time to go to the swamp.  It was a fun day.