Explorers hike High Hills of Santee
By Jim Welch RyegateCC@aol.com

Jan Ciegler, Lori Welch and James III at the edge of the cypress habitat on the High Hills Passage of the Palmetto Trail.

Members of The Explorers Club, Greater Piedmont Chapter, continue to enjoy and share the wonders of South Carolina's Palmetto Trail. Explorers Jan Ceigler and Jim Welch were recently joined by Floridians Lori Welch and James Welch III for a hike through the High Hills of the Santee Passage.

Millions of years ago, the ocean covered a large portion of eastern South Carolina, and its shoreline created the present day sand hills. The Passage was named after the high, sandy ridges on the trail which was, at one time, used by the Catawba Indians as one of their main north- south trails.

The winding 9.4 mile stretch in Sumter County from Mill Creek Park to Poinsett State Park took these present- day hikers through a variety of habitats.

They set out at mid- morning from the long leaf pine forests of Mill Creek and by late afternoon were beside the lake at Poinsett. Their trek had taken them five hours of a perfect day: 70 degrees, muted sky, light breezes.

Jan Ciegler, Jim Welch and James III at the start of their trek on the High Hills Passage of the Palmetto Trail.

Mill Creek is an equestrian- friendly park. One leg of the trail takes hikers and horses through forests of mixed oak, dogwood and loblolly. It calls for extremely careful footing because of the pock- marked sandy soil. The long leaf pine forest, however, gives hikers a firmer needle- laden trail.

These hikers agreed a highlight of their trek came as they emerged from the pines and came into a slight depression which was eerily mysterious with bald Cyprus trees and knees in all sizes and shapes.

They crossed creeks and streams, some by well- maintained wooden bridges. They climbed hills and crossed dirt roads, including a road called Fuller's Earth. They found an outcropping of the natural grey- green absorbent clay it was named. They crossed through a stand of small oaks draped with Spanish moss and through a stand of mountain laurel.

With tiring muscles, they climbed to a higher point that gave them an over look of the valley and ridges. At the end of the trail, they descended to the spillway at Levi Mill Pond and hiked around the pond to their car.

Although wildlife along the trail was sparse, the foursome spotted a number of fence lizards, dragon flies, a few spring azure butterflies, a tiger swallowtail, and a wood nymph. They heard the calls of yellow- rumped warblers and pileated woodpeckers and saw a turkey vulture circling overhead.

They found many wood violets, yellow Jessamine, hog plums, hawthorn, red bud trees, and dogwoods. They spotted a lone dwarf iris growing at the edge of the often- used trail.