About forty miles northwest of Charleston, along I-26, the Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary is one of the world’s last
remaining virgin stand of bald cypress and tupelo gum trees. The forest is part of the Four Holes swamp along the Edisto river and covers over ten
thousand acres.
That place is a swamp. A swamp is a flooded forest, not to be confused with a marsh which is a flooded grass land. The bald
cypress trees in that swamp are as old as a thousand years. The cypress is a conifer but is not evergreen.
The forest is maintained by the Audubon Society. To get there, take the exit 177 or 187 on I-26, follow the highway US 178
for a few miles on the south side of the interstate. Signs will point you to a back road, crossing back over the interstate on to the north side and
to the entrance of the forest. There is a small parking lot deeply integrated into the forest, with a visitor center.
The fee to get in is $7. There is only one trail to follow, a large loop over one and a half miles on a boardwalk. The center
is opened only from 9am to 5pm, closed on Mondays and some holidays.
Most of the time the forest floor is dry. I was lucky to visit the swamp on a very sunny day, a few days after some rain.
The ground was flooded with three to four inches of water. Some very small pieces of the swamp are always above the water level. On such places the
dwarf palmetto can grow. The dwarf palmetto looks like a regular palmetto tree but without a trunk, just the top leaves.
A lot of different species grow in the swamp. Along the boardwalk, a lot of signs are giving information about those species,
the animals living in the swamp, the difference between a swamp and a marsh, the definition of a lake in such areas (a place that holds water even in
time of draught).
At the far end of the loop trail is the Goodson lake, with an observation deck. The water was completely calm and reflecting
the trees around, the blue sky and the fresh new green leaves of spring on the trees. Everywhere the cypress is always flanked with numerous knees,
sort of small trunks that could not grow more than three or four feet.
A lot of animals are living in the swamp. Very visible in the water are turtles, the yellow bellied sliders. They dive in the
water very quickly when you walk by, or bask in the sun on some logs. One of them was swimming in the lake towards me in hope of some food. There are a
lot of small lizards, as well as snakes. I spot three snakes along the way, a big one and two smaller ones.
I didn’t see any other animal like the alligator, the white ibis, the blue heron or the deer. One good thing about visiting
the swamp in March is that it is still mostly bug-free. However, the walk on the loop can become spooky, when you are alone, surrounded by black water
and trunks of high trees. All the time the animals around make sounds, diving in the water, hiding themselves before you can see what animal it is.
The cypress knees are really odd. The general impression of the place is the one of a cemetery: it looks like a lot of trees
were living there, one day most of them were cut for some reason and only a few of them survived. A lot of trees are still broken down to the ground.
Hurricane Hugo came in 1989 and did a lot of damage to the area.
It was the first time I was visiting a swamp. The experience was very interesting and I would recommend the visit. A day in
March during bird migration is best, when the ground is flooded with a few inches of water.
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