PARK RANGER STUART GREETER leads our small troop of nature lovers through the dense forest of Congaree National Park at a comfortable pace, even stopping occasionally to point out wildflowers and wildlife tracks, but it’s clear he’s a man on a mission. He wants us to see the trees. The park is home to at least 25 champion trees, judged by natural- ists as the largest living examples of their species, and several times a year, Greeter guides visitors on a “Big Tree Hike” for an up-close look at the ancient oaks, elms, maples and pines. “If you want to see what mature, old-growth forests looked like before Europeans came to this land, come visit this park,” he says as we make our way through a portion of the sprawling 27,000-acre tract, one of the last remaining floodplain forests in North America. Several hours into the trek, Greeter leads us to a 170-foot-tall loblolly pine and pulls a tape measure from his day pack. It takes three of us literally hugging the tree to wrap the tape tight and low around the massive trunk and read the results: 15 feet around. “That’s the biggest loblolly in the country,” Greeter says, not bothering to conceal his enthusiasm for this national treasure. The tree hike is just one of the free, ranger-led excursions offered in Congaree National Park. Other nature outings include butterfly counts, bird watching expeditions and nighttime hikes called “owl prowls”—all of which explore the diverse plant and animal life of South Carolina’s only national park. Visitors can also take self-guided tours on more than 20 miles of hiking trails and 2.4 miles of boardwalks that explore the natural and human history of the Congaree swamp. South Carolina was once home to millions of acres of towering pines and huge hardwood trees similar to the ones found in Congaree National Park. Around the turn of the 20th century, lumber companies purchased vast areas of land throughout the state and spent the next two decades harvesting timber along the Santee and Congaree river systems. Ironically, the woodsmen left the largest trees untouched. They were simply too big to remove once felled. At the close of the 1960s, however, owners of timber-rich flood- plain land started looking at new ways of harvesting the trees they’d missed. It was only then that environ- mental organizations and concerned citizens—inspired by outdoor writer Harry Hampton, the “founding father” of the state’s conservation move- ment—began working to protect the floodplain forests. Their efforts paid off in 1974 with Congaree Swamp being designated SC Outside TEXT AND PHOTOS BY TIM HANSON Life among the trees Free, ranger-led excursions, including canoe tours of cedar creek, start at the Harry Hampton visitor center. The vivid beautyberry is an important, though not favorite, food for birds in winter. “When you come to Congaree you experience all of the wonders and beauties and splendors of a living earth.” 26 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 | SCLIVING.COOP