Part of Poinsett

Who knew that such a gem as Poinsett State Park lay in wait for us just an hour and a half away from our home?

We were first drawn to Poinsett when we saw that it was host to a portion of the Palmetto Trail which is the South Carolina response to the Appalachian Trail and connects the upstate of the state to the coast.  Our interest piqued further when we learned that Poinsett was one of South Carolina's original CCC parks.

Since that first visit, we have come back to explore several times.  We have seen Poinsett experience every season and have admired its welcoming coquina office, family picnic shelters and grand spillway which are all crafted by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  We have trekked around the pond and spied such wonders as giant tadpoles and small silent alligators laying claim to their home.  Thoreau was thrilled to see a water snake gracefully propelling itself through the water weeds by the shore.

Poinsett provided a wonderful place for the children to practice to become stronger hikers.  The switchbacks along the steep ascents of the monandock and the answering descents prepared them for the more challenging trails of Paris Mountain and Table Rock which lay before them.  Poinsett is full of surprise.  The monandock itself is a surprise.  Right in the middle of the mostly flat midlands, a small but rugged mountain shows herself.  She is beautiful and adorned in pine forest and holly.  The terrain actually reminds me of the mountain trails of Tennessee from my youth where I first learned to love the woods.

Every time we go to Poinsett, we see others who are enjoying her beauty.  A few picnic or relax by the water.  Many more families though are hiking.  The lower trails beckon all ages and sizes.  It would take a determined and obstinate mind to steadfastly deny the desire to explore the shaded gentle low trail that circles the water and urges the hiker on to spy the wooded world.  We could not resist.  We still cannot.  We follow Poinsett's call and discover new secrets with each visit.  We see the abandoned steps leading from the water and watch in silence until w see the glint of the sun on the back of a snake as she glides over the rocks.  Quick as a blink, she is gone off in search of her prey.  We watch the water through the trees and see a turtle bob its head.  We walk through the woods and feel surrounded as the soft evening light filters through the trees.  The twilight holds us gently in the now golden air.  We are part of the trail.  We are part of this place.  Poinsett holds us all together and grows us as one adventuresome troupe of ramblers.