Tales from Congaree II : A Change of Pace

When I'm feeling overdue for a change of pace, that's the time to head to Congaree.

Backpacking requires a certain kind of determination and minimalism, but counting every ounce and knocking out big miles gets exhausting after a while. For me, that feeling typically comes around at the end of a busy year. And 2022 was certainly a busy year. Full of exciting trips like Grayson Highlands, the Pisgah Circuit, an a 2nd thru-hike of the Art Loeb. But what I need now isn't another exciting trip. I need place to unwind and enjoy some of the luxury items that typically don't make the cut on longer distance hikes. I need a trip to Congaree National Park.

*A free PDF download of the cornbread recipe I used on this trip can be found at the end of the post!

I try to split trail time between the two dogs evenly, giving each a chance to get out and explore without the other. Nora lucked out this time. Instead of a multi-day trek on the A.T. or climbing the highest mountain this side of the Mississippi, our trip would consist of a quiet stroll under loblolly pines and lounging around a roaring fire. We made the initial hike into camp via Bluff Trail. This time I brought along a wagon to haul in a couple water jugs and bundles of firewood. There wasn't anything in the reservation instructions explicitly prohibiting their use, but I still wondered if there was some rule about it I wasn't aware of. So, I made an extra trip after unpacking to leave it in the car. I wouldn't need a wagon the next day anyway. Everything I brought in it was consumable. Later that evening, a group of other campers came in with not one, but two wagons.

Nora and I took the slightly shorter Firefly Trail back to camp. I spent a few minutes collected enough sticks to help get the firewood started. I opted for the "upside down" technique where you place a good base of logs and substantial pieces at the bottom gradually layering smaller and smaller sticks. At the very top you make a nest of dry grass and twigs. The idea is to give the fire enough quick burning fuel at the start to sustain itself as it slowly burns down to the larger pieces of wood. In ideal circumstances, you only need to add fuel occasionally rather than stand around babysitting it. It was getting dark fast, so I diverted my attention to making dinner. Meanwhile, the little flame atop the wood stack grew to a blaze.

On our trip to Linville Gorge the year before, I tried baking a "birthday cake" at camp. While I wouldn't call it a complete failure, it wasn't exactly good either. Learning from those mistakes, I decided I would give baking on the trail another shot. This trip seemed like a good opportunity to give cornbread a try. I practiced the recipe in my fire pit at home first, getting the ingredient proportions and approximate bake time just right. I poured water into the bag of dry mix, followed by a packet of honey and packet of oil. I tried to be sparing with the water so I wouldn't end up with runny batter.

With all the pockets of dry flour kneaded out, I poured the batter into a disposable loaf pan and covered the top with tinfoil. I turned around to find that my fire poking stick had relocated. After retrieving it from Nora's jaws, I pushed a small bed of coals to the edge of the fire ring and placed the loaf pan on top. Then I grabbed a second stick to help me carefully transfer a few onto the tinfoil lid. I rotated the pan every 5 minutes in between boiling water for the rest of dinner. After 3 turns, I lifted the lid with my stick to check whether the cornbread was burning. It was rising nicely, but still a little loose in the middle. I turned it again, giving it another 5 minutes.

In addition to cornbread I brought along the same quinoa chili as last time. It's amazing how much easier rehydrating dinner is when you have a functional stove! For Nora it was the usual tuna packet and freeze dried kibble. I knocked the coals off the top of the loaf pan and lifted it out of the fire ring with a replacement set of sticks. It was hard to tell at first under the headlamp if the edges were burnt or just really crispy. I went ahead and ate the chili while I waited for the cornbread to cool. Lucky for Nora, I was pretty full by that point, so she got to enjoy my leftovers. The cornbread turned out great... with one exception. It could have been a little sweeter. I made a note on my phone to add extra honey next time.

There were still a couple hours to kill before bed. So, I decided to read one of the books I packed - Mountain Days. Originally called "Backpacking Was The Only Way" it's a collection of trail journals from Paul Fink, a Tennessee local who explored the Southern Appalachians during the early 1900s. The book went out of print for a while, until Western Carolina University began publishing it under the title Mountain Days. Tonight's entry was about his expedition to the top of Mount LeConte. For much of the way, Paul and his friend had to scramble under thick brush at near vertical inclines. It's fascinating to me how much the trail systems in the Smokies have developed over the last 100 years! As I was reading, Nora was quietly sneaking away with my firewood. Periodically I had to put my book down to reclaim it from her in order to feed the fire.

We turned in around 10 o'clock. As I settled into my sleeping bag I thought about how much has changed since my first time here. For one, I have better gear. Being incapable of cooking dinner or staying warm at night are the least of my concerns. The woods aren't an intimidating scary place anymore either. The sound of critters in the distance that used to rob me of sleep, is now familiar and oddly comforting. However, what did rob me of sleep, was the loud thumping coming from my neighbors across the clearing. For whatever reason, they decided this was the ideal time to chop wood. After a couple minutes I turned on my headlamp and poked my head out of the tent. Surely this guy was getting tired. I tried to be somewhat inconspicuous as I aimed my light in the direction of their site. I could make out one figure passing a hatchet to another. Over the next hour, each member of the group took a turn chopping.

We didn't hang around long the next morning. Ordinarily, I try to spend some time wandering up and down the Boardwalk Trail before heading home. But I felt like I already accomplished everything I wanted to here. Plus, if we left in the next hour I could be home in time to grab lunch with Jordan. So, after feeding Nora and finishing my coffee, I packed up feeling refreshed and ready to get back to everyday life.

Here's my campfire cornbread recipe if you want to give it a try...

Campfire Cornbread.pdf

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