The Last Day with Georgia on Our Minds
We welcomed the sun as we all hopped onto the old flatbed. Student bags were piled up in the middle of the truck topped with one of the students, still dragging his feet from the early morning. An explosion of reds and pinks overtook the sky above the island at our backs as the ferry left the dock and our home for the last five days. A quick stop at the Sapelo Island Visitors Center gave us a last minute bathroom break and a chance to meet Stacy, the photographer whose holographic postcards flash through pictures of the unique island with the tilt of a hand.
After an hour heading down the coast of Georgia, crossing the St. Mary’s river and passing through the quiet town of Folkston, longleaf pines black with scorch marks surrounded the road welcoming us to Okefenokee Swamp. A red-cockaded woodpecker hid from sight as soon as a camera was whipped out. The largest swamp in Georgia and the largest blackwater swamp in the Southeast, the Okefenokee is the result of an ancient barrier island blocking the outflow of rainfall. The water eventually makes its way out via the St. Mary’s and Suwanee rivers. The Okefenokee provides a unique habitat for equally unique flora and fauna, including American alligators, eastern indigo snakes, river otters and plenty of mosquitos.
In the visitor center Beverly Kirk greeted everyone with a smile. She had been traveling around the US visiting national parks and wildlife refuges with her husband in an RV until last October when her husband started working with the Youth Conservation Corps in the area. Beverly volunteers at the swamp while her husband teaches children about it. She said her favorite part of the swamp is the hooded pitcher plants. These carnivorous plants grow in the swamp’s unique soil. Peat is formed by compressed organic matter that doesn’t break down well in heavily saturated conditions. It has nitrogen levels that are too low to support most plant growth but carnivorous plants have adapted to digest bugs inside a modified leaf structure, which in this case is shaped like a pitcher filled with sweet-smelling digestive enzymes luring in insects, frogs and even small rodents.
Although human’s don’t have to worry about falling into a pitcher plant there are still many dangers in the Okefenokee. A boardwalk was constructed to protect us from the swamp and it from us. The wooden planks, about a foot above the water, held up by 4x4's stuck deep in the ground kept our heavy feet from trampling sensitive vegetation without blocking the flow of aquatic life. At the end of the boardwalk there was an observation point, which provided a safe perch to listen to an alligator bellow before we took the same boardwalk back to the vans. Another stop at the bathroom preceded a couple hours on the road to the place where we would pitch our tents for the night.
Heading west along the southern border of Georgia we came to Tifton. Even though it might be safer than the travels of Indiana Jones, Kolomoki Mounds State Park is no less exciting. Millions of 50 pound baskets filled with dirt constructed the Kolomoki Mounds for reasons unknown. Because there is no written documentation from the period about the mounds, everything known is through archaeology. Pottery on the east side of the mounds (to great the sun as it rises) and many bodies have been found under the mounds suggesting they could have been constructed for religious ritual or to honor dead people of high status. Kolomoki Mounds State Park dates back to around 350 AD when Woodland period Indians constructed mounds from soil in the surrounding area over the next 400–450 years. Lauren Lambert, assistant park manager, said the age of the mounds is what fascinates her most. They bring in people from all over the world; the diversity of people always makes her job exciting.
We finished our day with a five-minute drive to Kolomoki campgrounds. Stormy weather had everyone rushing to set up their tents but the skies cleared and a warm meal rounded out a great day.
