I made a quick reconnaissance trip to Congaree National Park near Columbia, SC, knowing that I needed to return with my kayak and more time. This is a fascinating place and one of the last old growth cypress forests in the south. My interest in old-growth has increased and as I learn more I become more curious about my reactions to being in these areas that have never been disturbed by man. I have a sense about them but can't seem to describe it, and visually, there is a different kind of randomness present. The park is not very large, but most of the area is only accessible by kayak. I'm always taken by the magnificence of these expanses of growth and habitat and how we have managed to destroy most of these areas through development.