Black Water Zen

8/3/2019 Black Water Zen

1/5

VOL14

ISSUE50JULY27,

2011charlestoncitypaper.com

MikeLedford

D A N C I N G O N T H E D E B T C E I L I N G | FREE

OnDeck

Gay icons get the

52-Pickup treatmentP.28

IdolChatter

Will Charleston produce the

nextAmerican Idol? P.12

SCOTT KENNEDY

OF CAROLINA

HERITAGE

OUTFITTERS

Finding peace and quietin an Edisto River treehousep.16

Finding peace and quietin an Edisto River treehousep.16

D A N C I N G O N T H E D E B T C E I L I N G | FREE

SCOTT KENNEDY

OF CAROLINA

HERITAGE

OUTFITTERS


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3/5

FEATURE

|

charlestoncitypaper.com

17

here, Kennedy says. Not anymore. Not ifyou sit still. But you can, if you keep moving.

For a world constantly on the move, rivertravel may be the finest mode of relaxationavailable. The mystery of what lies beyondthe next bend satisfies our appetite for stimu-lation, while the lack of obligations, beyondthe occasional paddle stroke, allows us toslow down and enjoy the passing scenery.

Clear-cuts like the one bordering Kennedysproperty are abundant in the woodlandsaround the Edisto, but you can hardly seethem from the river. Only the most irrespon-sible landowners fail to leave at least a row oftrees between the devastation and the water.Still, maintaining a healthy riparian habitatand wildlife corridor requires a far greater buf-fer than a row of trees can provide.

Kennedy sees the subtle changes on theriver. He laments that a wetland cannot legallybe filled, but it can be completely cut down.The piles of scrap trees and shrubs left behinddecompose and fill in the wetland. Red maplewill start to grow, then be overtaken by birch.Left alone for decades, a forest may re-emerge.But it wont be a soggy cypress and tupeloswamp. You cant replace them.

In the now-destroyed wetland woods byhis property, Kennedy has watched motheralligators raise 15 broods over the years. Hediscovered that the baby gators like the toneof a low G played on the flute. It mimicstheir mothers call, he explains.

Suddenly, Kennedy tears up. Hes spent

17 years on this land. Its a wildlife sanctu-ary, a designation Kennedy gave it. Thisforest is al lowed to breathe, grow, and dieon its own time.

But its arm has just been cut off. Onehundred-fifty-acre plots of forest dontpreserve habitat. They cant support largeanimals and predators like the black bear andthe puma, now almost completely gone fromthe Lowcountry. The forest needs to connectto other forests, allowing animals to move.Interstates, clear-cuts, subdivisions theyall block this flow.

On the river, I look up to see a swallow-tailedkite soar across the opening in the sky. We

dont know how many of these birds exist.Theyre just too fast, too mobile, too unpre-

dictable to count.A few used to nest in the forest besideKennedys land, but they wont be back.Little blue herons and American egrets usedthe rookery as well.

Fortunately, there are more freshwaterwetlands in the Lowcountry. The kites arestill here. But not forever. Not on the coursewere taking.

We really have to start looking at thesepockets of land that need protection, saysKennedy. You can regrow trees in a sustain-able nature, but a gator brood and a kite

rookery? We cant replace that.Kennedys sentiments arent foreign to

me. This isnt my first time on the Edisto.Five years ago, I floated down the river for 11

days, taking the GPS coordinates of clear-cuts along the river for the Department of

Natural Resources. Along the way, I talkedto fishermen about the mercury levels in theriver. Despite the government warnings notto consume the fish here, no one showedmuch concern. That adventure became acover story for the City Paperin July 2006.

As a slightly more-seasoned journal-ist, witnessing an ever-growing amount ofcleared forest along the river, I suppose Icould write both sides of the coin. Perhaps Iought to talk about the growing difficulty ofpaying taxes on large tracts of land within anhour of Charleston and how cutting down a

forest and turning it into bags of mulch paysthe bills.

Still, I cant help but think of the farmersson who applies for a job with the oil com-pany who took his fathers land sometimeswe get screwed, and we run out of options.Its easy to get angry.

But then you see a sturgeon. The Edistostill has them. As long as these ancient fishstill find their way up the river, its a sign thatthe spawn area is still viable. Like salmon,they return to their birthplace to do it allover again.

Kennedy recounts stories from before histime of sturgeon so giant they had to be las-soed and dragged out of the river by six men.He knows the river is hurting, but he takespride in its status as the healthiest blackwaterriver in the state.

Im just as adamant about keeping theriver experience nice for people who arentour customers as for those who are, he says.

Its a good thing, because not everyone canafford to be his customer, at least overnight.Kennedys company, Carolina Heritage

Outfitters, rents canoes from an outpostalong Highway 61 in Canadys, S.C. For $30,

they provide a canoe, paddles, life jackets,and a shuttle to the drop point on the river.In addition, paddlers can camp on his landfor $10 a night, enjoying the security of alegal, private site for their tent.

But if you want to stay in one of his threetreehouses, the fee increases to $150 aperson on weekends, with a $25 discount onweekdays. Because of the price, Ive neverstayed there, but when I was invited to spendthe night in one of them for this story, I wasquick to accept.

Our treehouse is carpeted, with a cozyfuton couch, a raised deck with a picnictable, a propane stove, and Yahtzee. Thereis no A/C, fans, or electricity, but really, itsspectacular. We lie in the rope hammock

continued on page 18

Photos by Mike Ledford

WHETHER ITS IN A HAMMOCK BY THE RIVER OR INSIDE A TREEHOUSE (BELOW), THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS TO KICK BACK

THIS IS AN OCCASION WHEN A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE IS JUST WHATS CALLED FOR


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by the river, wasting time and watching thebirds and lizards.

Of course, minus the lofty perch and theconvenience, I could recreate this experienceon any sandbar in the river. In the tree-houses, you can feel the love and methodicalconsiderations that Kennedy put into their

construction. Theres a mystical, peacefulvibe in the air. But for a young couple on abudget, its prohibitively expensive. We couldstay in a Hilton for the same price.

Kennedy doesnt disagree. He says that heand his wife, Anne, couldnt afford to stayhere themselves. But he also breaks it downby the hour, pointing out that a second nightis half-price, but worth twice as much.

The more time you spend out there, themore you see, says Kennedy. Its a magicalplace. Time at the treehouses its precious.

The guest book in ours is full of hon-eymooning and anniversary-celebratingcouples, with a few birthdays and familytrips mixed in. There are even solo guests.Kennedy says that some visitors even rent outall three treehouses, just to have the islandto themselves. Big bucks, he says, almostappearing hesitant about the bill he musthand those folks.

But Kennedys not living the high life.When his 92 Isuzu Trooper blew up lastyear, he bought himself a used 99 RangeRover, but thats the only hint of luxury

about him. Their house is an exercise in Zen,with a living room that features nothing but acouch, a fireplace, and a lamp made out of ahollowed-out log.

We charge what it costs to be able to offerthem, says Kennedy of the treehouses. Itswhat it costs to keep the business going.

There are Chevrolets and Cadillacs,Kennedy explains, and consumers have achoice. The treehouses are his Cadillac. Fromthe house where we stay, it takes about 30

minutes to float in a tube around the pen-insula to the third treehouse. Its a fantasti-cally beautiful tract, tucked into the tightestcurve on the entire Edisto. From any of thetreehouses, its impossible to see the others.Theres plenty of room for a dozen more,but Kennedy pains over the decision to buildanother one.

We dont want it crowded. By design,its very non-obtrusive, he says. Whenpeople come out here, I want them to get

an experience.

In the remaining wetlands around the Edisto,there is a spider of the genus Dolomedes.Commonly known as fishing spiders, thearachnids literally catch small fish in theswamp, deflating them as theyre devoured.

Its a wonder of nature, says Kennedy.There is so much that we dont think weneed to protect.

Later that night while lying in bed, I flickon my headlamp and notice a spider, at leastfour inches from foot to foot, in the raftersjust above us.

My instinct says wolf spider. Their bitehurts. I reach for my sandal.

But its just a spider. Theyre afraid of me.And if I attack it, it will attack back. So I letit be.

When I get home, I look up the Dolomedesthat Kennedy talked about. Indeed, our visitorwas his beloved fishing spider.

Back home and back at my desk, 60 milesfrom the Edisto River, I like to think the

spider is still sitting in the rafters. I envy him,and Im glad hes still alive.

On the way out to the river, Kennedy talksto a group of Air Force soldiers preparing fora float on their day off. He tells them to lookout for wasp nests in the willow brancheson the rivers inside curves and warns themabout poison ivy. Fears about snakes andalligators are overblown, he says.

What about on the banks? I ask. Ive seena fair share of snakes along the Edisto, and Im

careful walking in these swampy woods.I dont step in dog shit, either, says Kennedy.For this tried-and-true river man, theres

not an animal in these woods that doesntdeserve all of our efforts to preserve them.Kennedys business model utilizes the landwithout depleting it, and his prices reflectthat. Anyone can get on the river. And ifyoure willing to pay for it, hell share a heav-enly slice of it with you.

In one treehouse, theres a flute thatdoubles as a walking stick. Across the creek,a small Buddha sits holding a candle. Outsideanother, a bench is carved into a pine stump,with the wedge that was removed serving asan ottoman.

This treehouse island was designed toflow with nature. As his wife, Anne, puts it,Scott sees things. She recalls bringing herteenage daughter here when Anne and herwere frequently fighting. It didnt solve alltheir problems, but for a few days, withoutdistractions, they enjoyed life with eachother and lived in the present.

If you want it, Kennedy will take you as

deep into his wooded river world as you lethim. Hes motivated by the notion that, If

Blackwater Zencontinued from page 17

THERES NO SUCH THING AS INDOORPLUMBING AT THE TREEHOUSES


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Black Water Zen

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