Watching the Floodplain Work

Friday, January 6, 2017
Congaree National Park – Kingsnake

I get a rainy day. Lately, the floodplain is inundated with water. This condition is making work more difficult yet exciting. For the first time, I could not survey certain cavity roost because the openings were nearly submerged. I had to reorganize the gear on my body so it would not get wet. Nothing is hanging from by waist anymore. Instead, everything is attached to my back and shoulders. With my 5’6” stature, I have to be cautious that my gear is not getting wet inside my pack, not because of the rain but because of the rising water that I’m wading through.

I am amazed with how much water the floodplain holds. I am seeing how the landscape buffers the river during a storm event. This is elementary knowledge but to observe the process is exciting. I love to watch it work in Congaree. Continue reading “Watching the Floodplain Work”