I spent half an hour bushwhacking to get here, and part of my route went through a stand of shortleaf pines I nicknamed ‘Catbrier Hell,’ you can guess why. Checking out this possible water source was my first objective for the day. I had spotted the depression and potential water source on the USGS map. Was it filled in and dry? Fortunately, not, and the recent rain appears to have filled the pond. Judging by the vegetation, it holds water for a significant portion of the year.
I stopped to have lunch, and I topped up my water with some of the tannin (and tadpole) rich water from the pond.
Next, I was heading off searching for my second objective for the day, a trail marked on the USGS map. Did the trail still exist? I had no idea, but having secured a water source, my final objective for the day was the Holy Grail of a campsite with good views overlooking the Eleven Point River on the ridge between Stillhouse and Slash Bay Hollows. If the trail didn’t exist, or I couldn’t find it, I would have to bushwhack the entire way, another couple of miles.
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