RED AND BLACK RIVER CAMPING TRIPS

Everything is provided to spend from two to five days in wilderness camps along the famed red and black river systems of South Carolina. An easy paddle that even the novice can navigate reaches these campsites. You will traverse a beautiful landscape of towering cypress, tupelo, gum and river bottom systems. These areas are home to an incredible variety of animal and plant life and are home to such species as otter, beaver, white-tailed deer, osprey, kite and eagle. A half-day’s easy paddle brings you to camp, set up on river bluffs overlooking these ancient history soaked watercourses. These are the same grounds used by Francis Marion in his campaign to help our nation gain independence and are the native grounds for numerous Native Americans cultures. From these camps we will hike to several mound sites erected by the eastern mound building tribes that populated this region for thousands of years, prior to colonization. We will hike or paddle, depending on water levels, to several isolated stands of virgin cypress and tupelo timber to discuss the impact of logging on these ancient forests in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This will provide a dramatic insight into the effort it took to accomplish the feat of timbering these massive forests; fostering an understanding of how it changed the ecosystem, both on the positive and negative side for varying wildlife species. There are many opportunities for those that like to fish; we will do so at your discretion. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served throughout the course of the trip, and some meals will be served to compliment the region. Fish, shellfish, venison and wild boar will be common fare for meals to add local flavor along with other local, fresh options. Sleeping accommodations are spacious tents, meals will be served in dinning tents, and showers will be provided as well. At night, there will be campfires and starlight in areas unpolluted by noise and artificial light.  These trips are not highly regimented, meaning that for any one who enjoys the outdoors, whether you are a paddler, a birder, or just want to get away from it all, there is something for you on these trips.  We are set up to accommodate up to six people.

The Price for this package is $150 per person per day and is all-inclusive. Bring your  clothes, a sleeping bag, and a good pair of hiking boots.

2,3, AND 5-DAY TRIPS ARE AVAILABLE.

 ESTURINE AND SEA ISLAND CAMPING TRIPS

As with the river trips, everything is provided to offer you a comfortable and enjoyable week or weekend. Here you will traverse vast expanses of tidal marsh, both brackish and salt ecosystems, and will be in the heart of the famed rice and sea island cotton region of the coast. You will either be ferried to camp by way of skiff or paddle down river systems that are laced with old rice canals, the breastwork and trunk work over three hundred years old in most instances. The sheer magnitude of the feat of creating this habitat has been likened to the building of the pyramids and is both a bright and dark spot on our nation’s history. This area is that of the moss draped oak with the plantation house shinning on its bluff. This is the home of the oyster, the shrimp, the porpoise, and the pelican. From these camps, we will hike onto barrier islands, inspecting shell mounds and rings constructed by tidal Native American tribes. We will also inspect old wharf sites where rice and cotton barges were loaded, walk down old roads that ferried millions of bales of sea island cotton and the destinies of the people who harvested it. This is where the Gullah culture originated. Despite its dark origins, its people emerged as one of the greatest cultures in our history. Afterwards, if you like, we will spend a day with the sand pipers and oystercatchers on some remote shell laden beach, or learn to throw a cast net, catch a crab, or fish. To conclude the day, you will experiencing a good old fashion crab crack or oyster roast, sitting back by a fire and watching the sunset. As with all of our excursions, we let the time and the tide dictate what we will do from one day to the next. The point is just being out there in good company.

The price for this package is $150 per person per day and is all-inclusive. Bring your clothes, your sleeping bag; some good hiking boots and you are all set.
2,3,and 5-day trips are available.
These trips are set up to accomidate up to six people. 

WOODSMANSHIP CAMPS

It is a sad fact that in this day and age, present and future generations have lost their connection with the wilds, their understanding of the woods and the waters, and the ability to appreciate and experience the beauty of our natural resources without enlisting the help of guides or captains. People are just not comfortable with the physical world anymore and are wary of self-exploration. The basic knowledge that was prevalent in the minds of our forefathers has all but become a distant memory to the general population. The ability to forge out on our own, into the wild places is a fearful proposition to most.

Our goal on these trips is to teach you basic woodsmanship skills. These are the common sense tools you will need to be comfortable with to one-day venture off the beaten path on your own. You will learn compass navigation, dead reckoning navigation, map reading, an understanding of weather and tides and the basic tools to carry with you on your journeys. The Riverland staff will also teach you proper canoe handling techniques, proper fire building methods, and an understanding of the regional fish and wildlife habitats. Animal and track identification, plant identification and basic hunting and fishing skills are also key components of this program. Most importantly, you will learn what can be dangerous in the wild and how to handle each situation in safe manner. THIS IS NOT A SURVIVAL SCHOOL! This is a seminar that presents you with simple, easy to follow rules, that will give you a foundation for a lifetime worth of pleasure in the natural world. These are skills on which you can build upon for the rest of your life. Trips developed by Riverland Guide Service are designed for the burgeoning hiker, canoeist, naturalist, and for the aspiring outdoorsman who yearns for the outdoor experience and wants one day to have the confidence to forge out on his/her own.

Your tutor on these trips will be Hunter Smith, who has been a hunting, fishing and naturalist's guide in the Pee Dee and low country regions for over thirty years. He has a lifetime’s worth of experience, applied to the principals of woodsmanship, built on knowledge passed down to him from centuries of applied expertise, within his home state. Hunter and his select staff, made up of master regional woodsmen, will teach and help you apply a wealth of practical experience that will set a solid foundation for all of your future outdoor endeavors.

Our natural resources are faltering, and only through a love and appreciation of them by our present and future generations will they have a fighting chance to continue to flourish. Help us help our wild places and wildlife by learning how to appreciate them with confidence and enjoyment.

These are four-day trips.  As with all our excursions, everything is provided.
These trips are designed to accomidate up to six people.
The price for these outings is $150.00 per person per day.

CANOE HANDLING AND FLY FISHING INSTRUCTION CAMPS

These trips are designed for the aspiring paddler and fisherman. South Carolina was blessed in many regards, but for those who love the water, it is truly a Mecca. With no less than twenty major river systems and a myriad of tributaries, it is a paddler's and fisherman’s dream come true. Though it is famed for its major lakes such as the Santee, Jocasse and Thurmond, the lifeblood of them all are the rivers.

Everything will be supplied for these two-day trips.  These trips are designed to accomidate up to six people.
The price is $150.00 per person per day and is scheduled from April thru November.