Date Visited: 4/4/2019
We finally figured out we weren’t going to melt!
After driving 50 miles from our campsite in the pouring rain, and passing a few stops along the trace we had wanted to see, we decided to throw on our Frogtoggs and make like a duck. Our first stop was at a Tupelo and Bald Cypress swamp.
You would think that being from the south we would have seen our share of swamps and skipped this stop, but the truth is that swamps are beautiful and serene places I personally can never get my fill of. Maybe it was the combination of the drizzling rain and the smell of cypress coupled with the thrill of poisonous snakes, spiders and alligators that imparted it’s lasting impression, but this is a short little stop along the trace I won’t soon forget. Then again, maybe it was just that nostalgic feeling of being at home. What ever the reason, this was a stop that just made us feel all warm and fuzzy.
Cypress trees are amazing conifers. They take root in the dry season and thrive when their feet are wet. Where most trees can’t survive if their roots are submerged for extended periods of time, the cypress flourishes! It was once thought that the knees of the baldcypress may serve to transport air to the submerged roots. In fact, the technical name for the knees is pneumatophore, which means air-bearing. However, now it is widely accepted that these knees only serve to add stabilization in loose submerged soil.
Sadly, just as the hardwoods will someday replace the tall pines that reclaimed the abandoned farmlands, they will also replace the cypress as these old riverbeds fill with silt and vegetation. Fortunately this is a long slow process that takes several hundred years, so their majestic beauty is secure for a least a few more generations.
Fun fact: the bald cypress got it’s name because it usually cast off it’s leaves early in the season. Mr. McGee could relate to that… I’m just sayin’!
The .4 miles self-guided loop trail takes about 20 minutes to complete. Once you cross the boardwalk over the swamp you will take a dirt trail that leads you away from the parking lot and to a small pond. Be on the lookout for your usual swamp critters, like frogs, snacks and even alligators.
If photography is your thing this is a great stop along the trace. And after much complaining about the rain, I suddenly realized that it was quite fitting given our next two stops had much to do with water. So until next week… take care!
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