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Canoe on down and climb on up for a night in the wilds, spent tree-house style along the banks of the Edisto River.

birdseye

Written By Melissa Bigner        Photographsby.Savage Gibson  

(Abbreviated from Charleston Magazine.)

If you've ever pictured yourself living it up à la Swiss Family Robinson, perched in the treetops, head to South Carolina. There, on a stretch of the ever-winding Edisto River, Scott Kennedy has built the ultimate quick getaway for outdoor aficionados - a pair of tree houses set on the river’s edge of his 150-acre refuge. Flanked by vast spreads of hunting property on either side, the camouflaged cabins are tucked into a wild woodland, hidden year-round by cypress, holly, and a host of evergreens.

Because Scott outfits his charges in canoes and puts them in about five hours upriver; because only a few, quiet hints of humanity can be witnessed while paddling downriver, and because the accommodations are reached by paddling up to a set of stairs, the whole experience has an other worldly remoteness that charms to the core. And, like most well-spent outdoor adventures, it yields that disproportionate rest ratio: Even one short overnight can leave you feeling as if you've been gone for a long weekend.

That's exactly what I was craving - the chance to wear myself out in the fresh air, spend some time where my cell phone wouldn't work, and play like a 12 year old.

cooking
livingroom

Thanks to the summer of monsoons, the Edisto was swollen and bloated. Her waters overshadowed the natural shoreline and masked the sandy spits that typically make for good rest stops. With no true breaks, we cruised down on water that was nine feet high at points, almost double the norm, and twice as fast, too, at four miles an hour. Josh guided us through a maze of felled trees, sagging under their own bulk in the soggy ground and collapsing into watery graves like weary giants.

The effect was bizarre. As the current pulled and tugged, submerged branches bounced and bobbed everywhere. Little corner-of-your-eye movements had me feeling as though we were surrounded, and each limb seemed to have its own personality. One danced, its leaves shimmying like tassels on a dress; another one beckoned. By the time we eased up to our accommodations both of us were pretty darn whooped in that deliciously good way you get from O.D.ing on the outdoors.

Scott had sent us to the bigger of the two tree houses, and in kidspeak, it was utterly cool.

After tying off and wading over, we headed up and into our treetop abode. Carpeted, with futons and screened windows, a sleeping loft, and mini-kitchen, it made for the perfect clubhouse.

That night, the rushing water had a narcoleptic effect, and I woke only once, mostly because of the dazzling full moon.

After breakfast we packed up and headed downriver. As we fell back into automatic paddle mode, I started thinking about the best tree house I had built as a kid. Back then, deep in a Neverland mentality. I considered growing up a curse. But homeward bound on the Edisto, the adage about men and boys and the size of their toys came to mind. I thought about Scott and how generously he shared his tree houses, and that growing up might not be so bad after all.

deck

Carolina Heritage Outfitters
             Higway 15, Canadys, SC 29433-9999          843-563-5051
             mailto:canoesc@mindspring.com             www.http://www.canoesc.com/

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