15 lbs that’s great! I take less when solo than in a group. I’m less focused on comfort and more on covering miles when I’m by myself. Nobody to sit and hang out with so the traveling (paddling/hiking) is the destination. When I was young I relied on halzone, iodine tablets/crystals or even bleach to purify water. The “runs” were a pretty normal experience backpacking or paddling. Giardia wasn’t a picnic. I think of many rivers as open sewers especially after high water events. Isn’t there a paper manufacturing plant along the edisto? headwaters drain parts of Orangeburg? Something to think about. Perhaps there are some stops where you could refill water bottles?
1 Like
The Edisto is a Class C river, so who knows what’s in it. Someone was trying to put a major hog farm on it but I think that didn’t happen.
Fresh water should be available at Colleton and Givhans Ferry State Parks. I don’t think they pump from the river.
1 Like
Use the side streams for drinking water.
1 Like
Edisto River…nice paddle. But like most of us it has some history, but is recovering. As far as filtering water…not me. You see there was this coal fired power plant at Canady called, Canadys Station Power Plant. It is next to the Colleton State Park. (Camp ground under renovation till March 2021) The ash pits still remain. The plant has been demolished. The ash pits remain and are being monitored. When we were there they were redoing some of the 13 pits. Switch to satellite view.
Paddling the river is OK. However you will see warnings not to eat the fish at the boat launches. Seems they have high levels of mercury. Not sure I’d use the side streams since there’s not much difference between the river and side streams. Also the river floods into the streams and swamps.
Yes it does, and I need to get back down there. Maybe next month