On Friday February 21st, Otis and I set out on our first trip for this blog. Our main goal for the day was picking up BBQ from Maples a long run, family business in Sumter, SC. The hike, one of my favorites in this state was on the way. If you are just here for the food, scroll down until you see Maples in bold.
The Coquina Trail at Poinsett State Park
 |
| Park Entrance |
Poinsett is located about 15 minutes outside of Sumter on S Kings Highway. There you have access to 13 trails and the Palmetto Trail joins with some of these passing through the park. As with most state parks in SC, there is an entrance fee: Adults $3, Seniors $1.50 and Children 6-15 $1. Over the years I have hiked nearly the entirety of the trail system here and the Coquina Trail has always been my favorite. You never know what you are going to see and the trail takes you around the main pond, through wetlands, up hills and around small gullies.
 |
| Otis Ready to Hit the Trail |
The Coquina Trail is a 1.4 mile loop according to the park map and it is best accessed by parking near the park office. There you can choose to start with walking across the dam or head to the upstream portion of the pond and into the wetland area. On this hike we decided to head up to the wetland first. Taking this approach to the trail, you are surrounded by Mountain Laurel and American Holy. This means even in winter if you want to see some green other than pines to brighten up your season, this is the place to go. Through the trees you can see the upper portions of the pond. On this trip, there wasn't much wildlife, typically around the lake is a good place to see a variety of birds.
 |
| Great Blue Heron |
Often seen around the pond, this Great Blue Heron was tucked away in the wetland not far off the trail. Along this section there were also White-throated Sparrows and Hermit Thrush feeding on Spicebush Berries.
 |
| White-throated Sparrow |
A boardwalk takes you across the wetland. Due to the morning sun, this is a shot looking back after we crossed. Once over the wetland you can go one of two ways follow the Coquina Trail or continue moving up stream along the wetland on the Laurel Trail. We continued on the Coquina Trail and this leads you up a hillside and back down the pond on the opposite side.
After the boardwalk you start to ascend up a hillside, still following along the wetland. Here you get a slightly different perspective of what you just walked along, looking down you get a more expansive view of the wetland.
Going up the trail, after this there are some twists and turns taking you briefly away from the wetland and back along and around a small gully.
The Coquina Trail is named after the Coquina Stone many of the structures were made out of at Poinsett. From talking to park staff over the years I was told this was mined locally, but the exact location of the mine is currently unknown. These structures were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can find out more about their construction by the office, which is also made of Coquina.
 |
| View of the Main Office to the Boat House |
The only mammal other than squirrels we came across on this walk was this armadillo. When I first started coming to Poinsett over 20 years ago, this species was not even found in South Carolina. They have expanded their range significantly in a relatively short amount of time. They would now be considered common at Poinsett, but most visitors won't see them. Often I hear them before I see them. They feed rooting around through leaf litter looking for insects, worms and small reptiles and amphibians.
At the end of our walk was the ruins of the old mill. I think for a lot of people this is the highlight of Poinsett. Close to the office, just follow the Coquina lined spillway down stream. There isn't much left of the mill, but a small path leads you down through the ruins.
A remaining mill stone marks the end of the walk for Otis and I. It was off to Maples for some BBQ and I was really looking forward to it...
Maple's
Unless you were specifically looking up BBQ places on google maps, you likely would not know Maple's is there, even if you passed by it. Set back off the road with no sign, Otis and I found this is the place to go for BBQ if you are in Sumter. It is not a fancy dine-in establishment, but produces BBQ that those places could only dream of replicating. Because it has no sign, you can find Maple's at: 4060 Patriot Pkwy, Sumter, SC
This was my second attempt at going to Maple's, my first was unsuccessful. Maples is only open Fridays (2pm-7pm) and Saturdays (1pm-7pm) as listed on the door. On my first attempt, I went by an online listing I found that said it was open at 1pm on Fridays. It was not, but I did not look at the door when I got there and went right in. I was immediately told they were not open and to come back at 3. I couldn't do that on that particular day, so I tried again the next week and both Otis and I were happy we made the second try.
As I found out from a memorial tribute next to the ordering counter, Maple's has been around for a long time. Isaiah (Nick) Maple started cooking BBQ in 1947 and continued until his passing in 1984. I am pretty sure his family still runs the business today, something I would have found out had Otis let me talk.
 |
| 1 lb Maple's BBQ taken Home. |
Otis spent the majority of the ride home like this. Nose pressed firmly against the bag with the remaining BBQ in it. In all it turned out to be a great day.
This was our first food blogging adventure and like the other blogs I have done it is a learning experience. Each one should improve and will be likely be tweaked and changed until I get a format down that I like. I hope you enjoyed our little day trip adventure for some exercise and food. Thanks for reading.
Comments
Post a Comment