“Every bird was my thing when I was a kid,” he says. There, near the Savannah River amid a piedmont dotted with plants with evocative names like adder’s-tongue, yellow sunnybell, streambank mock orange, and shoals spider-lily, Lanham spent a youth falling in love with nature. The birthplace of ten governors, as well as (and often including) noted racists and segregationists such as “Pitchfork Ben” Tillman and Strom Thurmond, Edgefield was also home to the two-hundred-acre Lanham family farm nestled deep in the Sumter National Forest in a district called the Long Cane. Ra ised in Edgefield, South Carolina, just north of Augusta, Lanham traces his roots to a slave named Harry who was brought to the area around 1790. “If I don’t get out here, the day’s just not going to happen,” he says. It’s in Clemson’s classrooms that Lanham lectures about wildlife, forest management, and conservation, but it’s here, along this stretch of pasture straddling the Three and Twenty Creek, that he finds his inspiration. We’re at Simpson Station, an agricultural research center in Pendleton operated by nearby Clemson University, where Lanham-one of the South’s most celebrated ornithologists-holds an endowed chair as an Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology. A weeklong rain that’s been parked over Upstate South Carolina has paused for a few hours, giving us this chance to go birding. “I may anthropomorphize a bit, but I hear joy in birdsong.” He pushes the shutter release, and the camera shoots off a rapid burst of frames.
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Drew Lanham says, a long-lens Canon pressed to his eye. “You listen long enough and you get some idea there’s joy to it,” J. Perched above it all, watching, its dark form silhouetted against the clouds, a red-winged blackbird stands atop a fence post, singing. Pale butterflies flit in and out of the growth as if the field is at a boil.
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Do not liter on the course!Ĭlick Below to View the Half Marathon CourseĬlick the icon below to download the attached PDF.Beneath a heavy sky, swells of powdery yellow and blue wildflowers roll in a sea of high grass. Please plan appropriately, if you need more water, you will be required to carry it yourself. Please note, there are only 2 water stops on the half marathon course. Yes, it’s an uphill finish on Big Loop which will be about 1 mile until you come to a field crossing to see the finish line. You’ll exit Piedmont Trail and have about 400 meters of double-wide fire road to make your way to the final trail.
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You’ll have a few small water crossings and bridges to traverse along the way before exiting for a final kick. Piedmont Trail is about 3 miles long and is very flat (1 small incline). Nat Greene includes a few small hills… watch your speed on the downhills! This 3 mile trail will exit at the Marina on Lake Brandt road and you’ll have another chance to grab some water and Gatorade.Ī quick run on Lake Brandt road (about 600 meters) will put you on Piedmont Trail. Nat Greene trail shares some of the same views of Lake Brandt… but you’ll still need to watch for some roots and quick turns (although not as many as Owl’s Roost). You’ll have about 800 yards to catch your competition before entering Nat Greene trail.
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You will exit Owl’s Roost onto a paved Greenway trail to catch your breathe and fill your belly with water. There aren’t any big hills on this section but plenty of small inclines to keep you honest.
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You will have beautiful views of Lake Brandt but keep your eyes on the trail as Owl’s Roost is full of roots, quick switch backs, and a skinny winding section we call the “Roller Coaster”.
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Owl’s Roost is 4.2 miles of single track mountain bike trail. Now the fun starts… you will take a right onto Owl’s Roost trail. Your run starts with approximately 1/4 mile on paved road.