Palmetto Trail Day 15 – Peach County Passage

I have grown fond of biscuits in the morning.  My host at the AirB&B made breakfast and that was the main course. So delicious, just like Bojangles Cajun Filet Biscuit, I’m hooked. After breakfast I packed up and started the Peach County Passage.  Which, like yesterday, is 14 miles of paved road. Leaving Landrum was through a nice neighborhood  and then slowly out to the country roads.  Not much traffic today but I kept up the stopping in the ditch and a wave for each vehicle that came by.

By mid morning I stumbled upon a small stand next to a farm for a soda and an apple. Talked to the owner and another patron about hiking South Carolina and the owner gave me the directions down to the highway and how to cross it. As we said our goodbyes, I got about 25 feet when I ran into four ladies walking the opposite way.  Turns out they are all section hiking the trail and we exchange stories and information.   There was a round of picture taking and since they are from the Charleston area, maybe I’ll get a ride into town when I finish the trail.

I get lost often, mainly to my lack of attention,  and with a second day of road walking I did it.  When I arrive at Highway 11, I wasn’t paying attention.  I know I was suppose to take a left turn soon after arriving.  Instead I was zoned out and continued straight.  When I came up to the second street I could not find any markers. So pulled out the map and saw I was suppose to turn up the hill, not here at the bottom of the hill.  The trail is suppose to go along the East side of Campobello, I ended up going into town. Not a huge mistake, with road walking I just recalculated the route and continued on.

Once I am back on trail it does not take long before I arrive in Grambling,SC. There isn’t much here, if you were in a vehicle, you blink and miss it.  But there is a trailhead here you could park, a kiosk of the Passage, and two concrete picnic tables.  I decide to have lunch here, take off my shoes and socks and soak up the sun.  It’s an hour long break as well as a phone call to Birdy.  I noticed that I’m moving at a fast pace also.  I don’t feel fast, but I think the road walking is making this fast. For the most part, there has not been many hills.

Continuing on South the road veers from the highway and I’m walking in a pretty isolated area. Occasional houses or driveways but not much traffic at all.  When I hear a truck slow down next to me.  It’s my friend’s (Johnny/Jessica and kids) who picked me up during the cold snap on the Foothills Trail.  I messaged earlier where I was and he came by to slackpack me the next three miles.  I dropped my pack in the back of the truck and let them know I’m making my way to Windmill Hill.  If I did not think I was moving fast before, now I’m cruising.

Getting to Windmill Hill did not take very long. I was expecting views of the area, but didn’t see anything other than the residential area  I was walking through. Just as I arrived at the peak I ran into Johnny and Jessica with the kids and explain how I was disappointed there wasn’t a view.  They informed me it was on the other side. So going down we did see a view of the area looking East. We walked down to there truck while I followed the trail around the bottom of the hill.  My last two miles of this section go through the town of Inman. Nothing much to see besides the ginormous high school.  I linked up with them at the trailhead and we went home.