Kayak the Lowcountry

**Please email jjschatz46@gmail.com with your approximate weight, height and shoe size before you arrive onsite to your program. This helps us get the correct kayaks ready for you before your arrival.** Arrive at Life Tide's community of cottages between 4:00-5:00 p.m. to check in and pick up program materials. Once you are settled into your room, meet the others who are sharing your cottage and enjoy a chat on the back porch. At 5:30 p.m., join us for a meet and greet with your fellow participants before dinner at our gathering spot.

You are probably hungry after traveling, so enjoy the first of our many sumptuous lowcountry dinners, served at 6:00 p.m. The food here is often organic, always prepared on site and our kitchen staff is happy to accommodate your dietary requirements. Join your fellow participants as you compare notes about previous programs and follow up on earlier conversations. Don't miss the dessert table!

After supper, join us for a short orientation. The Group Leader and instructors will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you have about the program, facilities and gear. We'll also take a little time to share our expectations and goals for the week. We will review COVID-19 protocols and will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements throughout the program. We'll make it an early night, as you're probably tired from traveling, and tomorrow is a big day! Please note that all of our kayaks are singles. If you have never paddled a kayak solo before, we recommend that you choose the: "Spirited" version of Kayak the Lowcountry. This week's program will be an "OUTDOOR: SPIRITED" version, geared toward beginner and intermediate kayakers. Each day we'll kayak about 4 miles, for about 3 hours at a time. Please note that all of the kayaks that we use will be singles. If you have never kayaked before we encourage you to start with one of these dates. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions, including tides and the wind. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Breakfast served at 8:00 a.m. Fuel up on our sumptuous Lowcountry breakfast--you'll have an active day! Dress for paddling, and don't forget to prepare your bag lunch from the delectable variety of options provided.

During a "classroom" session, we'll take some time to review equipment, techniques, and safety to make our paddles safe and convenient. We'll each receive personal flotation devices (PFDs) and review paddling and the types of kayaks we'll be using this week. Once we've loaded the trailer, we'll take a short break for a delicious lunch!

At noon, we'll enjoy a delicious, healthy lunch at in our dining room. Come dressed for boating--we'll be leaving soon afterwards for our first kayak trip and a chance to try out some of those paddle techniques we've talked about!

This afternoon we'll head off to Boyd Creek! In the kayak and on the water, you'll have a chance to apply the morning's classroom lessons as well as practice your strokes, refine and add to what we know. Beginners will learn new skills and gain confidence while intermediate paddlers will refine and add to what they already know. Our leaders will tailor this afternoon's lessons to the group, gathering you up for stroke demonstrations and introducing you to the spartina grass and plough mud of the Lowcountry marsh. One of the best parts about kayaking is the opportunity it affords to see our ecosystem up close--touch the periwinkles, watch the wading birds on shore (and overhead), and maybe, if we're really lucky, see a dolphin!

Back at Palm Key, showered and relaxed, enjoy a glass of iced tea along with your leisurely Lowcountry dinner, served at 6:30 p.m. There's always a green salad and dessert, and whatever the entree, it's made with "healthy and delicious" in mind.

After dinner, join us for an evening program. The focus of our side trips and evening programs this week will be the lowcountry's natural world, cultural experiences, and locale. Is it our popular maps program? A story teller? Sweetgrass basket maker? You'll enjoy it, whatever it is.

Start the morning out right with a delicious Lowcountry breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Is today the day you'll try grits? Or is oatmeal more your style? Choices abound, but be sure to fill your plate: you'll need energy for today's paddle! And don't forget, you'll want to pack your lunch before going back to your cottage to make your final preparations for the morning's paddle.

As we did yesterday we'll help our instructors load the kayaks onto the trailer before setting out to explore a different waterway. Each day, your instructors will try to show you a different aspect of the Lowcountry--by salt water, brackish water and blackwater. Today we'll be paddling the Combahee, a lovely blackwater river and see how its flora and fauna differ from those of a salt marsh. On our way, we may stop at a local spot where you'll enjoy the atmosphere as well as have the opportunity to purchase a souvenir of the Lowcountry.

We'll pause around mid-day for a picnic, enjoying the lunches we made this morning before departing Palm Key. While munching on sandwiches, trail mix, and fruit, we'll chat about what we've seen and rest up a bit. Today's blackwater river is a lot different from yesterday's saltwater creek!

More paddling after lunch: we'll retrace our route back to the bus, seeing the blackwater in a different light. We'll notice that it's easier to avoid strainers when we're paddling against current than with it. The greens and yellows are brighter going back in the afternoon's sun. Be sure to stay hydrated--always keep your water bottle handy!

At 6:00 p.m., we'll meet back for another lovely Lowcountry meal. Swap stories about the day's adventures with your tablemates. Of course, you’ll have a lovely green salad, but what else is on the menu?

This evening, join us for a special program. The LifeTides Institute is known for its engaging presenters and interesting evening activities. We try to provide a sampling of programs to please every taste.

As always, be sure to fuel up with a delicious Lowcountry breakfast, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Whether you are trying grits for the first time or slathering jelly on enormous biscuits, you'll be happy you woke up in time for this meal. Don't forget to pack your bag lunch--and save out a snack for the morning!

The morning brings an opportunity for more exploration of the Lowcountry by kayak. If we've had enough rain over the season, then today it's off to Bluff Lake: a lovely cypress and tupelo swamp. We'll weave our way through a blackwater forest, sliding, pushing, and pulling ourselves over fallen logs and through low-hanging limbs. This is Lowcountry kayaking at its best--we're exploring an environment very different than those we've seen on our previous two paddle trips. Listen out for the call of the Barred Owl, for the squawking of the startled anhinga for whispers of awe from fellow paddlers. (If the rain didn't fill the swamp, we have a number of other amazing places to go in the Lowcountry--so don't worry--you will experience a place of genuine, rich-in-wildlife beauty wherever we go!)

Once again, we'll enjoy a bag lunch. Sample the variety--peanut butter, turkey, black bean wraps, veggies, fruit, and of course a delicious freshly-baked cookie. You’ve earned it!

Our paddle continues this afternoon. Depending on time, we may make a side trip on the way home to Palm Key. Either way, we'll arrive back in time for some leisure time on site before supper.

Will it be a roasted chicken with rice, or local caught fish with black-eyed pea salad? Whatever the menu, you're going to enjoy our delicious supper at 6:00 pm.

You don't want to miss our engaging evening program. We pride ourselves in keeping you awake till bedtime!

What will it be this morning? Every day, you can choose something different, just don't be late: breakfast begins at 8:00 a.m., and we have a busy day ahead! Allow time to prepare your bag lunch before making final preparations for a big day.

Bring your camera today—on the way to our paddle, we’ll stop to visit one of the most lovely places you’re likely to experience around here: Old Sheldon Church. This ruined brick church serving as a reminder of wars past, is surrounded by dogwoods, live oaks, and an old cemetery. Wander the grounds, read the stones (some local notables are buried here), take photographs, breathe in the history and beauty. From there, we'll travel through the countryside to "beautiful Beaufort by the Sea," a waterfront town with lots of history, lovely antebellum homes, and open arms to greet visitors. From there, we'll travel through the countryside to "beautiful Beaufort by the Sea," a waterfront town with lots of history, and open arms to greet visitors.

We’ll gather for a picnic before our paddle today, fueling up before our expedition.

Depending on the weather, we may launch from a sandy beach in nearby Port Royal, or we may head further inland to avoid wind--but we'll have a nice paddle this afternoon, that's for sure! As we paddle on the Intracoastal Waterway, we may see Osprey, Pelicans, or Oystercatchers, or even a few sailboats or tugboats pushing barges! After our paddle, we'll load our kayaks back on the trailer one last time and turn the van homewards, toward our cottages and much-needed showers.The group reveals its easy teamwork when we load the boats back on the trailer one last time and turn the bus homewards towards our cottages and much-needed showers.

This delicious dinner will be one to remember! Now we can tell our stories of the day and swap email addresses with new friends.

After dinner, we'll celebrate our favorite moments of the week at the wrap-up gathering This is our last evening, and we can’t let it go by without doing something special. Everyone will find something to enjoy as we share highlights from the week over dessert (if you still have room).

Breakfast at 8:00 a.m., will be our last meal together! You'll want to eat hardily as you will be packing up and leaving us for wherever your road takes you. We realize some of you may need to get an early start, please let us know ahead of time and we will be happy to prepare something for you to take with you!

This morning, after telling parting stories, asking questions, issuing invitations, or listening to one more joke from you-know-who (there's one in every crowd), it’s off to pack up and prepare for departure. We hope you’ll stay in the area and do some more exploring—and/or kayaking--ask the staff for recommendations and directions. We’d love to share more of South Carolina and the Lowcountry with you! Scholars often return to see us and bring their friends, and we hope you will do the same. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!