State organization plans to showcase destinations in July

By Jason Evans

Staff Reporter

jevans@thepccourier.com

PICKENS — An upcoming campaign from the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor will spotlight South Carolina’s “seven wonders” — and two of those destinations are in Pickens County.

Acting county administrator Ken Roper discussed the campaign during county council’s June 1 meeting.

The S.C. National Heritage Corridor is “sponsoring an adventure … and that adventure is to visit the seven wonders of South Carolina,” he said.

“Through the month of July, they’re going to have various hikes and visits that start in Oconee County and conclude at the aquarium down in Charleston,” Roper said.

SC Floodwater Commission chair Tom Mullikin will be leading an expedition across the state in July, using the Palmetto Trail as a “guiding pathway,” according to the S.C. National Heritage Corridor.

“The idea of this expedition as they’re characterizing it is that you can see all of the seven wonders during the month of July,” Roper said. “Interestingly, two of the seven wonders are located right here in Pickens County. There’s only one other county in the state that has more than one, and that’s Charleston County. So between us and our friends in Charleston County, we have four of the seven great wonders in the state, and I think we should take some pride in that.

The destinations are “seven geographic wonders unique to the Palmetto State,” according to the S.C. National Heritage Corridor.

Pickens County’s wonders are Sassafras Mountain, the highest point in the state, and the Jocassee Gorges, named as one of “50 of the World’s Last Great Places” by National Geographic in 2012.

“We’ll be celebrating that when the excursion comes through our community the first week of July,” Roper said.

The expedition and campaign will also feature “fireside chats” led by key partners in the outdoor and conservation industries.

“The goal of the fireside chats is to stimulate action that will take place long after the expedition ends,” Heritage Corridor materials said.

“Friday, July 3, there’ll be a fireside chat at Table Rock State Park that will be hosted by Pickens County,” Roper told council. “All of you gentlemen will be invited to meet the people on the expedition, people that will have completed just that day a 10-mile hike.”

Natural water movement will be the topic of that chat.

The five other wonders are the Chattooga River, Congaree National Park, the Edisto River, Bull Island and ACE Basin.

More information on the expedition and campaign will be coming, Roper said.

“We’re going to be really proud to showcase Pickens County on that state level at that time,” he said.

Residents are encouraged to plan their own expeditions to the seven wonders and their surrounding areas.

An itinerary of the expedition campaign and further information can be found at southcarolina7.com.