For Second Year in a Row SC7 Features Laurens County Trail During Month Long Expedition

Last week representatives with the Laurens County Parks and Recreation Department, the Palmetto Trail, and a team of military veterans joined South Carolina Seven (SC7) Expedition on a stretch of the famed Enoree Passage in Laurens County for a trail repair event followed by a hike.

The trail repairs were made Monday, July 10 followed by a hike and recognition of all participants on Tuesday, July 11. The workday repairs included replacing broken or rotting deck boards and curbing along the passage’s boardwalk.

The military veterans are part of Project Evergreen, an initiative of Global Eco Adventures (GEA) which has partnered with the S.C. National Heritage Corridor (National Park Service) for the fourth-annual SC7 Expedition across South Carolina from the mountains to

Veterans and others have been making their way across the northwestern mountains and foothills of the S.C. backcountry since Saturday July 1 when they braved the whitewater rapids of the Chattooga River before navigating the backwoods, trails, and waterfalls of the Upstate then turning south toward Laurens and ultimately south-southeast toward the Midlands.

“We are grateful for the work of the local veterans as well as those from Palmetto Trail team and Laurens County Parks and Recreation Department,” says Michelle McCollum, logistics officer with SC7 and president of the S.C. National Heritage Corridor.

On Tuesday, July 11 the group participated in a four-mile hike of the 36-mile Enoree passage followed by lunch at PC 112.

The month-long SC7 Expedition across South Carolina parallels much of the famed Palmetto Trail showcasing the state’s seven natural wonders and creating a greater awareness of S.C.’s sterling natural resources and how to protect them. Litter sweeps, river cleanups and other environmental cleanups, and trail repairs are taking place along the way.