Name: PSD Age: 11 Topic No: 4 Chosen Date: 28 July 2009 On this day I went with my family and

friends on a days journey down the Edisto river in North Carolina. We woke up very early to prepare a picnic and our equipment that we needed for the day. Once we were ready, we set out from Charleston heading North for two hours in a car. We drove through farmland, woods, swamps and past horse ranches until we finally arrived at the river. We were taken into a wooden shack by a guide who gave us all the equipment and safety instructions on how to safely canoe the river. When the briefing was finished we had to help load the canoes and paddles onto a trailer then all of us climbed into a bus which towed the trailer further North along the same river. We arrived at our start point and launched the three canoes into the river. Finally we all hopped into a canoe! I was in a canoe with my Dad, my brother was with my Mum and our two friends were in the third canoe. We set off down stream searching for alligators. The water was slow moving, shallow and very clear. We spotted some swimming catfish, multiple species of birds, interesting insects/bugs and freshwater turtles. The turtles were drying off and warming up in the sun. As we were paddling down I spied a splashing baby turtle flapping its fins to swim against the current. I hopped out of my canoe, picked it up and examined it. The shell was about two inches across, it was yellow underneath and was green and brown on top. We stopped on the river bank for lunch that we had carried with us in a cooler. We also went for a swim which was refreshing because it was a scorching day. After lunch we set off for the second part of our journey. The river was wider but shallower and in places we had to drag the canoes over sand banks. Sometimes we would have to duck under or dodge trees that had fallen over. The river was very peaceful and relaxing. At one point we came around a bend to find an interesting sight. There were two people sitting in beach chairs, under a rainbow coloured umbrella in the middle of the river! They were relaxing on a sand bank that was about eight inches deep. They had a boat anchored close by. We waved as we drifted by. It was getting late and the sun was going down. Our trip was coming to an end. We soon arrived at a beach where we had had our briefing and left the car. We climbed out and dragged our canoes up the river bank. After returning our gear and thanking the guide we all stumbled into the car for the long drive back to our friends house. I dont remember much of the drive back as I slept most of the way. I still have wonderful memories of that days journey.