Hitch 4

Chapter 4: Congaree
When Two Become One

This week was unlike any that has come before in all of the triumphs of man and tales of time. The crew was back at home base working alongside the mighty banks of the River Congaree. We forged onward by the waterside devouring every stalk, tree, and clump of privet that met the gaze of our binocular vision quest for invasive alien flora. Four days passed, and with each waking hour our hunger and thirst for reclamation and restoration of native botanicals was not satiated, rather, grew exponentially, and on our final day of labor, the Congaree Native Plant Corps Traveling Team was graced by the presence of the mighty and respectful Cowpens Native Plant Corps Team, and two became one in a triumphant and majestic onslaught of every Ligustrum sinense in our jurisdiction of the River Congaree. This was an awe inspiring spectacle as both teams had long been honing their powers independently in their respective territories for the past several months. With blades brandished and herbicide entering the vascular tissues of our plant enemies, a tremendous effort, energy and productivity were put into removing invasive plants. The only objects more prestigious than our valiant work efforts were the gifts that Cowpens presented use, including Mammaw’s soup, Laura’s Mom’s lasagna, a bouquet of roses, and an oversized bag of popcorn.