Beginning
May 26

Win, Hope, and I left for Hellhole in the early morning. Win is my son and Hope is my daughter-in-law. I carried most of the gear in my van. Win and Hope stopped along the way in Columbia to pick up Hope’s sister, Joy, and her son, Ethan.

Ever hopeful of finding a live Pine Snake, I headed south for a detour through the sand hills of Aiken County. My hopes were not fulfilled. I turned to the east and headed for Moncks Corner. I stopped at the Holiday Inn Express in Moncks Corner about 10:30 am, well before time to be able to check in.

I drove to the campground on Hellhole Road which would serve as our base for the weekend. Win and company had dropped off some gear and were out looking for animals. Chris was the only other person at the camp. She had served as the coordinator for the gathering this year. Chris had been walking about and was ready to return to the motel for a break and to wait for the others. I drove out and scouted some areas that I especially wanted to checkout this year.