Lowcountry Crawl

Perhaps you have not yet met. Please let me introduce you to Pluff Mud. It's a Lowcountry term for the distinct, odorous mud found in tidal flats and saltwater marshes. Described in an article by the Charleston Magazine as "oozy, viscous, dark-brown miasma," locals describe it as slippery, shiny, and (my favorite) sucky mud.

Sucky mud probably best describes its character. Rescue teams are often called to help free victims stuck in Pluff Mud.

I recall a rescue after a small child careened over the edge of a dock into Pluff Mud during a 4th of July celebration. Everyone was having fun--kids running up and down the dock. Sander was trotting next to his sisters and was just short enough to tumble beneath the railing. He didn't appreciate the soft landing in the mud, not even for a second. As soon as dad heard the older sibling's screams, he followed his son overboard. He finessed his way through the muck using Lowcountry skills. It felt like an eternity watching the slow-motion crawl to reach his hysterical child.

Happy ending: minor scraps and nothing broken except Sander's good time.

There's a lesson for outsiders--avoid getting stuck in Pluff Mud! David Lauderdale thinks they should put up warning signs for tourist. Probably.

In his article, "Pluff mud sticks to the Lowcountry soul," Lauderdale notes, "if you find yourself sunk up to your underwear, do as the experts tell you to do and crawl like a fiddler crab." (Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/…/david-…/article128371204.html…) I'm guessing if you don't know what Pluff Mud is, you probably won't know how to crawl like a fiddler crab. Locals likely regard this misfortune simply as a case of natural selection.

Lauderdale adds that Pluff Mud is the "pull of home to people sophisticated enough to appreciate mullet and grits." All the same, hospitable locals are ready to offer sophisticated people and tourists alike, a cup of coffee from the Pluff Mudd Coffee Company or a Pluff Mud draft beer from Fat Patties.

I love grits, and I appreciate mullet. Surprisingly, I'm also acquiring a special affection for Pluff Mud.

[Carolyn Fjeran, LowTide reflective writer with a colloquial twist; horticulturist & gardener; former writer for Cooperative Extension Service, Master Gardeners, and The Newnan Times-Herald ]

View: Old Port Royal, South Carolina