Voyage to the 5th Oldest Tree in the World.

For 2,629 years, an Ancient Bald Cypress has stood guard over the Three Sister’s Swamp. Elyssa and I would soon be meeting up with Melissa Spivey, our photography friend based out of Topsail Beach for the kayaking trip that would soon become a highlight of 2024.

We could not do it alone; in fact, we had no idea where the tree stood and sought out the guidance of Captain Charles Robbins, an Ivanhoe native with substantial knowledge of the Greater Black River area. From the start, this spry 75-year-old man began educating us on dendrochronology, essentially, using tree rings to reveal its age and the climatic effects across seasons. His experience was immediately apparent as he went on to describe the process of tree coring and showed us the boring tool typically used.
On display on the back of his pickup truck were photographic prints from National Geographic photographer Mac Stone. I’ve known about his work previously and have always wanted to see the wetland landscape he’s captured so well and was glad to see it live up to the photographs.

The Black River at the start of the journey.

After the discussion, we headed downriver to park our vehicles for pickup later that afternoon. From the drop off, we circled back to the original location to get fitted for our kayaks before hitting the water!

The section we first paddled was fairly open, though it was much smaller in width than the Pasquotank River back home. Decorated along the riverbank with autumn color, bald cypresses, maples, loblolly pines, and oak trees made for a beautiful morning on the Black River. In several areas, the water was low enough that you could actually see through the tea-colored water below. Noticeably, there wasn’t a huge diversity of fish due to the river’s higher acidity, a consequence of this tannin enriched water.
Traveling downriver closer to the Three Sisters Swamp, the river began to narrow. A steep, gnarled embankment now ran alongside us, a consequence of flash floods from previous storms.

By this time, Captain Charles Robbins pointed out several Kingfisher burrows in the muddied ridge. He explained, “Kingfishers use these burrows for their young and will bring them food to the entrance, increasing the size of fish as the fledglings grow.” If that’s not fascinating, I don’t know what is!

Capt. Robbins explaining how the enbankment provides refuge for nesting Kingfishers.

As we paddled, the river condensed enough that we had to go single file to pass through. With Capt. Charles at the helm, he led the way, guiding us on which direction to take to avoid bumping into cypress knobs—of which there were many. Interestingly, this portion of the river had strong movement. Sketchy for us, but funny for Charles, who couldn’t help but laugh as we bumbled our way through.

Capt. Charles leads us through the labyrinth of trees deeper into the Swamp.

Before reaching the fifth-oldest tree in the world, Capt. Charles wanted to detour to show us another interesting tree that had fallen some years ago. As we kayaked closer, its age became undeniably apparent, and it was so massive, you could crawl through it! We spent about 10 minutes there taking photos. A beautiful tree, certainly, but not the one we had come to see.

A mighty fallen Bald Cypress tree. Notice the detail in the bark!

From atop of the fallen cypress looking over the Three Sister’s Swamp.

Before heading out again, I quickly snapped a photo of our kayaks, the vessels that brought us here!

Our journey continued. 

Leaving behind the felled giant, we ventured deeper into the swamp. By midday, the sun was high in the sky and our stomachs growled, signaling only one thing… lunch time! Fortunately for us, we had just arrived in the area where BLK 227 stood.

In size, Bald Cypresses are much smaller than the great redwoods of the West, but their age is far older. Core samples on these trees have revealed most exceeding 2,000 years old!

In this land of giants, BLK 227 didn’t look much different from its surroundings. However, its canopy was distinct, forming a natural split at the top where light shone through. We stood there beneath the tree, imagining the history it had witnessed and the storms it had weathered. Who would have thought the 5th oldest tree in the world was right here in NC?

Too excited to fill my belly with much-needed food, I stood back in amazement at this ancient guardian standing over the Three Sisters Swamp.

The natural split found at the top of BLK 227!

Visiting in October, the water around the base of the tree was cold, but that couldn’t keep us from walking up to it, our feet sinking into the chilled mud below. The tree itself was massive compared to any of the cypresses in Northeastern North Carolina that I know of, apart from maybe two, but on the Black River, we were in the land of giants.

A row of trees reflect their fall colors in the swamp.

But how do you measure the age of a tree? The proof isn’t in the pudding, it’s in the rings!

When you hear what Captain Charles and Dr. David Stahle had to do to determine this tree’s age, it’s remarkable—and wasn’t as easy as you might think in their case..

Dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, helps scientists determine age, climatic effects, seasonal changes, and a tree’s health over time. Normally, botanists use an increment borer to drill through the middle of a tree, extracting a narrow core of wood to count its rings. These holes are later patched.

However, BLK227 is hollow at its base, which means coring from that point wouldn’t provide an accurate age... What Captain Charles, Dr. Stahle, and a few others had to do, was haul in a 10-foot ladder on kayaks through the swamps.. They set up the ladder to reach the lower middle portion of the tree, where coring was possible. I can’t imagine the headache that must’ve been, lugging an aluminum ladder through the dense swamp, especially around those cypress knees. My patience has its limits, but these boys are passionate about their trees!

Melissa snaps a few photos of BLK227 on her phone as we stand back in amazement.

BLK227 standing guard over the rest of the ancient cypresses.

While Charles hung back at the kayaks, we all walked around, taking photographs. Many of the trees in the area had already been cored, with several documented to be over 2,000 years old. After having lunch under the watchful eyes of these old tree geezers, Charles showed us a few more interesting trees, including one we could actually climb into!

This Bald Cypress was incredibly roomy, I’ve never seen anything like it!

Surprisingly, it was fairly roomy, and if I’d had a little more time and food, I might have just stayed there. Still, we were deep in the swamp, and the day was growing older. We thought it best to head out so we could reach our vehicles while it was daylight. Gathering our belongings, we set off in our kayaks, heading back down out of Three Sisters’ Swamp!
The late afternoon sun cast a golden glow around us as we paddled back. Melissa pointed out a Great Blue Heron by the riverbank that was fishing. I didn’t get the best shot of it, but it was still cool to see! Beyond the heron, we received a visit from a Kingfisher that flew overhead and let out its characteristic chitter. They may not look like much, but those birds are ruthless hunters and are infamously difficult to photograph in flight.

A Kingfisher that flew overhead above us. Their sound is unmistakable!

Finally, we reached the drop-off point where we had stowed our vehicles. One by one, we arrived on shore, helping each other lift our kayaks onto solid ground. After putting away my camera gear and food supply, we returned to Charles and thanked him for the guidance on this trip.

I can’t overstate this—if you decide to visit this area, book through Captain Charles Robbins with Cape Fear River Adventures. His knowledge is incredible, and he truly cares for the surrounding environment and what The Nature Conservancy has done to secure sections of the Black River. I’m not sure if other outfits travel the Black River, but I wouldn’t want to spend my money anywhere else than with someone who actually gives a damn and this dude is like the Lorax when it comes to trees.

Capt. Charles Robbins admires the huge cypress knees. Many of these were over 6ft at water level!

We thanked him, paid for the service, and decided to grab a quick bite to eat with Melissa at the Bourbon Street Restaurant in Wilmington before heading back to our campsite. That’s the best Monday I’ve had in a while!

BLK227 and I, the best of friends!