Caressed by the splendor of the rising sun and often threatened by the fury of the Atlantic Ocean, the picturesque and historic city of Charleston presides over her panorama like a queen. Resting on a peninsula cradled by the meandering currents of two merging tidal rivers, the vibrant and diverse downtown cosmopolitan and its welcoming deep water harbor are sheltered and sustained by a chain of barrier islands from Cape Romain to the ACE Basin. Some are inhabited and some are not. Some you can access by car and others only by some form of water craft. Each of these delicately balanced islands are fringed by pristine, sandy beaches with stands of old, weatherworn oak, palmetto, magnolia and pine trees and linked to the mainland by a maze of verdant saltwater marshes and nutrient rich creeks. All of this natural grandeur makes Charleston a wonderland for water enthusiasts and camera toting naturalists.
During this year, I visited three of the uninhabited barrier islands--Bulls Island, Capers Island, and Morris Island. Bulls Island, part of the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, has a staggering variety of wildlife both local and migratory and is known for its Boneyard Beach. You can book a multi-day tour and stay at the famous Dominick House. Capers Island, also known for its Boneyard Beach, is the favorite of boaters with excellent fishing. You can camp overnight with a permit. Morris Island is famous for its decommissioned water-bound lighthouse and was the location of the embattled Civil War fortress of "Glory" fame, Fort Wagner--no longer there.
Isle of Palms, Sullivan's Island, Folly Island, Edisto Island, and Kiawah Island are popular vacation destinations with public beaches. Seabrook Island and Dewees Island are private and access to their beaches are only possible if you are renting one of the many beachfront vacation homes. There is one other barrier island with a stunning beach that is part of a wildlife preserve on Edisto Island, and it is a jewel--Botany Island. It too has a boneyard beach and an abundance of seashells. It is by far my favorite.
I have selected from my collection of photographs a favorite picture of each of the barrier island beaches you will want to consider visiting on your next trip to Charleston. They are a huge part of why Charleston is the top destination in the United States. Enjoy and I'll see you on the beaches.
Leaving Folly Road, the causeway traveling in was rugged and narrow. Exactly what you would expect of a 13 acre island located in the Folly Island estuaries. At the end of the road, standing above the island's tidal creek like an old brown pelican perched on a weatherworn dock, spreading its wings in the warm southern sun was the locally adored Bowens Island Restaurant. Recognized as an "American Classic," it is a hodgepodge of grayed timber, rusty corrugated steel, old doors for windows, graffiti covered tables and piles of bleached oyster shells. At that time of day, which was 10:45 am, the outdoor decks were silent and the tables unoccupied.
However, destiny did not bring me here to slurp on the restaurant's locally harvested and beloved oysters. Its old, saltwater tainted dock is also home to the Eco-Adventure guiding service, Charleston Outdoor Adventures. Shortly, I would be boarding one of the outfitters charter boats for a 2.5 hour trip through Folly's tidal estuaries to Morris Island on the Morris Island Lighthouse Eco Tour for $45 a person.
After boarding Samson 1, our captain and naturalist guide, Derek Evenhouse, proceeded with introductions and parting instructions--such as life jacket location, safety tips and boat equipment. He fired up the outboard motor and eased the boat away from the old dock into the ebbing waters of Folly Creek where we slowly motored past the ragged wooden remains of a crumbling derelict boat and a group of paddleboaders soaking in the creek's pristine surroundings.
Shortly into our trip, our guide spotted two white, black winged American wood storks circling high above the creek's marsh grass looking for an opportunistic place to land. Captain Derek briefed us on how they mate for life and described their down-curved bill as resembling petrified wood.
Further on, we encountered three brown pelicans and one double-crested cormorant sunning their feathers on a deserted dock across from Crosby Fish and Shrimp Market. Skittish of our presence, the cormorant clumsily took flight from the dock while the pelicans, accustom to human activity, remained unconcerned for us to observe. With their bills partly open, their pouches fluttered in the warm midday sun--an effective evaporate cooling mechanism.
Continuing further into the estuary and the retreating tidal waters, the once hidden pluff mud laced the air with its penetrating odor and for the next fifteen minutes, we contentedly watched numerous pods of bottlenose dolphins feed along the edges of the marsh grass, whipping their tails with a scooping action and on a rare occasion beaching themselves to catch the fish forced onto shore by their waves--a curious hunting technique called strand feeding and characteristic of South Carolina dolphins.
Thoroughly gratified by the exhibition, it was time to cruise to are destination, Morris Island, where we would spend about an hour exploring its tree-barren beach in the shadow of its now water engulfed red brick lighthouse--Morris Island Lighthouse. To learn more about Morris Island and the lighthouse go to Morris Island Lighthouse-Once A Beacon Of Light, Now A Symbol Of Survival.
On our return, Captain Derek took us to the end of Folly Island, talked about the island's Civil War history, learned why the barrier islands south of Sullivan's Island are eroding, drifted past a group of American oyster catchers scattered about on an exposed oyster bed, and watched a dolphin chase and catch a leaping mullet in midair. After 3 hours of cruising and exploration, we docked the boat completely uplifted and enlightened.
Captain Derek, a graduate of Central Michigan University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources and a Ben Affleck look-alike--in my opinion, was personable, accommodating, knowledgeable and entertaining. He encouraged questions and when asked, took the time to answer them informatively and thoroughly. I give him five stars and as the Strand Feeding Coordinator on Folly Creek, I strongly recommend you request his tours.
The Morris Island Eco Tour is a great way to get an up-close look at one of Charleston's historically famous landmarks--the Morris Island Lighthouse. You can walk the island's seashell laden beach where the famous Civil War Confederate stronghold once stood and immortalized in the movie "Glory," Fort Wagner. You experience the breathtaking scenery of Folly's saltwater estuaries, its abundant bird life and catch a glimpse of its resident Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. While viewing the dolphins, you may have the opportunity to see these extraordinary animals perform a hunting strategy known as strand feeding. Although, we did not try our luck with a cast net or check out the crab traps, we saw plenty of wildlife and dolphins on an extended tour of 3 hours instead of the usual 2.5 hours.
Charleston Outdoor Adventures is Located at:
1871 Bowens Island Rd.
Charleston, SC
843-795-0330
The phrase "shifting sands of time" is an old saying usually associated with an hour glass. Its meaning forebodes a change in circumstances. A famous lighthouse outside of Charleston Harbor, once a proud guardian of the coastline, now a vanquished sentinel, was victimized by the shifting sands of time, literally. The lighthouse residents and visitors see today was constructed beginning in 1873 and completed 1876. It was named the Morris Island Lighthouse because that is where it once upon a time stood. Sounds like the beginning of a fairy tale, but this is no fairy tale.
The Morris Island Lighthouse no longer stands on Morris Island. The sands upon which it was built are no longer there and this is where our story has a twist. Once upon a time Morris Island was actually three islands that stretched from Folly Beach to Sullivan's Island, and the lighthouse you see today was not the first Charleston lighthouse. The three islands were named Middle Bay Island, Morrison Island, and Cummings Point.
The first lighthouse tower built in 1767 stood 102 feet and had a revolving lamp with a range of 12 miles. In time, changing tidal currents altered the channel leading into Charleston and the three islands slowly merged into one and became just Morrison Island, later shortened to Morris. Then, the Civil War came and the lighthouse suffered an explosive ending. Fleeing Confederate troops blew up the lighthouse so Union troops couldn't benefit from it.
The lighthouse we see today was the replacement for the destroyed lighthouse. It stands at a height of 161 feet. This is where the story takes a twist. The channel shifted once again. This time threatening the Charleston Harbor, which could not be allowed to happen. Jetties were built, saving the harbor, but the result caused severe erosion on Morris Island. The island shrunk. Many of the buildings, which included the keeper's house and a school house, were destroyed by other powerful natural forces or moved. Slowly, the shifting sands retreated from around the lighthouse. The light was automated in 1938 and the Fresnel lens was removed. It continued to operate until it was eventually decommissioned in 1962.
The lighthouse address is now several hundred feet in the ocean. Yes, literally surrounded by the deep blue sea. The Coast Guard planned on destroying it, but local residents came to the rescue. It is now privately owned and efforts are underway to preserve it.
The Morris Island Lighthouse is just one of many in a system of lighthouses built up and down the East Coast--standing as protectors and guides. Some of them are still active, some of them are not. Some of them are open to the public, some are not. They are great subjects for photographs and their history is fascinating. To see what life was like for the caretakers and keepers of the lighthouses, visit one and take on the experience of climbing the hundreds of stairs to the top. The view is spectacular.
The Morris Island Lighthouse, for obvious reasons, is not open to the public. You can view it from the shores of Folly Beach. Another historical site affected by the erosion was Fort Wagner--the famous Confederate fort featured in the movie "Glory" with Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Although the jetties caused the erosion of Morris Island, it saved Charleston Harbor. It is a great place to fish.
The lens installed at Morris Island was a first-order Fresnel lens--the largest, most powerful and expensive lens with an illuminating apparatus fueled by mineral oil. A Fresnel lens is a multi-part lens developed by French physicist and engineer Augustin-Jean Fresnel. When compared to a conventional lens it is much thinner, larger, and flatter, and captures more oblique light from a light source, thus allowing lighthouses to be visible over much greater distances.
I recently went on a trip to Corolla, Outer Banks and toured the Currituck Lighthouse, which heightened my interest to check out Charleston's lighthouses.
Caressed by the splendor of the rising sun and often threatened by the fury of the Atlantic Ocean, the picturesque and historic city of Charleston presides over her panorama like a queen. Resting on a peninsula cradled by the meandering currents of two merging tidal rivers, the vibrant and diverse downtown cosmopolitan and its welcoming deep water harbor are sheltered and sustained by a chain of barrier islands from Cape Romain to the ACE Basin. Some are inhabited and some are not. Some you can access by car and others only by some form of water craft. Each of these delicately balanced islands are fringed by pristine, sandy beaches with stands of old, weatherworn oak, palmetto, magnolia and pine trees and linked to the mainland by a maze of verdant saltwater marshes and nutrient rich creeks. All of this natural grandeur makes Charleston a wonderland for water enthusiasts and camera toting naturalists.
