The Island Called, So We Went

“It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.”
― Dave Barry

Two years ago, during the winter, I took a huge leap (for me) and joined some great friends and fellow photographers on a weekend primitive camping trip to Capers Island.  That weekend turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life.  I wrote a post about that trip upon my return.  If you would like to read about it, you can do that here.

Last year, I was greatly anticipating joining the same group to spend another weekend on the island.  Unfortunately, 

just as it was about time to meet my friends for the trip, my son, Jeremy, came down with the flu.  I did not feel right about leaving him to go to an island to camp.  So I stayed home, took care of him, and entertained myself while he was sleeping.

Last weekend, I again had the opportunity for this wonderful camping experience.  Luckily, things worked out for me to join my friends on the island for what I knew would be a great adventure.

The weekend started by meeting up in Charleston, SC and catching a boat Friday afternoon.  The boat took us to Capers Island and dropped us and all of our camping and photography gear off for the weekend.  From the dropoff, we made our way down the beach searching for a great spot to set up camp.   We found a large group had already set up for the weekend a little farther down the beach.

We were watching the weather as there was a possibility of strong winds and heavy rain predicted for Saturday evening into Sunday morning when we were supposed to be picked up.  We planned to make the most of the time we had with good weather.

I never camped before adulthood.  There is just something about camping that seems to turn back time and give adults a taste of childhood again.  It is a joy to disconnect from the constant race that life has become.

The air feels cleaner, the sky looks bluer, the smell of campfire permeates the island.  Even the food tastes better.

When we weren’t sharing meals and laughs, we were all photographing.  It is always so interesting to see your friends’ images from the same places you visited and photographed.  Each person saw and photographed the island in his/her own way.

I started out by photographing the larger views of the island.

Once I take in the larger views, I am always drawn to the more intimate scenes.  These were easily found everywhere I turned.

Our group ended up leaving the island at sunset Saturday evening before the dangerous winds made their way to Capers.  Although we had to cut our time there a bit short, we packed so many good memories into the time we spent there.

As the boat took us away from Capers Island, I found myself already looking forward to spending time next year with these amazing friends in this very special location.