Googly Eyes

Spring break is over and it is back to work. Hard to believe the week passed by so quickly! It was an AMAZING adventure, as one can tell by browsing our guide, Steve's, photos.


Our trip started with snow, as we climbed into the van at the UGA parking lot and headed north. (Odd to have to go north to get to South Carolina.) We were concerned about the weather, hoping the wind gusts would not preclude us from floating the next morning. Gusts didn't die down until about 4 a.m., leaving most of the group to suffer through the first of many frigid nights. Kristin and I stayed warm in our sleeping bags, so we had no real complaints other than the dew that collected on the items we didn't sufficiently hide under the tent's double awnings.

Early Sunday morning we dressed for the weather and put in about five miles from the KOA campground.

Kristin was sporting a super fashionable blue camouflage wetsuit - which was very apropos to her stealthy demeanor throughout the trip:) We paddled for nearly 3 miles before landing on Capers Island, our home away from home for the next 4 days.

Primitive and remote, the island offered nothing in the way of modern conveniences, including running water and indoor plumbing. I didn't care, though, as I fell out of my kayak and ran down the beach, looking for the nearest facilities.

Those who had made the journey to Capers before alerted me to a private area near the end of the beach, where I could dig a hole and do my duty. It wasn't quite the cozy tiled room at home, but the egrets and adjacent stream gave this outdoor facility a very nautical feel. I barely finished filling in my hole when I heard yelling coming from on top of the cliff. Looking up, I saw Chris, our GORP representative, wildly waving his arms and yelling. "Hey...do you know about the bathroom?" I thought for sure I was in trouble, maybe having gone in an area designated as a wildlife zone or something. "Yeah," I answered. "Steve told us to go here." What Steve forgot to mention was that the potty bag needed to go with the person using the area, as an indication to others that the area was in use. Silly me. I had no potty bag. Good thing I was done and done!

The trip continued to be as wildly entertaining as that first incident, especially the next day when we went alligator hunting. It was shortly after a paddle through Caper's marshes, followed by surfing the waves in our boats. When we got back to land, we thought it would be fun to explore the island by foot, in search of the infamous reptiles. It did not take Meg, Ai, Kristin and I long to spot a few, hidden in the marsh, a safe distance across the river. Feeling excitedly charged, we continued trekking through the back woods, when suddenly Ai screamed out and jumped away from the bank. Certain that an alligator was about to clamp down hard on her hands, we naturally followed suite and screamed as well, still uncertain as to the real reason behind our actions. Ai pointed, and all at once, we saw Googly Eyes, staring us down from 100 yards away.

We took off through the woods, making it back to the boneyard as quickly as possible. Googly Eyes watched us, peering through those tiny slits, intent on our every action. The beach could not come soon enough!


We departed Capers Island early the next morning, paddling 7.5 miles back to Charleston, where we took out, cleaned up, and went for an excellent fish dinner at the Wreck.


We had one final float the following morning, crossing under Charleston's main bridge, and navigating the harbor.

Paddling by the USS Yorktown was an impressive end to an amazing journey. Kayaking over 10 miles in 3 short day, backpacking, and living simply really allowed me to reflect on my journey and reassess my path.

I realized that the detour is over. It's time to move onward and continue on my journey, with new found friends and a renewed sense of adventure.

Until next time...check out the rest of the amazing pictures from the trip on
Kristin's Flickr account.