Every year, we travel to Kiawah Island, South Carolina to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Erwin's mom, Ellen. Kiawah is known for its golf and tennis facilities, which are apparently top notch, but are of little interest to me personally. There is an extensive network of paved bike trails, which we make good use of, but these trails are exclusively along roadsides and through residential neighborhoods. It is also great fun to bike at the beach. Except at the highest of tides, there is wet sand firm enough to ride on, right next to the crashing waves and sandpipers. However, the beach is lined with mansions as far as the eye can see, along with condos and a big fancy hotel. The island is completely over-developed; there are virtually no opportunities to get out in nature. There are zero hiking trails in the area, not on Kiawah or anywhere else remotely close by.
Kayaking is the answer. It doesn't escape the houses altogether, because Kiawah is all about profit. The developers will not rest until every scrap of solid ground is built upon. However, due to engineering and legal constraints, the coastal wetlands remain the wildest part of the island. And they are beautiful! Murky tidal rivers carve through the vast swaths of Spartina grass, with ribbon-like tributaries snaking through ever narrowing channels. Low tide draws the water down, exposing burbling pluff mud, and dolphins swim up the rivers to feed. Kayaks ride low on the water, allowing the paddler to skim along amongst the grass, close to the surface of the water.
Erwin and I have kayaked on Kiawah many times, embarking from several different docks across the island, but we haven't been in a number of years. Kids under 6 years are generally not permitted to use rental kayaks (except on private tours), so this was the first time Frankie got to come. I was so excited to bring him! Also, this is the first time Ellen joined us kayaking, which made it extra nice for Frankie, since he is always so happy to spend time with family. We got two tandem kayaks; I paddled with Frankie and Erwin with his mom. The dock at the boathouse has a big map showing different routes, but for Frankie's first trip, we all agreed Captain Sam's Inlet would be the best bet. It is a simple out-and-back route: first through the channel where the dockhouse is situated, and then down the main river out to where it drains into the Atlantic Ocean (then back the same way).
At the shore, there is a huge spit of sand that we always pull the kayaks up onto, so we can take a short walk along the beach. It is very common to see dolphins in this area, and today was no exception... we had dozens of sightings, some very close to our kayaks as we were paddling, and others feeding in the water right off the sand spit. And of course lots of pelicans and cormorants, too, and a bald eagle. It was fantastic! Frankie loved it so much that he didn't want the experience to end. Neither did I, truthfully, but we only had the kayaks for two hours and had to get them back. Frankie did his best to paddle backwards in a futile attempt to stop the kayak from returning to the dock. Despite what the outfitters told us, that most people don't use the full two hours and wouldn't want more than that, I would have liked another two hours. It is so peaceful out in those marshes.
Kayaking is hands-down my favorite thing to do on Kiawah Island. I hope to explore some new routes in future years, now that Frankie is old enough to join us. It made me very happy that he enjoyed himself so much!
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| spotting a dolphin |
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| another dolphin |
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| foam stomping |
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| photo by Erwin |
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