South Carolina is home to some of the most unique wilderness ecosystems in the country, teeming with diverse wildlife and untouched shorelines.  The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 150 million acres – a network of lands and waters managed specifically for wildlife.  This refuge, stretching along 22 miles of the South Carolina coast, was established in 1932 to provide habitat for wintering waterfowl as well as resident wildlife populations.   It is a rich natural resource – the incoming tide combines the life-giving nourishment of the ocean with the nutrient-laden fresh water of several small rivers to create one of the most productive environments on earth.  Plants and animals from the land, rivers and oceans flourish, but all are dependent on the delicate balance of the marshlands. 

Our destination is Bulls Island, the largest of four barrier islands within the Cape Romain refuge.  We’ve come, with friends Dennis and Vicky Shepard, for a three-day “expedition,” which started at the Sewee Visitor Center where we met our fellow adventurers and our guide.  There were eight in our group – the four of us, three folks from upstate, and our guide, naturalist Gates Roll.

While at the visitor center, we learned about the federal captive breeding program to save the endangered red wolf.  The red wolf is a smaller cousin of the gray wolf found in the western US; it gets its name from the rusty coloring of its head, ears and legs.  Native to the Southeast, red wolves suffered from habitat loss and were hunted to near extinction.

Cape Romain has a long history with red wolves.  For nearly 20 years, the government kept a pair of red wolves on Bull’s Island.  When they reproduced, the pups would stay on the island with their parents to learn hunting and survival skills. During that time, 26 pups were born at Bull’s Island and transferred to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina.  In spite of that apparent success, the program was shut down in 2005 because the wolves kept swimming back to the mainland – the island just wasn’t big enough to suit them!

Some wolves were kept in enclosures at the Sewee Center, but a pup had never been born there until this year when a new breeding pair was brought back from North Carolina.  New wolf-friendly enclosures were built and one insanely dedicated volunteer (Wolfman Rob) has worked tirelessly to keep these wolves happy in their new home.  And so, on April 11, 2014, The State paper reported that five baby wolves arrived, bringing lots of smiles to visitors, volunteers and staff.  They’re back!

Our next stop was Garris Landing, where we loaded our gear on the boat for the ride to Bulls Island.  Bulls Island is 5,000 acres of maritime forest, fresh and brackish water impoundments, salt marsh and white sandy beaches.  Live oaks, sabal palmettos, cedar, loblolly pine and magnolia are the dominant trees here.  Wildlife includes deer, alligator, otter, raccoon, bobcat, black fox squirrels, and birds – lots of birds – nearly 300 recorded species. 

The island was originally known as Oneiscau, a name given by the Sewee Indians who inhabited the coastal area north of Charleston.  Their name means ‘island people’ and it was here they hunted and fished the tidal creeks for food.  On March 15, 1670, English settlers heading to the province of Carolina set foot on this island and were met by the Sewee people.  After restocking, they made their way down the Kiawah River and settled the areas now known as Charleston.  One of the leaders among this group was Stephen Bull, whose name was given to the island.

Bulls Island passed through the hands of 35 different owners until 1925, when New York banker and broker Gayer Dominick purchased the island and built a winter residence there.  He put in a system of dikes and locks to create shallow ponds, called impoundments, which are regularly replenished with rainwater and have made the island one of the East Coast’s most important stops for migrating birds. The impoundments also became the perfect home for perhaps as many as 800 freshwater-loving alligators.  For eleven years he and his family enjoyed the tranquil life on Bulls Island before conveying it to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1936.  From the early 1940s until the late 1960s, Dominick House was operated as an inn for birdwatchers, nature enthusiasts and fishermen.  From the late 1960s until fall 2103, it was used by refuge employees and volunteers on special assignments (such as monitoring sea turtle nests).  Since October 2013, the house is open eight times a year for small groups to enjoy a multi-day experience in this wild and wonderful place. 

Our boat ride out to the island was a leisurely one – it’s only about 3 miles off the mainland, but there is much to see along the way.  At first glance, it’s just miles and miles of marsh, but we saw bottlenose dolphins and at least 20 different kinds of birds.  Gates told us that local dolphins practice a unique behavior called “strand feeding,” where they herd fish onto nearby mud banks and then follow them entirely out of the water to devour them. They can also literally put half of their brains to sleep in order to stay afloat and rest while still watching for danger. As if on cue, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and her baby appeared alongside the boat, and then disappeared from view. 

 

  

Most visitors to Bulls Island have to walk everywhere, so we were pleasantly surprised to learn that we had a regular chariot for transporting us and our gear to the Dominick House.   Once there, we settled in to our rooms, met the rest of the crew (Laura, the organizer and assistant guide, and Papa Mo, the cook), and enjoyed a nice lunch before setting off to begin our island explorations. 

Our first outing was on foot as we hiked the Turkey Walk Trail through the forest, swampland and ponds between the Dominick House and the ocean.  Considering that Hurricane Hugo’s 16-foot tidal surge killed ALL of the pine trees on the island, we were amazed at the recovery of the maritime forest.   

Along the way we saw an overgrown shell mound or midden left by the Sewee Indians.  They probably had a village near this spot, which served was their dump site.  Archaeologists have found food remnants, organic tools, clothing, even human remains, but here the main ingredient is oyster shells. 

We also annoyed a couple of black racers – the first of many we would see around the island.  Our guide grabbed one of them for some show and tell and was rewarded by a bite on the wrist.  This snake is non-venomous, but not fond of being man-handled.   

We got our first good look at the island’s alligators as the trail passed over a berm separating the Upper and Lower Summerhouse Ponds.  The lower pond (left side) is fresh water; the upper pond (right side) is brackish – so near, but so far apart with regards to plants and wildlife.  The trail here is a favorite spot for the alligators to catch some sun – they live in fresh water, but find much of their food on the other side. Most of the gators dived for cover as we approached, but a few stayed around for pictures.

Near the end of the berm, in the mucky water covered with duckweed, we spotted the remnants of an alligator nest.  A couple of babies stayed near the nest, while mom kept an eye on them and us.  Baby alligators are about 9 inches in length at birth and grow about 1 foot per year for the first six years.  

The Turkey Walk Trail ended at Beach Road, a decision point – back to the lodge to rest or onward to the beach?  No contest – we headed toward the ocean.  On this ‘road,’ we saw some of the thickest, most luxuriant yellow jessamine we've ever seen – this being SC’s state flower, we've seen quite a bit.  Because it is native to our state, it is also called Carolina jessamine.  It is an evergreen vine that climbs trees, fences, and latticework all over the state. It blooms in very late winter or early spring, offering the first hope of warm weather to come. And it just loves Bulls Island.

 

Suddenly, the Beach Road opened onto 7.5 miles of pristine undeveloped oceanfront.  What a sight – no beach houses, no hotels, no crowds.  What a delightful feeling to be the only people on an island of such beauty. 

We headed north along the beach and marveled at the variety of shells delivered right to our feet as the tide receded.  Lots of ocean treasures – especially knobbed whelk shells and sand dollars.    

 

Finally we reached the infamous Boneyard Beach, a three-mile stretch on the northeast corner of the island.  Walking into the Boneyard, the feeling is one of awe – hard to describe with mere words and photos fall short of conveying the natural beauty and mystery of this place. 

 

Here, hundreds of oaks, cedars and pines can be found strewn along the beach – all the result of an ever-changing shoreline which is in constant battle with the incoming surf.  The downed trees have been bleached by the sun and weathered by the salt air, turning an off-white color like bones.  

 

This osprey soon will be forced to find a new spot for her nest.      

Surreal…is the adjective that came to mind as we walked amongst this once thriving forest. Because of the ever changing tides and currents, erosion at this end of the island is relentless:  the island and its trees are being washed away.  Geology happening right before our eyes – we've never seen anything to compare to this!  

 

We could have stayed here longer, but the sun was getting low in the sky and we had nearly three miles to walk back to Dominick House.  More alligators along the path, and we got a good look at some glossy ibis – a large wading bird with a reddish brown body, greenish wings and a long, down-curved bill. 

 

 

Back at the lodge, Papa Mo had been busy cooking.  Good thing, because we were plenty hungry after walking for five hours.  We cleaned up the hors d’oeuvres in no time and then tackled the Lowcountry Boil.  For the uninitiated, this Southern delicacy contains shrimp, smoked sausage, new potatoes, sweet onions, and corn on the cob. 

After dinner, we took the chariot for a ride out to the far north end of the island, hoping to catch a nice sunset.  We did enjoy the view, but mostly we caught mosquitoes – millions of them!  Our best guess is that we happened to be in the right (or wrong) spot when 18 gazillion mosquitoes hatched all at once.  The air was thick with them – they made it hard to see and breathe, but at least they didn't bite – they just swarmed and swirled all around us.  It was an amazing experience, but the novelty wore off pretty fast – we were thankful to have a vehicle that could drive us away from these critters.  It would have been a REAL experience to have been on foot in the midst of all that. 

Sleep came easy on this first night on the island, but it didn't last long enough.  We were up well before the sun to catch a ride to the north end of the island - at the road's end, we walked out to Boneyard Beach to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

The monolithic oak trees provide the most dramatic aspect of the scenery at Boneyard Beach, but the place is really loaded with sabal palmetto, the SC state tree.  In June of 1776, Charleston patriots under Colonel William Moultrie built a fort of palmetto trunks – their slightly spongy nature allowed them to absorb blows from cannon balls with little or no damage.   The port city was defended successfully and this sturdy tree was pictured on the new state flag and named the official state tree.    

 

After Laura led us though some yoga exercises on the beach, we were ready for anything.  

Of course, all that exercise made us hungry again, so we headed back to the lodge for Papa Mo’s pancakes and omelet bar.  We spotted some cormorants along the way - the marsh is beautiful in the early morning light. 

After breakfast, we were on the road again – Laura drove us north again, this time to Jack’s Creek and the site of an old fort.  Here is one of the water control devices used to ensure adequate levels of water in various impoundments – gotta keep those waterfowl happy.  Alligators were snoozing near the spot where the first English ship is thought to have landed in the Carolinas in 1670. 

 

Pirates once roamed this coast, plundering towns and villages from Georgetown to Savannah.  In an effort to protect citizens, the colony in 1707 authorized lookouts to be manned by “one white man and two Sewee or other neighboring Indians.”  It was the duty of these men to watch for raiding pirates and to fire cannon shots from the tower to warn nearby English ships and neighboring families.  The men would then paddle to safety in the creeks behind the island.   All that remains of the Bulls Island lookout is the foundation of the Martelo Tower.  It was built of tabby, a building material unique to the lowcountry of the southeastern U.S.  It consists of lime, sand, water, and crushed oyster shells.  (This is the northernmost known tabby structure in the U.S.)  

Leaving the fort, we walked to Alligator Alley, said to be home to the island’s biggest gators.  There were plenty of alligators, large and small, as well as a couple of water moccasins to remind us to watch where we stepped.  

 

 

 

 

Next stop was the Observation Tower, a 16-foot high structure that provides a panoramic view of the 500-acree Jacks Creek impoundment, with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop.  Laura met us there with delicious bag lunches – and the chariot for the ride back to the lodge.  

 

After lunch, we drove back to the far north end of the island, to a spot beyond Boneyard Beach - where Lighthouse Road simply ends in the ocean.  This is the best spot for shelling!  

 

By mid-afternoon, we were back at the lodge – with time for a shower and a rest before a sunset cruise on the marsh. While we were goofing off, our guides had gathered a bushel of oysters and switched boats – now we set sail on the Caretta (a covered pontoon boat), with a table covered with hot steamed oysters.  The other table was covered with shells and bones and other odds and ends picked up on the island over the years.  We enjoyed the birdlife, dined on fresh oysters and learned a little more about the inhabitants of the island and the water around it.  Papa Mo had dinner waiting when we got back – fresh fried fish, with all the fixings, topped off with a sinful piece of Mississippi Mud Pie.  

 

Up early again to watch the sunrise at Boneyard Beach.  On this day, we arrived in the dark and it never quite got light – heavy overcast.  Not so colorful, but much windier … and just a little bit spooky in the gloom.  

 

After breakfast, before heading back to the mainland, we headed to the south end of the island – the only area we hadn't yet explored.  We saw the Magwood family cemetery – they were shrimpers who once owned the entire island. 

Here we walked through beautiful maritime forest, rolling through deep swales and over old sand dunes.  This part of the island was once oceanfront property, but now is covered by trees – just the opposite of the Boneyard on the other end of the island.  For some years, scientists thought that the erosion on the north end was matched by accretion on the south end – more recent analysis has shown that this is not the case.  Instead, Bulls Island is slowly disappearing as it is washed into the sea.  Mother Nature rules – we’re just glad we got to visit this magical place – and looking forward to a return trip!  

 

Wildlife Footnote:  We saw bottlenose dolphin, black fox squirrel, black racers, bobcat scat, alligators, Carolina anole, white-tail deer, raccoon, mink, cottonmouth water moccasins, leopard frogs, monarch and swallowtail butterflies, and bird.  Lots of birds – at every hour of the day, in every corner of the island.  We saw a total of 75 species in about 48 hours – not too shabby for a trip not billed as a birding trip – you just can’t help but be a birdwatcher!  Here’s the list: