Float A Wild Coast: Play List

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play list
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WEEKENDS
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Bulls Island
1 of 3
terminus for a view from the 16-foot-tall

observation tower.
10 Retrace your steps .5 mile to Alligator
Alley and follow the sandy trail .7 mile as
it zigzags north to an intersection.
11 Turn northeast onto grassy Old Fort
Road and take it 1.5 miles to the tip of the
island at Northeast Point.
12 Follow the shore 6.6 miles south and
west to the south beach of Bulls Island
and your boat.
13 Retrace your strokes across Price
Creek to camp and, next day, to the
put-in.
Capers Island
3
2
Dewees Island
Isle of Palms
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A T R I M B L E CO M PA N Y
Float a Wild Coast
Cape Romain National Wildlife

Refuge, South Carolina
I dip my paddle into the brackish water and cut through the surf,
trying to keep pace with my companionsa pod of bottlenose
dolphins. The outgoing tide propels my kayak through an estuary
in the Lowcountry, a low-lying coastal area outside of Charleston
where land, sea, and river converge. Ill float 10.5 miles through the
Intracoastal Waterway and a slew of tidal creeks to the sandy north
end of Capers Island todayan easy paddle that only takes three hoursbefore
tenting on the beach. Tomorrow, Ill explore the next island by foot, where I hope
to see loggerhead turtles and alligators. Then Ill retrace my strokesmaybe I can
keep up with the dolphins on the way out. BY DAVID KUCZKIR
Turn-by-turn
From the Isle of Palms Landing
Wait for an outgoing tide and paddle 4
miles northeast through the Atlantic
Intracoastal Waterway to marker #103.
Tip: Hug the bank for an easier time
avoiding other boats and their wakes.
2 Veer east (paddlers right) into deepwater Watermelon Creek and continue
.9 mile toward Capers Island.
3 Head 1.4 miles into Capers Creek.
4 Turn east into Santee Pass, a deepwater, narrow tributary, and float 3.1
miles past the mudflats of Mark Bay to
1
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an intersection with Price Creek.

5 Head .7 mile south into Price and
paddle ashore at Capers Island .
6 Navigate across .2-mile-wide Price
Creek to the southern shore of Bulls
Island at mile 10.5. Tip: Paddle
diagonally into the tide if flow is swift.
7 Leave your boat above the high-tide
line and hike 3.3 miles northeast on
Front Beach.
8 Turn northwest on sandy Beach Road
and follow it .7 mile. (Only federal service
vehicles are allowed on Bulls Island, so
dont expect car traffic on these roads.)
9 Veer northeast on grassy Sheepshead
Ridge Road and take it 1.6 miles to its
Campsite
North Beach on Capers Island
(mile 10.3)
You wont have to throw elbows to get
the best spot on this island. Capers is
only accessible by watercraft, so nab a
space above the high-tide line on the
north beach. Gators dont live on Capers,
but dont push your luck: Follow LNT
guidelines and dont wash your dishes in
any body of water.
Water
Pack in all waterthe creeks are
brackish. We recommend a gallon per
person per day in mild conditions. In a
bind? Theres a picnic area with running
water on Bulls Island just north of the
intersection of Beach and Sheepshead
Ridge Roads (mile 14.5).
Wildlife
Bulls Island is replete with exotic
animals. For birdsthere are more than
290 species herestay awhile at Jacks
Creek (near mile 18). Highlights include
ring-necked teals, canvasback ducks,
plovers, American oystercatchers, and
black skimmers. Also at Jacks Creek:
alligators. The big lizards, which dont
hunt on land, often sun themselves
on the banks here. Then there are the
loggerheads; Bulls is one of the most
10.2016
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Boneyard Beach on
Bulls Island
WEEKENDS
16
Call Your Bluff

Yellow River State
Forest, Iowa
You might not think of Iowa as

rugged, but this trail, cut across
2 of 3
bluffs and through rutted bedrock, climbs and
drops relentlessly. You might not think of Iowa
as pretty, but when Paint Creek glides beneath
a gilded canopy of oak and hickory, it feels as if
even speaking would mar the beauty. You might not think of Iowa as a place to go
backpackingand thats why I wont have to share my waterfront camp with another
soul, save a few songbirds, even though its just 4 miles into the woods. You might not
think of Iowa as wild. Thats your loss. BY KOREY PETERSON
active nesting sites for these reddishbrown turtles. Back on Capers, bobcats
lurk in the maritime woods and deer
browse in the forest fringes.
Dont miss
PHOTOS BY (TOP) RICHARD ELLIS; DAVID JENNINGS
Both islands have a boneyard beach,

or expanse of coastline that has eroded
enough to the point where the skeletal
remains of the maritime forest are now
in the surf. On this itinerary, youll hike
through Bulls boneyard beach on day
two (miles 20 to 21); time it for low tide
so you can wander among the fossilized
trees. Capers boneyard makes for a great
time-killer if you miss the incoming tide
to paddle back to the put-in: From camp,
follow the coastline .8 mile southwest
on foot to reach the haunting thickets of
sun-bleached oaks, cedars, and pines.
DO IT PUT-IN 32.805776, -79.759305;
16 miles east of Charleston off 41st
Ave. RED TAPE Bulls Island is closed at
night, so be sure to get back to Capers
by sunset. GEAR UP Coastal Expeditions
(coastalexpedition.com) in Isle of
Palms rents kayaks for about $55/day.
The shop is less than 100 yards from
the put-in. SEASON October through
April for ideal weather and fewer
mosquitoes PERMIT Required (free) for
camping; contact the South Carolina
Dept. of Natural Resources (843-9539360; ThomasT@dnr.sc.gov) to have
one sent to you. CUSTOM MAP bit.do/
bpmapcapersandbulls ($15) CONTACT
fws.gov/refuge/cape_romain TRIP DATA
backpacker.com/capersandbulls
Turn-by-turn
From the Backpacking trailhead
1 Link the White Pine and Forester
Trails 1.6 miles to a junction.
2 Turn east (hikers right) onto Browns
Hollow Trail and take it 1.3 miles to where
it merges with Fire Tower Road.
3 Continue .7 mile on the unpaved road.
4 Follow Browns Hollow Trail as it
splits east and walk .8 mile to the grassy
clearing of Browns Hollow .
5 Retrace your steps to the parking lot.
Campsite
Browns Hollow (mile 4.4)
Set up a tent (or hammock) in this grove
of hickories, oaks, and walnuts north of
Paint Creek. On the off-chance its taken
(theres room for a few groups), backtrack
1.7 miles to the John Shultz campsite.
Wildlife
At night, this area transforms into
something from a spooky campfire
story, with the coyotes yipping and owls
hooting year-round. Come daytime,
listen for chattering wild turkeys and
keep an eye out for white-tail deer and
non-migratory birds, such as quail, ringneck pheasant, and chukar partridge.
DO IT TRAILHEAD 43.170506, -91.248729;
75 miles northwest of Dubuque on State
Forest Rd. SEASON Year-round; foliage
peaks in mid-October. PERMIT Free; selfregister at the trailhead. CUSTOM MAP
bit.do/bpmapyellowriver ($15) CONTACT
bit.do/yellow-river-sf TRIP DATA
backpacker.com/yellowriver
Trip stats
Geology
Unlike much of the Midwest, the Yellow
River area didnt experience glacial
activity half a million years ago. Called a
17
driftless area, it was primarily shaped

by wind and precip, which is why it has
steep bluffs and ravines pockmarked
with sinkholes, caves, and springs.
Distance: 8.9 miles (out and back)

Time: 2 days
Difficulty:
Get it to
yourself.
Trip stats
Distance: 35.8 miles (lollipop-loop,
including paddling and hiking)
Time: 2-3 days

Difficulty:
Churchs Pond
Most Bay Area weekend

warriors neglect what
might be the best time of
year in Tahoe. Dont be one
of them. Instead, embrace
the crisp air, clear skies,
turning leaves, and, yes,
lack of tourists on the 10.7mile Jones Whites Creek
Loop through the Mt.
Rose Wilderness. Find the
trailhead in Galena Creek
Regional Park, and dont
miss the .7-mile detour to
Churchs Pond, a small pool
of snowmelt at the base of
10,778-foot Mt. Rose, which
should showcase some
yellow aspens. Contact
fs.usda.gov/htnf
B AC K PAC K E R .CO M
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12

terminus for a view from the 16-foot-tall

Float a Wild Coast

Cape Romain National Wildlife

an intersection with Price Creek.

Call Your Bluff

You might not think of Iowa as

PHOTOS BY (TOP) RICHARD ELLIS; DAVID JENNINGS

Both islands have a boneyard beach,

driftless area, it was primarily shaped

Distance: 8.9 miles (out and back)

Time: 2-3 days

Most Bay Area weekend

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