Camping at Hunting Island

Last weekend we had the privilege of meeting up with our friends, the Kruideniers, and heading to Hunting Island, SC. They had camped there before and suggested we all go when the guys could break from their school responsibilities. We went to the mountains last summer and had a blast. We knew we were in for a treat this go around.

We had wonderful weather at Hunting Island. Sure, it was cold at times, but the sun was out during the day. The beach was simply gorgeous. We had easy access to the beach from our campsites (we had two right beside each other). This state park has a lot to offer; we enjoyed nature trails, a lighthouse (with 166 steps to the top that we climbed), a marsh boardwalk, and a nature center. There has been a lot of erosion, but I found the aftermath of that to be beautiful. There are tons of amazing bare trees lying on a naked beach. They looked like pieces of art. They were great natural climbing structures for our crew.

If you asked any of our kids about our camping trip, they would mention the raccoons. There were several raccoons that go from campsite to campsite in search of food and such. You can see them. The kids even named the ones that seemed to frequent our site. They are used to people, I guess. Our fellow campers beside our tents had to rescue one of my canvas bags of food and my tupperware of muffins. They came in brood daylight, those rascals!

Our time with the Kruideniers around the campfire was just priceless, from the huddling around the fire with sticks to looking at one another with sleepy faces each morning. We enjoyed so much conversation, laughs, great beach walks, and super vegan camp food. Daniel even made pancakes for our final breakfast. Our kids love to hang out with their girls. Daniel, Jen, Ellen, and Arianna are such troopers to want to go on this adventure with all of us. I am so thankful for our close friendship with them.

So, a definite thumbs up from me for camping at Hunting Island State Park. We had a really good time. I forgot how much work it takes to actually camp out, especially with small children, but it is so worth it!

Oh, and do any of you know how to get campfire smoke smell out of hair? :)