Hunting Island, SC

I work from home, so I've been extremely lucky these past few years to not have a morning commute.
But Wednesday I had a scheduled leadership training at a hotel...so I had to get up and join the rat race.

Despite being stuck in the inevitable rush hour traffic, I found myself lost in daydreams while staring at the morning sun. It was really cool actually, because with every turn I took, I saw the sun at a different angle which awakened my senses to a new memory each time...

At one glance it brought me back to Key West. Laying in a hammock tied between two palm trees, staring up at the sky while seagulls screamed in the background.

On another turn, the sun was so bright in my eyes that it instantly brought me back to hiking in Sedona. The bright sun lighting the dusty desert trail, and looking up at an even brighter blue sky.


These are all some of my favorite places, where a piece of me still floats around... and just recently I added a new one to the book.

Hunting Island, SC.

20 minutes outside of Beaufort, SC there is a magical island that is undeveloped and nearly untouched by modern civilization. To get to it, you must drive 20 minutes down a road with saltwater marshes on one side and shrimp boats on the other.

Whether you are going to visit for a day at the State Beach, or spend a night or two at the State Campground, you are sure to experience a few jaw dropping moments and explore places not a lot of people can find...

The beaches are very undeveloped.
If you're looking for fried dough and T-shirt shops, you've come to the wrong place.
The shores here are quiet; lined with dead trees from fast erosion and loggerhead sea turtle nests.

Hunting Island was also named one of the best places in the country to explore tide pools. You will find sand dollars, shark teeth, starfish, and the occasional baby sea turtle trying to make his way home.

When you get hungry, all of the locals will advise you to get a shrimp burger at the local shrimp shack! It's about a 10 minute drive outside of the park. Also - cash only.
It's strategically placed right next to a shrimping company, so all of their seafood is fresh off the boat.

Another must-see on Hunting Island is the infamous lighthouse! Of course I got the locals to dish on if it's haunted or not......

Spoiler Alert: IT IS.
And you can climb right up to the top! It's not too bad of a hike. Perfect way to burn off that shrimp burger.

Ahhh that breeze.
Being in a very humid, subtropical climate, it's almost guaranteed that later in the evening thunderstorms will pop up. And you know what that means:
STORM CHASING!

...and they can get intense! 

But, like they say, every storm runs out of rain. So if you are wise and spending the night here, you will enjoy a colorful sunset with all kinds of crazy after-storm clouds.

If you're brave enough to face the eagle size mosquitoes and armies of sand fleas, then go for a walk on the beach at night. If it's a clear sky, you will be rewarded with one of the most beautiful, unobstructed views of the stars and milky way you'll ever see.
(Sorry, no photo. We're still perfecting our star-scape skills)


And if you're an early bird, you are in for a treat. Early in the morning, you'll awaken your senses to the sound of wind and waves and be treated to this view outside of your tent:

The sunrise is also when a lot of baby sea turtles hatch and begin their long trek to the sea. You will see turtle conservation volunteers checking the nests and of course, you can too. Just do not touch! We weren't lucky enough to stumble upon any during this trip, but I did stand next to a nest and take this photo:

I wish every single morning could be spent like this. To me, this is what life is all about. Enjoying quiet sunrises every single day. Starting each day with a beautiful view instead of scrolling through a social media news feed.  It made me sad for a bit that at home, I wake up to the sight of construction every morning. But, like they say, every storm runs out of rain ;) Who knows where my gypsy soul will take me in the future.

I hope I've convinced you to visit this beautiful place. It's truly a hidden gem, not a lot of people think about South Carolina as a vacation spot. National Geographic just named the SC sea islands one of the
'Top 20 Places to See in the World' 

And I couldn't agree more. 

Have a fun last weekend of August!
Sending you lots of love.

Camping on The Beach

"Hello from April 21st!
I wonder what adventures you've gone on since April.
I hope you've seen some awesome storms."

Oh yes, yes I have.

That was a note I wrote to myself back in April. How ironic that on that chilly Spring day, I randomly flipped through my agenda and picked the weekend of August 21st to write that little note.

The same day THIS happened:

Life is so beautifully bizarre.



So if you read my last post, you know I've been craving a camping trip. Not just any camping trip - I wanted to pitch a tent BEACH FRONT. I wanted to fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves, rock in a hammock underneath palm trees, and get up early to catch the sunrise over the water.

And that I did.

 Hunting Island State Park - nestled just 20 minutes outside of Beaufort, SC - has been recommended by several Palmetto natives. When they try to describe it they usually can't find the words and end up saying: JUST GO.

I knew they weren't kidding when I looked online to make reservations and saw that the campground was full for months. They have 1 cabin on the beach and it's booked for a solid 13 months from now.

Whoa.

So being blindly optimistic, I decided to check their reservation schedule every single day in hopes a spot would open up. You never know, right?

Well last Monday I sat down at my desk, opened my laptop, and did my usual refresh of the schedule.
BOOM.
Not only did 1 spot open up for that weekend, but it was waterfront too.
Getting a last minute waterfront spot during the peak Summer months is just unheard of.
FATE.

We had zero camping gear when I booked this site. That's how spontaneous and random it was.
My latest life motto I'm trying to live by is 'Think Less, Do More.'

So, we ran out to grab the basics!
Tent.
Hammock.
Graham Crackers/Marshmallows/Chocolate

And off we went.

How dreamy is this place?
It's very 'prehistoric' looking. Hunting Island prides itself on being very undeveloped.
So undeveloped that you can lay on the beach and see the milky way at night...


Our mornings were spent waking up with the sand fleas Summer sun and perfect sea breeze...

Days were spent roaming the deserted beaches and feeling free....

'Think Less, Do More'
;)

Nights were spent eating too many s'mores, playing frisbee on the beach, and rocking in the hammock...

This campground is everything and more. The first day we got there we already made plans to come back in the Winter. It was a weekend straight out of a dream. Totally unexpected, too.
I mean it when I say, the best trips are always unplanned ;)

I left this wonderland feeling sad my time here was up, but curiously wondering...
how does it ever get any better than this!?

I guess time shall tell...

August Adventures

Hi friends.

August has been a classic 'dog days of Summer' month for us so far. A lot of relaxing, routine, and nothing too new & exciting over here. While my Sagittarius soul is running in circles, the other, more introverted side of me is secretly enjoying it...

Days are spent working.
Evenings are spent unplugging from technology and hiking here.

Summer storms are starting to wind down (nooooooooooo) and I can vaguely feel Fall in the air...
While I'm sad storm season is coming to an end, these muggy afternoons sure make the woods look beautiful.

When I lived up North I used to get so bummed about Fall. The crisp air and colored leaves were every day reminders that a 7 month winter was coming up quick. But now that I live in the South, I'm actually looking forward to Fall. I want to drive the blue ridge parkway, pumpkin spice latte in hand, and check out the foliage in the cooler weather. I guess these Southern natives were right when they said Summer gets old real quick - 95+ degrees every day since May. Wooo! Someone send me HERE.

Speaking of cooler weather and New Hampshire, this weekend we snuck away to the mountains in upstate SC and found this. A historic red covered bridge! I could've sworn I stepped into a time machine and was back in New England. This is Campbell's covered bridge in Landrum, SC.

After this, we drove another hour or so into the mountains and discovered one of the most beautiful farms in South Carolina...

Chattooga Belle Farm.

Look at the view! This farm is just stunning. They have orchards, vineyards, and a rustic barn straight out of every girl's dream wedding board on Pinterest.

They have a cute little restaurant on a deck overlooking the mountains. We were so excited to try lunch there, but we were 20 minutes too late. Maybe next time.

All of the staff were so friendly and inviting. True Southern hospitality at this place, treating everyone that comes around like they're family. They were setting up for a wedding and I have to admit, if I could go back and get married again... this place would be it.

Lately I've been craving a weekend of camping. On the beach. Makes s'mores on the beach and falling asleep to the sound of waves....ahhh doesn't that sound like heaven?
Perfect way to send off Summer 2015.
I've been eying THIS place....so we'll see what transpires.



I hope you're enjoying these last days of Summer, wherever you are :)

How To Find Adventures.

I get asked quite frequently how I find the places I venture off to.

My adventure style is thinking outside the box: find places that very few people know about....

Here's my process:

My main weapon of choice is social media. 

Pinterest is an awesome place to get ideas for where to eat in a new city, popular places to visit, etc.
Just type in the name of the state/town you want to visit and you'll be overwhelmed with ideas!

But when I really want to discover a hidden, quiet place.... I resort to my Instagram Fam.

Yup. I'd say this is where I find a solid 75% of my adventures.
I find and connect with popular photographers in my area on Instagram -- they always know the good spots ;)
But I also look under popular tourism hashtags on Instagram. #VisitNC is a great one for North Carolina, and #DiscoverSC is awesome for South Carolina. Scroll through the photos found under these hashtags to see what everyone else is posting...find a cool photo, make a new friend & ask the owner where they took it...then off you go!

Through Instagram and Pinterest I've found a Pub Cycle in Asheville, several Key West hideouts, and my favorite find,  Botany Bay.

While social media is definitely a tool us adventure junkies are lucky to have, I must tell you, never underestimate the power of a good ol' fashion map.

One of the first things we purchased when we moved down here.
A giant map.

This picture is something you'll see on daily basis in our apartment. Me wearing the same sweats every day, unbrushed hair, and staring at this map planning my next adventure.

What I look for are 'green' areas on a map. That indicates a park or a wildlife area. I zoom in to get the name, plug it into a GPS, and go.

Very wild and unplanned, but you know what?
Take it from a seasoned traveler; the best trips are always unplanned.

Like this sunflower field we found this past weekend. All I did was google 'Sunflowers SC' and this wildlife management area popped up. In the middle of nowhere, South Carolina. Hardly anyone was there besides for a few locals just fishing.

I don't have any major trips coming up, so the blog might be a little quiet. Which feels bizarre, but It's my norm for the Summer time. Did you know Summer is the most expensive time of the year for flights/hotels? Because of the perfect weather and school vacation. Knowing this, I try to stick to local road trips to get my adventure fix during May-August. But as soon as Fall and Winter roll around....See ya!

Especially around My Birthday.

Did you know the first week of December is the cheapest week out of the entire year to travel? Because it's nicely wedged between Thanksgiving and Christmas - Everyone's so busy with holiday planning and shopping, the last thing on their mind is taking vacations.
I'm talking rows to yourself on the plane and no lines at Disney Land.
I knew hospitality school in Las Vegas would pay off someday.
;)

_____________________________



PS. Mitch and I started a natural-health based instagram account! Our name is @evolve2health.
Our goal is to open your eyes to things you probably never knew about the American diet.
We also throw in a few mental health tricks here and there.
I love posting on it, I just shared our 'earthing' hike the other day which was so cool.
Be sure to check it out!

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
<3

New Hampshire

The little granite state of New Hampshire nestled way up in the Northeast, will forever hold a place in my heart. A big place. It's where I morphed from a child to an adult, met some of the most amazing people, where I graduated college, and most importantly where I met my husband.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking how crazy it is that I once called that place home. Although it's only been a little over 2 years, it feels like I never lived there at all. It was the longest chapter of my life yet in hindsight, the shortest. It went by so fast- it feels like it was but a beautiful dream...

Maybe it's because my soul was born in the Midwest/South. As soon as I moved to South Carolina I instantly recognized the sounds, the smells, the weather. I felt at home again, like I picked up right where I left off back in '98 when I left Southern Indiana to move to New England.

I get jealous of people who were born and raised in one place and know exactly where their home is. People who have their entire family in one town and have a solid routine. But then, they've never experienced new places and different faces. Different landscapes, different weather, wilder sunsets, interesting animals and accents...and then the jealousy dissolves into gratitude. This gypsy life of mine, it's so full.

My week in New Hampshire was no different than my life as a whole. I spent every day in a different part of the state. Sometimes I was in the mountains eating wild blueberries and playing with dwarf ponies..

... other times I was at my brother's place near the coast visiting UNH and playing on a farm

Most of the time, though, you could find me in a quiet lake doing my favorite Summer activity:
Kayaking.

Yakin'.
When I lived up there, my family and I used to be out in the boats every single weekend. Fishing, exploring, you name it. We had fishing competitions and sat in the middle of a lake during thunderstorms. Out of all the places I've been, it's with ease that I say New Hampshire is the best place to kayak.
So many peaceful, hidden lakes.
My personal favorite is Clough State Park in Weare, NH.

Another favorite spot that's more commercialized yet still stunning is Lake Massabesic in Manchester, NH.
It's the city's water supply so you must be careful not to dip your toes in the water!
It provides classic New England views everywhere you look.

This was my first time experiencing visiting 'home' after a long period of time...you know, sleeping in your old bed, seeing your old pets... it was emotional. Yet fulfilling to look back and know I survived those crazy years of growing up. Of course, what would a visit to mom's be without going through old photos.

My mornings were spent roaming around the backyard with two cats following close behind me, collecting fresh vegetables for breakfast straight from my mom's garden in that bright New Hampshire sun.

Afternoons were spent chasing rainbows (Thanks Shane!) and going on quiet bike rides.

I even surprisingly found a moment of silence to enjoy my last sunset in town..

It was an amazing trip. Since leaving NH and now returning after a couple of years, I see that place through a totally different lens. (All pun intended)
It's beautiful. It's different. It is it's own little world that I feel lucky to have once called home.

One day I hope I'll live within driving distance of my family.
But until then, New Hampshire makes a pretty sweet Summer vacation spot.

And most importantly, to all of my friends I didn't get to see-- please accept my deepest apology. You know I'm a free spirit; it's hard to wrangle me down. I also failed miserably at estimating how much time I would need up there. Know that you always have a home in the South with a free tour guide.
And, let's be honest, you know I'll be back soon.
;)

In the meantime, I've got storms to chase and juicy peaches to eat!

Hi Carolina. I missed you.

Home, sweet temporary Home.

;)