Wednesday, May 25, 2005

The Island

 

This picture is of an island near where I live and work. It is a couple of square miles large and completely undeveloped. The current owners used to let people camp out on the island overnight.

Those days are gone now and no trespassing signs are prominently displayed right above the high water mark on the beach. I can’t tell you how depressing it is to see such a beautiful place be declared off limits.

I do understand how it came to be off limits, though. It seems modern civilization started leaving more and more piles of garbage in the area on the island formerly used for camping.

Then there was the irate father whose daughter went to the island with a teenage boy and some beer to join a group around the campfire. The father seemed to think the owners of the island should be held responsible for his daughter being there, not the daughter!

I remember the times I have explored the island’s interior and seen the tracks of wild animals. I still love to watch the eagle’s nest and the osprey’s nest when I can get around the backside of the island by boat. Many times when the osprey hunts, the eagle hangs back and waits for the osprey to catch a fish. Then, the eagle swoops down and tries to steal the fish from the osprey. It takes a while, but the eagle usually ends up with the fish.

Oh, and there was the lady whom, upon returning from the island, gleefully showed me the large Indian arrowhead she found on the beach there after a storm. She said it was laying there in the sand where the tide had gone out, fully exposed to the naked eye. I must say I was a little envious of her find! LOL!

The best story about this island, though, is the time a group of about six teenage boys camped out on the island. At night after all had retired to the relative safety of their tents, they heard a noise coming from the middle of the campsite. Peeking out, they saw a large boar rutting through their possessions that were left outside. They were six very scared teenagers.

So, what does a scared teenager do in this modern day when frightened in the wild? They used a cell phone to call one of the fathers and told him about the wild boar. What else?

Now, you’ve got to appreciate the fact that during hunting season it seems that every male above the age of 12 is a hunter in these parts (those days are long over for me by choice). This little camping trip was in the fall hunting season and, of course, the father had to wake up three of the other fathers instructing all to get their guns and meet at the dock.

It would have been simple for the boys to take their boat and go pick up the brave and fully armed Dads, but they were too scared to leave the tents. So, at Three Am on this Fall Sunday morning, four grown men are scrambling to get their boat launched to, (What, you thought save the teenagers? Ha!), track this boar down and bag him! Visions of sitting around the campfire the next day roasting fresh game filled these suburban fathers’ heads.

Here’s a secret these Dads should have known. Boars are very smart creatures. They have excellent hearing and even better eyesight. The boar took off at the first sound of the outboard motor being fired up across the marsh grass. By the time the dads got there it was long gone and any hope of tracking it down was to no avail.

You should have seen this tired mess of humanity stumbling back to the docks the next morning with absolutely no sleep. It took a while for them to live this story down at the marina.

How did everyone know what had happened? Remember the teenager who had the cell phone? Yep! You guessed it! Seems he couldn’t wait to call all his friends and tell them about his brave Dad, LOL!

41 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sam, you live a very pretty area.  

Anonymous said...

wonderful entry!!! Your island is beautiful. I have a great respect for wild pigs and when my son and I explored deep woods off the Suwannee River we would find large traps set for them.
I enjoyed this entry!!!!
Have a great day my friend. judi

Anonymous said...

Great entry Sam!!! I love the pic and can see myself camping there...too bad a few have to ruin it for everyone else.  Robin  :)

Anonymous said...

Too bad a few people have to ruin a good thing.  Sounds like it's a wonderful place.

Anonymous said...

It's really great that you got to see this island before it was declared off limits:)

Anonymous said...

oooh it looks LOVeLY- and I amstill giggling over the phone thing- rofl

Anonymous said...

Such a shame how time has changed certain things. You have such interesting stories though. I'm sure glad the boar got away!!! :)
~ Lori

Anonymous said...

Looks like a place around here. My hubby laughed when I read this to him! Boar 1 Dads 0 LOL

Anonymous said...

It irks me to no end when people leave their trash behind!  I go camping a lot and you wouldn't believe (well, you probably would) the amount of garbage that gets left on the ground...

Terrible that no one can enjoy the beauty of this island anymore.  I'll never get why its so hard to leave a place as you found it....  guess there are really lazy people around.

Thanks for sharing, loved the stories.... and I'm glad that boar got away!

Have a great one, Sam....

Cat

Anonymous said...

it looks like a beautiful place to go to get away from the real world for some time...i understand the owners position though...it isnt their responsibility to clean up after others and its also not their responsibility to know where some irrate fathers daughter is! to save theirselves the owners had to make it off limits to all...in this day and age where so many people are sue happy im sure the owners figured someday someone would get hurt there and then sue them for it happening since it was their property...its really sad that (as the saying goes) one bad egg has to spoil the fun for everyone...thanks for sharing this interesting and pretty islands tales and picture with us...

linda
http://journals.aol.com/lindainspokane/LifewithLinny
http://journals.aol.com/lindainspokane/LinnysLuciousLickings

Anonymous said...

It is sad when owners feel they 'have to' place land that everyone enjoys off limits.  I think back to not many years ago when the average citizen would never think of leaving a mess behind when they used someone elses property for fun and for free.  An old saying from my dad, 'At the least, always leave things the way you found them, at the most, make them better.'  Nice photo, thanks for sharing.  And the story of the teens and the boar is just too funny.  How red was that dad's face?!

Anonymous said...

...too funny Sam......one boar, six kids, four fathers...the big slip-a-roo and visions of grandeur diminshed into an island tale!

Hysterical......love it..E

Anonymous said...

"tired mess of humanity"
ha!ha! I LOVE that.

Great story, and it is sad they had to turn the Island into a
no trespassing state.  :(   but, I do understand....

great story! great pic!  :D

Anonymous said...

>giggles< great story!  Thanx for sharing

Anonymous said...

Loved the story, and the entire contents of this entry. Your journal is such a delight. *Barb * http://journals.aol.com/barbpinion/HEYLETSTALK

Anonymous said...

Awesome story!!
Tami

Anonymous said...

Loved the story! Thanks for sharing it with us. The island looks lovely, too bad that people had to spoil it.
http://journals.aol.com/astaryth/AdventuresofanEclecticMind

Anonymous said...

    The island looks lovely.  It is too bad that it has been made "off-limits", and yet, I can understand it.  Too bad, also, that some inconsiderate campers have caused this situation.  What happened to people taking responsibility for themselves and their actions ??  A shame, isn't it ?  Tina

Anonymous said...

What a great story. You tell it so well!

It is very sad that more people can't realize that one can ruin it for all. We live in an area that is absolutely beautiful and get very irritated by the trash that is thrown around. When we go on walks we bring backpacks with us and pick up what we can.  But it seems that in our endeavors to try to keep it picked up, there is always someone behind us that dirty's it back up.

And the father who got angry about his daughter? Don't even get me started on that one. There is just not enough teaching about taking responsibility for what IS your responsibility.

Anonymous said...

What an interesting story . . .  what a terrible loss for the local folks!  It seems that many CHILDREN don't REALLY learn to respect the wilderness . . . or the property of others (especially when they aren't looking).  Those children grow up to be the reason that you and your family are unable to camp on that great little island.

Sometimes I worry that we're not going to learn to appreciate nature and her mother . . .  Mother Nature . . .  until nothing is left!

Thanks for the great stories you share!

http://journals.aol.com/Ccancu/CEEGEEATLARGE

Anonymous said...

what a story!  thanks for telling us and telling us so well :-)

~  www.jerseygirljournal.com

Anonymous said...

Teenagers--sigh--who else can have the best and the worst time of their life in the course of 10 minutes????

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a story! It is such a shame this beautiful island is not being enjoyed but you can certainly understand the owner's frustrations. What a shame that some thoughtless people ruin it for everyone. Nothing puts me more in awe than the beauty of nature. Nelle

Anonymous said...

It's a shame the owners had to make it off limits because of a few negligent people. It looks like a pretty place.

Anonymous said...

What beauty.  I love what nature creates.  I find it incredibly sad that we don't protect what we are freely given.  Take it for granted and it will be taken away.  Pennie

Anonymous said...

((((((((((Sam)))))))))) osiyo my friend, that picture of that island is a place I would love to visit ...too bad it can not be camped on anymore....someone has to mess it up for others who truely enjoy natural and mother earth........the stories you have told here today are wonderful.......wado (ty) for always sharing yourself with us........I had to laugh at the Boar story lol was too funny......I can just imagine the faces of the fathers coming back home .............hehehehe and I can just see the boar in the bush.........die laughing at them......saying....maybe next time boys..........maybe next time lol have a great weekend and be safe and many blessings to you and  your loved ones dohiya


Tanena

Anonymous said...

Well I can see why you would miss such a great place. Like going into the wilderness without traveling too far. Wonder if the owners could be convinced to change their policy?

Great story about the boar. I've seen a few, and wouldn't care to mess with one. Those guys were probably luckier than they thought!

Jimmy

Anonymous said...

Wonderful stories you have shared with us here.  Seems there are many places like your island, once sacred to us, now trampled on by others and therefore, off limits.  ::::sigh::::  All we can do is live with our clear conscience in the knowledge me are not the ones to blame.  Interesting about the osprey and eagle...I have heard the same story as well told by several people.  Seems our national symbol is no bird brain, but rather a crafty hunter indeed.
~Dona

Anonymous said...

Funny story about the boar and the teens and the Dads.  I suppose no one thinks straight at that time of the morning.  At least it wasn't a bear!

Anonymous said...

Sam :)

What a wonderful story! Oh my...thank goodness for modern technology and knowing when to be scared! LOL. What a great way to bond with a parent. Thanks for sharing. As much as I would love my own private island, I would be worried after watching the people on "Lost." I am not a brave girl...very much a city gal. LOL.

Always, Carly :)

Anonymous said...

anyone with an interest in maritime lore - even a tangental interest - will find this journal fascinating.    it is well-written and has a nice narrative flow.    kudos!

Anonymous said...

Such a pretty island. Although it can no longer be visited I am grateful that the owners respect what is there to want to protect it and not allow it to go to ruins because of a few.
Mary

Anonymous said...

what a great pic to accompany the stories about the island :)
i'm glad you shared, it made for very enjoyable reading !!
pamela

Anonymous said...

Great story and what a beautiful place the island looks like....

Anonymous said...

Its a shame when people don't understand to visit nature is a gift and the places we visit should not be worse off because we were there.  Judi and I practice the "leave only footprints, take only pictures" . . . . except for the occassional rock that ends up in our pocket (Judi asks it first if it wants to come, and I have seen her leave behind some spectacular rocks because they didn't wish to come home with us.)
Peace.  Virginia

Anonymous said...

Really cool stories...lol about the boys affraid of the wildboar! Too bad its off limits now, but reslly cant blame them, always a couple of bad applea ruin it for others... Mabey one day you could return...take care,D

Anonymous said...

That's so gorgeous, but at least we get to see it on the net though...

Anonymous said...

Very funny story! It's a shame that people had to ruin the island for others by lacking to take responsibility for their actions...but in our world of blaming others and suing over everything, unfortunatly, it isn't surprising. Hopefully, you have a lot more good memories of the island!

Anonymous said...

What a great story. I`m glad the wild boar got away! :-)

Sandra xxx

Anonymous said...

Hello again...I also live in Georgia. This island is something out of the book Treasure Island or something like a Sidney Lanier poem. It looks amazing and quite a place to visit. Its sad that such a place is off limits that is quite sad. This island needs to be put to words in a journal or a poem it is beautiful in more ways than one.

Anonymous said...

this is a great story!
marti
http://journals.aol.com/sunnyside46/MidlifeMusings