South of Beaufort SC at the end of US 21 is Hunting Island State Park.
We went out to visit the lighthouse in the park, but when we found out
that they charged an admission fee to the lighthouse area, we had
second thoughts. We had paid for and climbed Tybee Island Lighthouse a
couple of days before, so we turned around. Off the main park road (and
free to visit) there was a marsh boardwalk with the usual assortment of
fiddler crabs. The boardwalk crossed a number of palmetto covered
islands and ended at a viewing platform. Hanging around the base of the
platform was this peculiar looking animal. It looked a lot like a
raccoon, but the coloring was wrong. Research was indicated that it was
a rare red raccoon. Seeing it so close was a treat and the
highlight of our trip to Hunting Island.
