B y R a n d y Wi l l i a m s
Epilogue: The Old Camp
A hidden camp on Hutaff, the remote barrier island, was a place of refuge for a generation of fishermen.
In 2021 it was razed, leaving those who cherished time there profoundly disappointed.
The Indian came in complete silence,
startling the Skipper with a perfect
imitation of an owl as he burst into
camp.
“I had a dream last night” he said to
the unsettled Skipper. “I was a great
horned owl, and you were an osprey.
I was sitting atop the big cedar tree
watching you fly above the camp. You
kept diving down then soaring back up,
not hunting but searching for some-thing.
You floated in the sea breeze for a
long time, then you flew out high above
the shoals. I followed and watched you
dive down into a great school of bull
drum. You transformed into one of
them and swam with the big reds to
a sandbar way out in the inlet. There
were thousands of fish on that bar, just
congregating in the shallow water,
soaking up the sun. And then I woke
up.”
“What do you think it means?” asked
the Skipper.
“I think it means something is about
to change,” said the Indian.
The Dune
The majestic dune is impressive and irresistible. The reward for a
climb to the top is an astounding 360-degree panorama of land, sea,
and a thousand acres of verdant marsh. The ridge rises from a wind-swept
island landscape that has been pummeled and flattened over the
years by numerous hurricanes. But the big dune has withstood them all.
For decades it was memorialized by a marker embedded at its
highest point that read: “US Coast Geodetic & Survey Benchmark.
For Information Write To The Director Washington D.C. $250 Fine Or
Imprisonment For Disturbing This Mark.” The words were stamped on
the top of a brass disk in a circular fashion.
16 january 2022
WBM
It looked very official. It is gone now.
Perhaps some yet-to-be fined or imprisoned felon has pulled it up.
Or perhaps it is still there, covered by sand. At the base of the dune
is an island meadow with a path that leads into a natural enclave of
yaupon, wax myrtle, dwarf palmetto, cedar, and other island flora. If
you were shipwrecked on Hutaff Island, this is where you would want
to be.
Long before I-40 connected Wilmington to the rest of the world,
local drum fishermen knew about this place. For them it was sacred
ground.
WBM FILE PHOTO