Edisto Beach was a shell collectors paradise. As we pulled into the campground Joe said, “Remember, no complaints. I reserved the only campsite available.” To help campers make informed decisions, the online reservation service includes a description of each campsite. When I hopped out to help Joe look for obstacles as he backed up, I immediately understood why this site was open. It was a hump. The picnic table was located at the bottom of the rise. Joe managed to level the van by straddling the hump

Joe jumped out to the van and I asked, “How did you know we could camp here?”

“We can camp anywhere.”

Edisto Beach is on an island bordered by a marsh on one side and a summer beach town on the other. The beach is narrow, even at low tide, but filled with shells — so many that broken bits crunched under our shoes as we walked the shoreline. Campers walked along the water’s edge looking for specimens and then showcased their finds on the picnic tables at their sites. Most went for size and brought back whelks, giant cockles and angel wings.

Many of the waterfront homes in Edisto were losing frontage to erosion. As a first time visitor, it looked to me like the ocean was waging a war with shore by pulling as much sand as possible back into the water. Beach walkers collected shells and the ocean retaliated by sculpting the beachfront.

Even though the campground was just steps away from a grocery store, a gas station and local restaurants, I’m not certain we will return. When the tide is in there isn’t much room to walk.