Hen Island

Hen Island

Massachusetts

Photos and Text by Madeline Barr

My boyfriend’s family owns this tiny piece of land in Massachusetts that can be considered an island at any point that isn’t low tide. We call it Hen Island. His family uses it for duck hunting and escaping the city. Our coming and goings are dictated by the tides and the trek across the marsh is always through at least 6 inches of mud, which sometimes makes the crossing of the haphazard “bridges” more of a slip and slide.

We spend a lot of holidays out there and generally always get views of the surrounding town’s fireworks. We camp as often as we can, and the cabin has a wood stove and bunks when we adventure out in the colder months. It’s an incredible place to spend a weekend because the landscape completely changes every few hours with the tides. While I love the time we spend there, the mile long trek back and forth is always what I enjoy the most. The views are breathtaking and, thanks to the season, constantly in flux. Hen Island is brand new every trip and we never get sick of it.