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Cumberland Island National Seashore Day 2 ~ One Really Long Day ~ "Morning" [ Home ] [ USA-International Travel ] [ Southeast Travel ] [ Favorite Sunsets ] [ Content ] CI Home Page Day 1-Road Trip Day 2-Long Day PM Day 3-To the Settlement Day 4-Stafford Beach Day 5-Home CI Photo Gallery
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Morning Will, Barbara, Ray, Steve, John and I gathered in the lobby of the Sleep Inn about 7:30 a.m., ready to eat! “Breakfast included” consisted of the usual cereal, bagels, fruit and waffles with the waffles providing the morning giggles. Our group, thinking they were superior to the waffle cooker, didn’t bother with the instructions. Heads were scratched and waffles tossed before a fellow tourist, watching from another table pointed out that we had to pour and FLIP. Oh…yeah!
We were on the road by 8:25 a.m. Thankfully the two hour drive flew by and we arrived in the quaint coastal village of St. Marys before 10:30 a.m. The town of St Marys is located on the St Marys River and the national seashore visitor’s center and St. Marys dock is located on what else but St. Marys Street. Several small shops and cafes dot the historic town with new construction evident everywhere. We arrived early enough to duck in and out of a couple of shops but nothing captivated us so our money remained in our pockets.
As “trip planner,” I was in line at the visitors’ center at the specified 11:15 a.m. to pick up ferry tickets and pay for the campsites. The rest of the group browsed in the national park bookstore (surely the most interesting store we visited) or stood outside waiting for the brief orientation. Most of the people milling around were day-trippers. One couple was headed to Sea Camp, we were the only backpackers.
We boarded the Cumberland Queen around 11:30 a.m. and stowed our backpacks on deck as instructed in orientation (tossed on the very front of the boat, exposed to all elements). Will and Steve followed most of the passengers into the warmth of the cabin. Ray, John and I went for the bench seats in the bow of the boat, while Barbara traveled back and forth. Occasionally another passenger or two wondered onto the front deck but we were mostly by ourselves.
Ray in the bow of the ferry looking for porpoises
The ride to the island took about 45 minutes. The ferry sailed down the St. Marys River, swung left at the Cumberland Sound and headed toward two docks on the west coast of Cumberland Island. The sky was cloudy and the ferry seemed to slice through the cold and windy February air. Occasionally a fine mist would spray over the railings giving us a real chill and splashing our packs. Thank heavens for water resistant pack covers. Ray kept watch on both sides of the deck looking for the famed porpoises known swim alongside the ferry. This was Ray’s 5th trip over a 20-year span and as we watched the coastal scenery float by he told John and me, island newbies, stories about his previous trips. We counted 7 paper mills on the distant shores of the mainland; easy to spot because of the tall smoke stacks billowing huge plums of gray smoke into the air. Ray pointed out the submarine base barely visible from the Sound. He and one of the boat stewards mentioned that nuclear submarines were reportedly seen in the sound on occasion. We never did see the porpoises.
All but our group and a few others disembarked at the southern most dock, Dungeness dock. This is the main tourist destination because it provides an opportunity for day visitors to explore the Dungeness Historic District ruins, to see a piece of the island and catch the last ferry back to St. Marys. As the Cumberland Queen pulled away from the dock, I watched a ranger gather the day-trippers together for an orientation. The rich island history and a bit about Dungeness, the opulent Carnegie mansion built in 1884 and burned in 1959 must have dominated the talk. I knew we would not get back to the southern end of the island on this trip so I promised myself another trip, maybe just for a day, to see the ruins that so define Cumberland Island. Beverly and John on the ferry...just a little cold!
Our excitement heightened as the Cumberland Queen neared Sea Camp dock. This was going to be a great trip! I had called the Park Service every couple of days during the past few weeks to check on the number of backpackers registered for this weekend. According to the rules backpackers can’t pick a campground until they actually set foot on the island. Based on the phone calls and a conversation with the Park Service office in St. Marys it looked as if we would get the campsites that we wanted. Backpack reservations were minimal this time of year. We couldn’t wait to get started! We unloaded our packs and headed toward the Park Service office. We were oblivious to the fact that in the screwed up Cumberland Island reservation system kayakers (including outfitters) can pick campgrounds by going to the mainland Park Service office 3 days in advance of landing on the island. In other words, kayaker reservations trump backpacker reservations and we had been trumped three days before our arrival.
We sat through a backcountry orientation including a “warning” about the wild animals on the island, no fires and sanitation (the usual leave no trace). We learned of our campsite fate as we outlined our plans to the park service volunteers. The campsite that we planned to use as a base, “Brickhill Bluff,” northern most on the island, located on the Cumberland Sound and perfect for sunset viewing was FULL of kayakers. We immediately launched into protestation mode (bitching!). Since the possibility of this turn of events was never mentioned during my phone conversations with the park service, the actuality of the circumstances caught us by surprise. The volunteers got an earful. It goes without saying that the system is not the fault of the volunteers but in this case, they were the public interface for the park service so they took the heat. They were not happy with us and we were not happy with them.
Visiting the northern end of the island was high on our goal list so we revamped our campsite plans in a manner that we thought would still allow us to make the trip “north.” Yankee Paradise, located in the middle of the island, was the only camp option that would allow us to “comfortably” hike to the northern end of the island and back in one day. We hadn’t added up the mileage at the time we designated the site for day two but it would necessitate a 12-mile round trip day hike to the Settlement plus an evening water hike. Oh were our feet in for a surprise! As we left the park service office, we studied our new plan on the map and laughed about our complaining. We realized that our new plan would give us more time to explore so we really came out much better.
Day 2 PM ~ Part Two of that Same Really Long Day Day 3~To the Settlement and Back, My Poor Aching Feet Cumberland Island Photo Gallery
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