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Cumberland Island National Seashore Day 4~To Stafford Beach!! [ Home ] [ USA-International Travel ] [ Southeast Travel ] [ Favorite Sunsets ] [ Content ] CI Home Page Day 1-Road Trip Day 2-Long Day AM Day 2-Long Day PM Day 3-To the Settlement Day 5-Home CI Photo Gallery
Saturday, February 22, 2003
Seagulls catching a wave, our walk to Stafford Beach campsite! We woke a little after 7:00 am to the sounds of Ray, Barbara and Steve's voices. We slept really well last night, enjoying a much needed 9 hours in our sleeping bags. After yesterday's trek to the north end of the island, we eagerly anticipated a relaxing day hiking to our next campsite, Stafford Beach and exploring the beach along the way. John and I were sipping on cups of steaming hot coffee by the time Will crawled out of his tent. He quickly had his stove humming and pots clinking as he prepared to fix his breakfast specialty...tofu scrambled eggs. The group watched in horror as Will, a practiced tofu scrambler, grabbed the white, wiggly block of tofu sprinkled it with a bright yellow powder and began to massage the stuff with his hands. The more he squeezed, the more yellow stained tofu squirted out between his fingers. We were mesmerized! One glance at Ray and I burst out laughing. He had such a look of shock and total disgust on his face. Will proceeded to plop the tofu scramble in a pan and "fry" it. I don't remember mustering the courage to watch him eat...it was nasty! John hiking
along the deserted Atlantic coastline We broke camp and began hiking on the Duck House Trail. We hiked toward the Atlantic, crossing over the inner dunes, through the inner dune meadow, across the barrier dunes and onto the shore. Everyone was excited to be absorbing the sights and sounds of the ocean. The sky was grey and overcast as it had been every morning on the island so far. We were expecting rain. We walked and talked, stopping to inspect anything and everything. We picked up a few of the thousands of seashells we saw (a practice allowable on Cumberland Island) and got up close and personal with the multitudes of jellyfish that had washed ashore during high tide. At one point, our walk was disrupted by a truck and jeep barreling down the beach. No guests in the truck on this day, maybe the vehicles were headed for a pickup at the northern end of the island. By lunch we were setting up our tents in the Stafford Beach campsite. The campsite is located in a maritime forest close to the inner dunes. Treatable water is available on site and the beach is within easy access. The old oak forest sparked a conversation about the 4 W's of campsite selection. In this theory practiced by Will's brother Mark, campsite selection involves 4 factors...the availability of Wood and Water, shelter from Wind and avoiding the Widow makers, which are any trees or other objects that could possibly come down on one's tent. We rated this site good for wood, wind and water. The widow maker, well, if just one of these oak trees topple over, we are all goners. The air felt heavy and the sky remained gloomy but, after lunch, John, Barbara, Steve, Ray and I went to the beach. Will stayed in camp to bathe. I had a lot of fun running in and out of the surf, going no further than ankle deep but my bare tootsies go cold really, really quick. John sat on shore and watched, wisely keeping his feet in his wool socks and boots. The beginnings of an afternoon shower chased us back to our tents. Happy for the opportunity to crawl in my sleeping bag and warm my feet, we dozed off and on for over an hour. Neither John nor I seemed to be able to get enough sleep on this trip, or maybe we just relished the relaxation without life's usual demands and obligations. Our tent at Stafford Beach campsite, after dark
Eventually the rain let up and we gathered under the cook tarps. We chatted for a while and cooked dinner. The evening sky was tinged red. With the afternoon rain and clouds, we suspected an incredible sunset but were on the east side of the island and could not see much through the trees. Ray seemed particularly concerned about everyone getting up early enough to break camp and get to Sea Dock in time for the ferry check-in. Our ferry reservations were for 10:15 am and we were required to check-in 30 minutes early. John and I were game to get up at 6:00 am with the group but Will indicated his desire to sleep later. No question he would make the ferry in plenty of time but would he be able to sleep with the rest of us banging around??!:-) An early night to bed after a really great day!
Day 2 AM ~ Part One of a Really Long Day 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 HOME ~ Adventures Out and Back
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Jellyfish washed up on shore