Georgia Wins!

[Roger Long]

Well, I may not like their signs but, as far as the place I'm most looking forward to exploring in detail on the way back north, Georgia is it. The topography of the marshlands is more interesting and varied, probably due to the higher tides. The miles of accessible wild beaches in the sea islands and the chance to get out and sail where you can at least see the open ocean are wonderful.

I saw wild horses on the beaches this morning. We just anchored in Brickhill River and will be in Saint Marys tomorrow or the next day if we find a way to hike over to the Cumberland Island National Seashore.

This anchorage is the first place my Verizon MiFi cell modem just wouldn't work. I hoisted it up to the spreaders in a bag with the flag halyard and am back on the Internet. It's just a little inconvenient to turn on and off.

The navigation and shoaling through the ICW hasn't been nearly as bad as I had come to believe from reports. Just 22 miles to go and I'll be a confirmed liar.

 

[Bill1565]

Delighted things are looking up. We'll be northbound thru Georgia in March, and I have been following your adventures with keen interest.

 

[Roger Long]

We'll be northbound thru Georgia in March,

You should make this a stop. Great anchorage in 10 feet of water (more just up the river if you need it) at a wide spot in the river. We took the dinghy into the beach near the camping sites and followed the trail across the island just far enough to be sure we'll be able to get to the beach tomorrow.

I saw three wild horses and we all saw one. They are like wraiths. As soon as you realize you are looking at a horse, it seems to dematerialize. The one we all saw was attempting the stand stock still vanishing trick so we got a good look.

Anchor here: http://fms.ws/6odNA at 30.88773 latitude, -81.45346 longitude.

Map of park here: http://mappery.com/map-of/Cumberland-Island-National-Seashore-Map

 

[Bill1565]

we'll do it. Max the dog loves horses and cows.

 

[Roger Long]

Max the dog loves horses and cows.

Be careful. I just got this from one of my friends today and realized that those two small "horses" I saw in the bushes were probably pigs.

We stayed as guests of friends on Cumberland Island for more than a week on our trip south in the winter of 2000-01. Awesome place! We found some great shells and some fossilized shark's teeth. Besides the wild horses, there are wild hogs and armadillos. The horses are a bit too friendly, and I got into an uncomfortable situation with a stallion who sauntered up and thought about picking a fight - ears back and front feet off the ground. He was not smart enough though. I pointed and shouted, "look, a polar bear", and was able to slip away while he turned and looked...

 

[Bill1565]

Pigs, not horses eh? Will be careful.

 

[Jimm]

CI Seashore

Be careful. I just got this from one of my friends today and realized that those two small "horses" I saw in the bushes were probably pigs.

Try here for good info on your National Park -- http://www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm

Doug is the NPS wildlife biologist - at an upcoming conference.....
Techniques used to manage feral hogs on Cumberland Island National Seashore
Doug Hoffman, National Park Service, Cumberland Island National Seashore

 

[howard]

Cumberland island

Please do not miss cumberland island, you can anchor right in front of the Cumberland Queen dock at Seacamp. It is most beautiful and lots of histroy there. The big ones with the long tails are horses.

 

[Captandrew]

I am glad to see you made it to Cumberland Island. Fairly soon, maybe today, you will be passing the Sub Base at St Mary'sand maybe into Cumberland Sound. I would probably take a right though and go up St Mary's River first before heading into Florida. The state border runs up the middle of the river. There is plenty of water for your boat and a reasonable place to land your dinghy as I recall. There is naturally a Naval presence due to the proximity of the base but still a nice spot to visit. Wherever you anchor just stay out of the way of the Cumberland Island Ferries.

 

[Roger Long]

Doug is the NPS wildlife biologist - at an upcoming conference.....
Techniques used to manage feral hogs on Cumberland Island National Seashore
Doug Hoffman, National Park Service, Cumberland Island National Seashore

Hey! We just met him. We hiked three miles across the island to the beach and then came across the BACK of this sign. What is it about Georgia and signs?

We decided to walk 1 1/2 miles up the beach and try to go in the road along the end of the park. My legs were getting really tired of walking on sand when we saw hunters and a white pickup truck coming down the beach. It was Doug who said, "I've got to get you folks out of here."

It was great to have a ride all the way back to the river but even better was getting a very complete run down on the hog, the turtles, the horses, and everything else. Very nice guy with an interesting job. If he's a friend of yours, please let him know and pass on my thanks. I'll be coming back this way again and plan to visit when it isn't a free fire zone.

Why don't they post signs on the side of the park that people come from? The signs are someone else's job and Doug didn't know either. He just knows that they only post the beach side of the hunting zone.

 

[Jimm]

Managed hunts are one way the agencies have to control pest and introduced species - in this case hogs. I had some responsibility for these programs when at DOI. I'll pass along your thanks....