SherpaKroto
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Sometimes it takes friends to get you off you a** and get out. This is a report of a winter hike with my friend Gris (aka Grey Knob).
I was planning to head down to Florida to visit my folks and Gris suggested that I make it a bit longer to take in Cumberland Island. We've been having this conversation for a few years now, and I figured it would be a great way to get out during winter.
2008: 01/11-14: Cumberland Island, Georgia
Getting to Cumberland is fairly easy, but you do need to make arrangements ahead of time with the National Park Service. The ferry is $17 RT, island access fee is $4, and campsites are $2-4 a night. When you think about it, even with the flight it's a darn cheap vacation.
Day One: We caught the 11:45 ferry the morning after the Pats win over the Jags (Gris lives in Jacksonville and was trying to convince me that he won our gentleman's bet on the over/under. I guess it was an attempt at a moral victory). We arrived at the Visitor's center, and went through the orientation before we headed onto the 45 minute ferry ride to Cumberland. Gris has been there quite a few times, and had a few comments to add. The now boarded the Ferry and headed off down the St Mary River on a nice 60ish day. As we headed down the river, Gris pointed out the island in the distance, and we managed to spot a few of the WIld Mustangs on the island. We soon stopped at the first dock, and then again at our destination at Sea Camp Ranger Station. Again, orientation time.
The Ranger was obviously gearing his talk toward the Scout-type group that had come across with us. "Welcome to Jurassic Park! This is NOT Disney World!", he began. By that time I had read the pamphlet, mentally gone over my gear, figured out where we were headed... Wait, did he say new showers and bathrooms at Stafford? Sweet! New day 3 campsite for us!
We geared up and headed out ahead of the "Scout" troup, choosing the road over the parallel trail for the first few miles. Gris insisted that no day was over 7 miles, and this was a short 4 miles. Hmmm... I can read a map, and this map says at least 6. Oh well, Stafford is only 3.2 miles, so I should be able to make it there, I thought. we spent time catching up on the past few months, and I was amazed that I was hiking on an island in Georgia in winter. It was very cool having a mix of Pine and Palm trees framing the road, and the legs were holding together. Piece of cake! We soon reached Stafford, and though the legs were feeling it, I knew a short rest would bring them back. No hills! Woo-Hoo! The new shower house looks awesome - nice to see money going back into the facilities. We had gotten a late start, and I was no speedster, so we needed to get moving toward Hickory Hill. About 5 minutes after leaving Stafford, we got on the Parallel Trail and I found we had another 3+ miles left. No problem, I was feeling ok... On our way to Hickory Hills (a beautiful walk thought oak, then hickory forests), we had our first Mustang sighting, of course in the middle of the trail. It's wiser to move out of their way: think moose on testosterone. As we went around them, the stallion never took his eyes off us, but we took a nice wide berth. Soon enough, we reached the water: a sulfur spring. I wasn't familiar with sulfur springs until then. Let's just say we didn't drink any of the water that I filtered from this site. After setting up camp, cooking a nice Teryaki steak stir fry, we hit the hay to the sounds of the Greateful Dead as the temps dropped to the low 30's.
Day two: We woke early, and were ready to leave right at 11:30. After all, it was just a short 8 mile flat hike. Our first destination was the Carnegie Mansion at Plum Orchard, only a mile away. It was a quick hike, we again saw some mustangs, and the mansion will be beautiful once the renovations are complete. Gris and I walked around the building, then headed off toward the nothern end of the island. On the way there we ran into two women. As we were talking to them, I looked down and said "Are those Limmers?". The look on her face was priceless, and she blurted out "Where the heck are YOU from?" She was from PA, originally North Conway, and could not believe that the first person who recognized her Limmers was a guy from Massashusetts (formerly NH) in Georgia. Off we went after they told us the Roller Coaster Trail was tough to find (uh, Gris, Roller Coaster Trail?). Gris kept me distracted by pointing out many huge Oak trees, and other sites, and we soon got on the RCT. I can imagine that this trail would be impossible to follow at night, but we had no issues on it today. Well except me. Every time it went up a few feet, my legs wanted to stop. I've learned that stopping for 30 seconds is the thing to do, as keeping on makes it twice the effort. No problem, and we continued on to South Cut which would take us to the beach. Along the way Gris showed me an eerie building guarded by a stone lion. Something odd about that spot, and we left quickly. Soon enough, we took South Cut to the Beach for what I thought would be a 3 mile walk back to the Duck House trail.
What a Beach! Across nearly 1/4 mile of dunes lay the largest beach I've ever seen, 17.5 miles long, and 500 feet across some of the spots we crossed. The sand was hard packed and easy to walk. We spotted dolphins/porpoises as soon as we sat for a break. I definitely want to head back next year to spend some quality beach time for a few days. As I was walking, Gris mentioned that it seemed a bit longer than he remembered, but we had still not seen the trail. We were thinking of packing up when we reached the campsite and moving to Stafford, but I was doubting I'd be able to make it. Damn - what a long 8 miles! We saw one spot that looked like a trail, but on closer inspection found it to be abandoned. So, we continued on, and eventually got to the Willow Pond Trail. Willow Pond? Damn - 2 extra miles, and I was on fumes. Then Gris mentioned that we should get moving as we didn't want to cross near the pond at dusk. Something about a large ornery Gator. I'm still not sure if he wanted me to move, but I did notice he kept his eyes out for any motion. So, we stopped for a bit, and he casually says "not bad, about 14.5 miles today". "Give me that map, let me check... 8 miles my a** - it's at least 14!" That's when I knew we'd be staying at Yankee Paradise for another night.
Day three: We woke the next day with prospects of rain, so headed off quickly to Stafford. That hot shower was calling. We again passed some more mustangs on the trail, and another herd of "armored dilldos", getting to Stafford to set up for the night. Nice site under a large oak, good fire ring. We spent the time gathering firewood, and Gris knows what to burn. We had a sweet fire, and proceeded to settle in. I headed off to the showers, pumped the water, and dried my towel on the heater for Gris to use (wilderness camping, southern style!). Gris looked psyched when I handed him a warm, dry towel and mentioned that we had "better than soap: shampoo!" After showers, we sat down and proceeded to eat for nearly 3 hours, ending with Apple Cobbler. I wonder why we were so hungry? During our feast, "Ranger Rick" came by to check our camp to make sure that we were on high ground (the place is flat, what high ground?) as we were expecting 2 inches of rain that night. I hope Gris's home made tarp tent stays dry, I thought. A few minutes later, the rain came, steady, but not torrential. I walked over to the Shower house and stretched out and listen to the rain, then figured out it was time to head back to bed.
Day four: Back to Sea Camp, in the rain. We packed quickly and decided to take the early 10:15 ferry. I hoped I could make the 3.2 mile hike in 100 minutes and ended up doing it in 80. We sat and chatted with the ladies we had seen a few days earlier, and way too soon it was time to board the ferry. As we waited, we watched a group of 4 offload 3-4 wagonloads of provisions. That's when we found they also had a private chef. Two things crossed my mind: 1) glad we stayed at Stafford, and 2) we were back in civilization. I only wish it could have been when we reached the mainland. I will return, definitely
The next few day were spent hanging out in Jacksonville where Gris had set up a sweet jam/recording session with some excellent musicians that he plays with. What a time! I was still floating on cloud nice the next day when I got to take in two great games at Mojo's. Now THAT was a great vacation with great friend! Thanks Gris!
I was planning to head down to Florida to visit my folks and Gris suggested that I make it a bit longer to take in Cumberland Island. We've been having this conversation for a few years now, and I figured it would be a great way to get out during winter.
2008: 01/11-14: Cumberland Island, GeorgiaGetting to Cumberland is fairly easy, but you do need to make arrangements ahead of time with the National Park Service. The ferry is $17 RT, island access fee is $4, and campsites are $2-4 a night. When you think about it, even with the flight it's a darn cheap vacation.
Day One: We caught the 11:45 ferry the morning after the Pats win over the Jags (Gris lives in Jacksonville and was trying to convince me that he won our gentleman's bet on the over/under. I guess it was an attempt at a moral victory). We arrived at the Visitor's center, and went through the orientation before we headed onto the 45 minute ferry ride to Cumberland. Gris has been there quite a few times, and had a few comments to add. The now boarded the Ferry and headed off down the St Mary River on a nice 60ish day. As we headed down the river, Gris pointed out the island in the distance, and we managed to spot a few of the WIld Mustangs on the island. We soon stopped at the first dock, and then again at our destination at Sea Camp Ranger Station. Again, orientation time.
The Ranger was obviously gearing his talk toward the Scout-type group that had come across with us. "Welcome to Jurassic Park! This is NOT Disney World!", he began. By that time I had read the pamphlet, mentally gone over my gear, figured out where we were headed... Wait, did he say new showers and bathrooms at Stafford? Sweet! New day 3 campsite for us!
We geared up and headed out ahead of the "Scout" troup, choosing the road over the parallel trail for the first few miles. Gris insisted that no day was over 7 miles, and this was a short 4 miles. Hmmm... I can read a map, and this map says at least 6. Oh well, Stafford is only 3.2 miles, so I should be able to make it there, I thought. we spent time catching up on the past few months, and I was amazed that I was hiking on an island in Georgia in winter. It was very cool having a mix of Pine and Palm trees framing the road, and the legs were holding together. Piece of cake! We soon reached Stafford, and though the legs were feeling it, I knew a short rest would bring them back. No hills! Woo-Hoo! The new shower house looks awesome - nice to see money going back into the facilities. We had gotten a late start, and I was no speedster, so we needed to get moving toward Hickory Hill. About 5 minutes after leaving Stafford, we got on the Parallel Trail and I found we had another 3+ miles left. No problem, I was feeling ok... On our way to Hickory Hills (a beautiful walk thought oak, then hickory forests), we had our first Mustang sighting, of course in the middle of the trail. It's wiser to move out of their way: think moose on testosterone. As we went around them, the stallion never took his eyes off us, but we took a nice wide berth. Soon enough, we reached the water: a sulfur spring. I wasn't familiar with sulfur springs until then. Let's just say we didn't drink any of the water that I filtered from this site. After setting up camp, cooking a nice Teryaki steak stir fry, we hit the hay to the sounds of the Greateful Dead as the temps dropped to the low 30's.
Day two: We woke early, and were ready to leave right at 11:30. After all, it was just a short 8 mile flat hike. Our first destination was the Carnegie Mansion at Plum Orchard, only a mile away. It was a quick hike, we again saw some mustangs, and the mansion will be beautiful once the renovations are complete. Gris and I walked around the building, then headed off toward the nothern end of the island. On the way there we ran into two women. As we were talking to them, I looked down and said "Are those Limmers?". The look on her face was priceless, and she blurted out "Where the heck are YOU from?" She was from PA, originally North Conway, and could not believe that the first person who recognized her Limmers was a guy from Massashusetts (formerly NH) in Georgia. Off we went after they told us the Roller Coaster Trail was tough to find (uh, Gris, Roller Coaster Trail?). Gris kept me distracted by pointing out many huge Oak trees, and other sites, and we soon got on the RCT. I can imagine that this trail would be impossible to follow at night, but we had no issues on it today. Well except me. Every time it went up a few feet, my legs wanted to stop. I've learned that stopping for 30 seconds is the thing to do, as keeping on makes it twice the effort. No problem, and we continued on to South Cut which would take us to the beach. Along the way Gris showed me an eerie building guarded by a stone lion. Something odd about that spot, and we left quickly. Soon enough, we took South Cut to the Beach for what I thought would be a 3 mile walk back to the Duck House trail.
What a Beach! Across nearly 1/4 mile of dunes lay the largest beach I've ever seen, 17.5 miles long, and 500 feet across some of the spots we crossed. The sand was hard packed and easy to walk. We spotted dolphins/porpoises as soon as we sat for a break. I definitely want to head back next year to spend some quality beach time for a few days. As I was walking, Gris mentioned that it seemed a bit longer than he remembered, but we had still not seen the trail. We were thinking of packing up when we reached the campsite and moving to Stafford, but I was doubting I'd be able to make it. Damn - what a long 8 miles! We saw one spot that looked like a trail, but on closer inspection found it to be abandoned. So, we continued on, and eventually got to the Willow Pond Trail. Willow Pond? Damn - 2 extra miles, and I was on fumes. Then Gris mentioned that we should get moving as we didn't want to cross near the pond at dusk. Something about a large ornery Gator. I'm still not sure if he wanted me to move, but I did notice he kept his eyes out for any motion. So, we stopped for a bit, and he casually says "not bad, about 14.5 miles today". "Give me that map, let me check... 8 miles my a** - it's at least 14!" That's when I knew we'd be staying at Yankee Paradise for another night.
Day three: We woke the next day with prospects of rain, so headed off quickly to Stafford. That hot shower was calling. We again passed some more mustangs on the trail, and another herd of "armored dilldos", getting to Stafford to set up for the night. Nice site under a large oak, good fire ring. We spent the time gathering firewood, and Gris knows what to burn. We had a sweet fire, and proceeded to settle in. I headed off to the showers, pumped the water, and dried my towel on the heater for Gris to use (wilderness camping, southern style!). Gris looked psyched when I handed him a warm, dry towel and mentioned that we had "better than soap: shampoo!" After showers, we sat down and proceeded to eat for nearly 3 hours, ending with Apple Cobbler. I wonder why we were so hungry? During our feast, "Ranger Rick" came by to check our camp to make sure that we were on high ground (the place is flat, what high ground?) as we were expecting 2 inches of rain that night. I hope Gris's home made tarp tent stays dry, I thought. A few minutes later, the rain came, steady, but not torrential. I walked over to the Shower house and stretched out and listen to the rain, then figured out it was time to head back to bed.
Day four: Back to Sea Camp, in the rain. We packed quickly and decided to take the early 10:15 ferry. I hoped I could make the 3.2 mile hike in 100 minutes and ended up doing it in 80. We sat and chatted with the ladies we had seen a few days earlier, and way too soon it was time to board the ferry. As we waited, we watched a group of 4 offload 3-4 wagonloads of provisions. That's when we found they also had a private chef. Two things crossed my mind: 1) glad we stayed at Stafford, and 2) we were back in civilization. I only wish it could have been when we reached the mainland. I will return, definitely
The next few day were spent hanging out in Jacksonville where Gris had set up a sweet jam/recording session with some excellent musicians that he plays with. What a time! I was still floating on cloud nice the next day when I got to take in two great games at Mojo's. Now THAT was a great vacation with great friend! Thanks Gris!
