Cumberland Island National Seashore - Day Two

We awoke to temps in the low 40s but overall everyone had a good night's rest. I think several of us were grateful to the makers of ibuprofen. We got to work quickly and each set about making our own breakfasts. Since I don't normally want to carry all of the weight associated with real cooking on the trail I decided I'd use this weekend just for that. My starting pack weight was 37 lbs which is more than I've every carried but I had pots and pans along with other assorted goods. I also carried 4 stoves since I had several I'd never actually used in the field before.



For this morning I'd packed Backpacker Pantry's scrambled eggs and vegetarian bacon (whatever that is) to mix with my fresh mix of shredded cheddar, diced ham, and salsa. I even carried a freezer pack to keep everything cold! Unfortunately I hadn't practiced cooking this on the camp stove before and it cooked a little faster than anticipated. It was still good but could've been better. Then again, what can you expect from freeze-dried eggs?




Photo by Eric Rousseau

Here's the obligatory hammock shot of my humble abode.



After breaking camp we decided on a change of scenery and took Duck House Trail to the beach. It was a nice stretch and even had a little elevation change through soft sugar sand before leading us back into the final oak hammock before dumping us out at the Atlantic Ocean. The seas were calm and littered with gulls and large pelicans out for a bite. There was also a massive gathering of terns.

I was surprised at how many sand dollars there were along the beach. Had I thought I could get them back home in one piece I would've picked them all up. In hindsight I wish I had there were so many. I also couldn't believe how many and how large the horseshoe crab shells were. We didn't see any alive but the beach was covered in shells at least 1' across. I'd never seen any that large.



It was a nice walk with a cool breeze. It felt good to get lost in the rolling waves while scanning the beach for nice shells and shark's teeth. We hiked several miles down the beach turning inland just before the Stafford Beach walkway. We got back on the PT and stopped at Stafford for a quick break.

We arrived at Sea Camp Beach and found Eric who'd gone on ahead of us. We scored another awesome campsite (#13) with its own beautiful oak and a path up to the dunes (no direct beach access though). The sites at Sea Camp are more family-friendly and have picnic tables, fire rings, pack poles, and even a food box to (hopefully) keep your edibles safe from the prowling critters.

The Food Box

Photo by Eric Rousseau

After making camp and enjoying lunch the guys headed south to the Dungeness ruins. I decided to hang back and stayed at the site. It really was a nice, peaceful time where I was able to catch up on a book I've been reading. While I was sitting there a young doe even wandered into the site for a few brief moments.

When the guys arrived I started a great fire and it worked wonders for driving the chill away. It was like a mini inferno. I'd found a large dead limb that we laid across the pit to keep it going. There really is little else that can make you feel the way a warm campfire can.

Using Flint and Steel

Photo by Eric Rousseau

Enjoying the Fire

Photo by Eric Rousseau

Unfortunately the cell phone died early in the day so I don't have any pics to share after the beach. I hope to be able to share some of Eric's soon.

It had been a long day so we let the fire die down and turned in about 9:30.