THE SQUIRMING COIL
"I saw Satan on the beach
trying to catch a ray
but he wasn't quite
the speed of light
and the squirming coil got away"
lyrics by Tom Marshall
With our Croatan adventure over, Christy and I headed for the beach. However, we didn't have the typical tourist beach trip in mind. Instead, we planned to paddle out to primitive Bear Island to camp for a couple of days.
We spent a couple of hours organizing our gear and making the transition from car camping to overnight paddling. Once we had everything ready, we broke camp and drove to Swansboro. From there it was only a couple of miles to the office at Hammocks Beach State Park. We got our camping permit ($8 per night) and drove to the overflow parking area at the put-in. We were well into a beautiful sunny day by the time we got on the water.
We set out following the orange trail to Bear Island. This started badly. The route is marked with posts, but we didn't see any from the put-in. However, there was a row of orange buoys. We followed it, thinking that the water was too deep for posts. However, we seemed to be going to wrong direction. After 15 minutes, I was convinced that we were headed the wrong way. We were going west, but the route went south. We turned that way and crossed a channel with heavy boat traffic to a large island. Here we took a break and I studied the map.
I decided that we needed to go east around the island, and hopefully we'd hit the marked trail. Luckily my guess was correct. At the far end of the island we found a marker. If you do this trip, head due south (straight out) from the dock. We crossed the open water of the inter-coastal waterway and paddled into more protected waters. We passed through a maze of grassy islands. The water was shallow, and we had to drag the boat once or twice.
The variety of birds was outstanding, but it caused a problem. Saucony couldn't resist chasing them. We endured this a couple of times before leashing her in the canoe. I was concerned about the safety of doing this, but Saucony didn't cause any more problems.
My favorite bird was a small white one (no, I don't know the name) with an entertaining feeding habit. It would hover about 15 feet above the surface of the water. Then, when it spotted a fish, it would drop like a rock and dive for it. The first one of these birds that I saw came up with a fish, only to drop it before flying away. After that, I never saw one catch a fish.
It was well after noon when we stopped at a sandbar for lunch. The tide was low, and our lunch spot is usually underwater. We had a relaxed lunch, and let Saucony go swimming. Our entertainment was watching her try to drink salt water. The look on her face was hysterical. In case you're wondering, yes, we gave her some fresh water. While we were there, several people in canoes and kayaks passed by. Finally we decided to continue to the island to set up camp.
We paddled around the east side of the island and turned into a small inlet. Here we found lots of people swimming and sunbathing. It was a Sunday afternoon, and we knew that the last ferry until Friday would be leaving soon. Once the tourists were gone, we hoped to have the whole island to ourselves.
We paddled up the inlet against the "tide". Eventually we had to drag the canoe as the water was too shallow. I recommend timing your trip to arrive here at high tide. The shallows ended at a broad lagoon. Beyond, the high sand dunes were visible. We paddled across to the far end of the lagoon. Then we got out to search for our campsite.
We had reserved campsite number 6, which was a random choice. We picked it mainly because it wasn't far from the takeout, as we knew it would be a chore to carry all of our gear to camp. We walked through a break in the dunes and got our first glimpse of the ocean. This was a dramatic way to see the surf. The waves were crashing on the pristine beach, and there was no sign of development.
We walked west along the beach about 100 yards to a campsite sign. We followed a path behind the dunes and down to our site. Luckily, it was a nice spot sheltered fairly well behind the dunes. From camp, the view encompassed high dunes and scrub vegetation. For a moment, I thought I was in Utah. Then the roar of the surf reminded me of where I was.
We returned to the boat to get our gear. This took several trips through soft sand, and was probably the most strenuous part of the whole trip. It was late afternoon when we finally had everything set up. Then we took a walk down to the bathhouse to get water. A new bathhouse is under construction, but a temporary facility provides toilets, cold outdoor showers, and drinking water. At the bathhouse we encountered an old fellow that apparently missed the last ferry back to the mainland. However, he didn't seem too concerned. In fact, he appeared to be more than content to sleep on the beach. Christy was pretty sure he was drunk. He asked us a lot of questions, but I was quite vague about our camping plans. We didn't want any extra company at camp that night.
We returned to camp and Christy made a warm pasta dinner. The sun dropped below the dunes, and I walked out to the beach to take some photos. It was amazing to watch the sun drop into the surf. I didn't stay long though. The wind was howling, and the sunny, warm day was a memory. The clear skies promised a chilly night.
I wasn't disappointed. In fact, I got a chill that I couldn't get rid of. I was colder that evening that I've been on many winter backpacking trips in subfreezing temperatures. I put on all the warm clothes I'd brought, thankful that I didn't leave the fleece behind. Finally, a warm cider drink began to thaw me.
After dark, Christy I and went for a moonlit walk on the beach. The moon was full and provided enough light that headlamps weren't necessary. We walked all the way to Bogue Inlet, but didn't see any sea turtles. Female sea turtles come ashore in the summer during full moons to lay eggs. I guess we were there a little early. Actually, that was probably just as well. The park doesn't allow camping during full moon periods in the summer to protect the turtles.
We returned to camp and slept great to the sound of the crashing surf.
SAND
We got up on Monday without a bit of inspiration. Originally I had planned to paddle to Huggins Island, but we were feeling lazy. Instead, we decided to spend the day enjoying the beach. After a breakfast of pancakes and bacon, we vigorously lounged about camp. Eventually I got inspired though, and went for a run on the beach. I ran all the way to Bear Inlet at the far western end of the island. This area was even more remote and pristine than our end. I saw exactly one fishing boat down there. From Bear Inlet, the next island over looked intriguing. It is heavily forested and totally devoid of development. When I returned, I checked it out on the map. It's part of Camp Lejune, and is off-limits. Oh well, at least it's pleasant to look at from a distance.
Christy got back from her run, and we gathered lunch and towels for a picnic. The beach was still windy and a bit cold, so we decided to head for the inlet. We had seen people swimming there on Sunday, so we hoped that the water would be warmer. It was warmer, but it was still too cold to swim. The wind was persistent, and it was just too chilly to lie in the sun. After lunch I waded the inlet and explored the dune area beyond. There are a couple of campsites here, and one was occupied. While on the island we did see a few other campers. However, the campsites were so isolated, that for the most part we had the feeling of having the island to ourselves.
The part of the island away from the ocean is a different world. It reminded me of the desert, with sand and low, scrubby vegetation. There were a few thickets of hardy trees as well, though nothing that you could really call a forest. Deer live on the island, but I didn't find any sign of fresh water.
Christy and I had enough wind and returned to camp. We were able to enjoy the sun better behind the dunes where it wasn't as windy. It was even possible to enjoy a couple of illegal cold beers. Later that evening though, we decided to brave the wind and spend some time on the beach. We bundled up and took our chairs out beyond the dunes. I had just relaxed with a book when I thought I saw something jumping in the water. We both watched the surf, but Christy saw the dolphins first. There were several jumping not far from us. It was quite a thrill to spot such graceful creatures.
Finally it was too cold to stay. We returned to camp and enjoyed a dinner of chicken creole. Warm drinks helped ward off the evening chill, and we were treated to another evening with a full moon and brilliant stars.
By Tuesday morning, we pretty much had sand in everything. The tent, the sleeping bags, our ears, the dog. We had to get up early, as we had a long day ahead of us. We had to pack up, haul everything to the canoe, paddle back to shore, and then race to the ferry to make it to Hatteras where we were camping that night. Breakfast went quickly, since we were out of stove fuel. Packing up wasn't as bad as expected, and we got on the water by a reasonable hour.
We paddled out through another warm, sunny morning. Once again we missed high tide though, and we got to drag the canoe a couple of times for our tardiness. We paddled back in an hour, and loaded the car for the drive up the coast.
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