SUN, SEA and SURF ... R.V. Fun and Travel with Steph: Cumberland Island, GA (New Review 3/19)

Cumberland Island, National Seashore, GA

Review:
Where do I start? This was probably one of the greatest adventures of my adult life. Cumberland island is over 9800 acres of wilderness and approximately 17 miles long. The island is accessible by ferry only and has limited access times for tourists. There are only a few scheduled times for the ferry to drop off and pick up. If you miss the last one, you would be staying the night. The island has ruins from former residents, wild horses, beaches, marshlands, primitive camping and a hotel. We did not see the camping area or hotel as we wanted to hike the Southern portion of the island. Be prepared in advance for a trip to the island. There are no shops, dining opportunities or even trash cans (at least where we were). If you bring it to the island, you must take it off.

We purchased our ferry ticket at the station in St. Mary's. This is an adorable water town with cute shops and an "artsy" feel. The day was completely overcast and cool. It was supposed to storm most of the day, so Art and I bought rock shoes to allow for wet feet while hiking. We packed our lunch and brought plenty of water and Gatorade. We each had our backpacks, sunscreen and our phones. Remember to bring everything you might need to the island. The ferry was fairly full with Boy Scout Troups heading out for primitive camping. There are a limited number of people permitted to the island daily, so we wanted to make sure we were on the first ferry of the day.

Art and I exited on the first stop and began our day of hiking. We had a map and our supplies. Judging from the map, we could hike past ruins and circle down the tip of the island on one coastline and circle back up on the other shoreline. We planned to make it back for the first ferry pick up. The second and last one would be too late in the day. Looked like a great plan or so we thought.

We started out walking through gorgeous old estate ruins with grazing wild horses, made our way to the Eastern Shoreline of the island with white sands and total isolation. We then went South. We hiked the entire tip and made our way into the grassy wetlands of the South Western tip of the island taking our time exploring and snapping pictures. We saw more horses, millions of Fiddler Crabs, snakes and more exotic birds than we could name. We made our way over the marsh and onto the Western shorelines heading North. We hiked for hours, making good time and enjoying the sites.

What we did not realize was that there was NOT a passage back to the starting point. We had hiked with the purpose of making a large circle, ending where we started. This was impossible as the shore and inland quickly gave way to marsh for what appeared to be miles. We had spent the entire day hiking into a dead end. We had no choice but to try to back track or find a new way to reach the ferry. We had strategically planned our time to hike the island and be back for the 1st ferry pick up. Now that we were trapped, we had missed the 1st pick up and were possibly going to miss the last one too. There was a good chance we would be sleeping on Cumberland Island!

Art and I started rationing our food and water as we began the long hike back. It is amazing how a casual hike can suddenly turn almost scary as we realized that we were seriously lost in the middle of nowhere. It would take too long for us to hike the same route back, as we would surely miss the last ferry. We had no choice by to cut through the middle of the island to try and save time. During these hours we did not see another person or have cell signal. Luckily the compass still worked on my phone. We continued to see numerous snakes, birds and even startled a wild pig along an isolated trail. Good thing we scared her first!

Eventually we made our way back to the Eastern Beach and some trails we recognized. We made it for the last ferry with 20 minutes to spare. Art and I hiked over 11 miles (per my phone) and honestly had the most exciting adventure ever. While it was scary at times, it made for a great story and reason to go back to the island. We have a lot more of the island that needs exploring!!!