CUMBERLAND ISLAND

We had been told by several friends that Cumberland Island was a must-see in Georgia. It turned out to be true. We are so glad we went! It was peaceful with a little anxiety mixed in. When all was said and done, it was a wonderful get-away for our family. I have a lot of pictures, so browse through as you please. This is the most remote camping we've done as a family. We had miles and miles of beautiful beach all to ourselves, a jungle-woods mostly to ourselves (only one other campsite occupied!!!- this is only counting humans!), and no car, so we packed everything we would need for 3 days on an island. Stuff was one challenge, and wildlife was plentiful, so that's where the anxiety part came in to play. Now that it's over, we realize we were never in danger, but when it's that quiet and there's that many places to hide, the imagination runs wild and free.

First of all, our pictures of getting there: packing was critical; dolphins in the wake of the ferry boat; signs of promised journeys; an interactive museum of the island, which we visited while awaiting the ferry; our loads of stuff, all carried by 2 adults; finally, our arrival, and settling in.













We spent much of our time enjoying the beach. For as far as we could see in either direction (for miles) there was no one but us and the sea, but for an occasional daily passerby. For the first time, all three kids loved both the sand and the water. This made our time there so enjoyable! It was not too hot, but definitely warm enough to swim.








































































One main source our entertainment was all the remains of sealife that we collected: shells and crabs and starfish and sand dollars and large rays and shells and shells and shells.





























































As I explained to the girls, one of the great things about camping is reminding ourselves of how little we actually need to be happy. Playing with what we have outside is a great lesson for all of us.































































The ferry rides to and from the island were also very entertaining for the kids. We watched and watched for sealife. Dolphins graced us with their beauty on the way there, and I thought I saw a manatee under the surface of the water on the way back, but what was that I was saying about imagination? hmmm.



















































Some of the wildlife we did see: armadillos, who were not shy, numerous birds, raccoons and possums who scavenged our site at night, one snake, a tiny tree frog in the shower, wild horses, dolphins (have I mentioned them yet?). Some of the wildlife we knew were there, but did not see: otters, sea turtles, manatees, alligators, venomous snakes, bobcats, coyotes, deer.

































We had a rough night on the second night, but early in the morning, Mark managed to be his chipper self, and promptly rallied the troups to run off into the sunrise. It was a beautiful way to say goodbye to the island we had discovered.