Ask a cruiser about their favorite stops along the southern migration route, and no doubt you’ll hear Cumberland Island among them. We heard mention of the island often enough in conversation that we had to come see for ourselves. Cumberland Island lies just north of the Georgia/Florida border at St. Mary’s Inlet and belongs to the National Park Service (it’s designated as a National Seashore), although some private residences remain.
The island is a stunning example of a maritime forest with sharp saw palmetto undergrowth and graceful, arching live oaks draped in Spanish moss. A tangle of wild grapevine completes the scene. As I walk the dusty paths, I don’t know if I feel more like I’m in Jurassic Park or Lord of the Rings – honestly it’s a bit of both. The island ecosystem is rounded out by vast marshland, majestic dunes and 17 miles of uninterrupted beaches.
We arrived in the late afternoon, when the island was bathed in stunning golden light. We didn’t get to go ashore to explore, (after a rough passage, we found the forward stateroom completely soaked) but we did enjoy our beautiful surroundings from the cockpit. The next morning, a pair of horses grazed their way down the beach right off our stern.
On our first morning walk, white-tailed deer galloped across the road (such as it is), which we had to watch carefully – both for snakes (which we didn’t see) and manure piles (which we saw in spades). In our limited time, we decided to walk to the Dungeness ruins. Even in ruins, the building is stunning, and I can only imagine how magnificent it must have been in its heyday.
First built in 1884, the Dungeness Mansion was intended as a winter home for Thomas Carnegie (younger brother and business partner of Andrew Carnegie), his wife Lucy, and their 9 children…. The mansion caught fire in 1959 and only the brick and stone walls remain.
https://www.nps.gov/cuis/planyourvisit/on-island.htm
We took a lunchtime walk and this time found ourselves wandering past the old outbuildings (including the kitchen, which seems to be surprisingly far from the main house!) down towards the beach. Just before the dunes began, we found four of the island’s wild horses grazing in a field, so we turned back to visit the cemetery instead. The Greene-Miller cemetery is named for Catharine Greene-Miller, the widow of General Nathanael Greene (and owner of the original Dungeness mansion) and is situated with a stunning view out over some of Cumberland’s vast marshland where egrets took wing and horses grazed in the distance.
We were lucky to be there at odd times most of the week, and it felt like we’ve had the island to ourselves… which is mostly true. We’ve gone ashore before the tour boat arrives for the day, so the only other people there are the rangers, island residents and campers, and I think the absence of people has lent to the island’s enchantment.
Weather wasn’t great, and we didn’t get ashore as much as we would have liked, but we did take Saturday to explore the island. My big goal for the day? Spot one of the armadillos we’d heard so much about – mission accomplished! (“Armadillos” substitutes disturbingly well into Falco’s “Amadeus”… “Armadillos, armadillos… armadillos” – you’re welcome for that little earworm.)
We walked a ~4 mile loop around the island’s southern end, starting at the Dungeness dock, walking out past the ruins, through the salt marsh, over the dunes, along the beach, back across the island at the Sea Camp, and down the river trail back to the Dungeness dock. The dunes were amazing and reminded me of the Cape Cod National Seashore back home. I could have spent hours photographing the ridges and waves cut into the sand by the wind – no matter how often I spend time on a beach like that, I never get over my fascination. It always feels like coming home.
I’m reading Cumberland Island: Strong Women, Wild Horses (Lori passed it along to me), and it’s such an interesting read. Cumberland has quite the storied history, and it’s crazy to contrast that with the state it’s in today. I enjoyed learning about the island’s history as I sat at anchor, and it was cool to know a little bit about the island as we explored. Next time someone asks for my favorite places along the coast, you can bet Cumberland will be near the top of the list.
