March 10

Nothing like a little rain on the coast of North Carolina. Michael Jordon, the captain of the ferry from Harker’s Island to Cape Lookout lighthouse changed his mind and went to get rain gear before the first sailing. He and Ralph greeted five people onto their boat at 10 AM. Two of the people were going over to the Southern Core of Cape Lookout NS to man the general store (which is near the lighthouse). The other two, husband and wife, came equipped for the “long haul”. They had multiple large plastic bins, with 28 meals, clothing, and the like. They are volunteers for the park, planning to spend two weeks in the small hut (see photo in Daily Trip Report section) near the lighthouse. They will be opening the lighthouse museum tomorrow for the season. And just like in the old days, they are more than just the keepers of the lighthouse. They are the local fire department, law enforcement, sanitation engineers, cooks, and Guest Services, to name a few of the myriad hats they will wear for 14 days. Except for a few campers who are spread out along the 20+ mile island, they are the lone inhabitants at night. I took a walk down to their living quarters. Thanks to steady erosion over the decades, the foundation is a bit too close for comfort to the water. The lighthouse itself, has lost 300 or so feet of land buffer to Mother Nature. There are photos on placards near the lighthouse which show the change in beachfront property since the 1960s. I fear it will only get worse, for the entire planet, over the next 50 years.

The ferry dock on the island is broken. This forced Michael and Ralph to find a spot about 400 yards to the north. The first attempt was unsuccessful. After backing up and moving a few yards south, the boat was able to get close enough to shore without beaching. A couple who had been waiting for the ferry, walked up the gang plank, and the five of us walked off. This was during high tide. Therefore, the “path” along the shore to the dock was not all on dry ground. We had seen the couple soak their jeans as they tried to move down the shore to reach the ferry. I decided that once I was on dry ground I would head straight inland, to cross over to the Atlantic Ocean. I do not know how the other four fared, but after I was out of sight, I did hear some cussing and screams from the husband. There is a sand road which parallels the shoreline on the ocean side. A couple of vehicles were taking advantage of the low volume of traffic. Waves were crashing, birds were flying, and empty seashells were scattered across the sand. Walking far enough south I came to the wooden boardwalk which connects the lighthouse complex area to the ocean, so took that over to see the tallest structure on the island.

I am not an expert on jellyfish so I do not know why there were multiple Cannonball Jellyfish (see Daily Report) washed up on the Barden Inlet side of the island. I have read this is the most common jellyfish in North Carolina. I could see this species lacks tentacles, instead having appendages which look like stubby fingers. A couple of turtle shells were also along the shore. Along with the broken dock (I was told there is no timetable to fix it), the continued spitting of rain and the heavily overcast skies made for a less than splendid day. But it was fun to walk on the beach, pocket some shells (empty of course), talk to some locals about the park and its history, and walk around the lighthouse complex.

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March 11

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March 9