Thursday, October 16, 2003
"I am writing these lines from inside a lion and it is very dark in here." ~Shel Silverstein
Actually it is a tent and it is very dark in here. The head mounted flashlight helps, but please allow me a few typing and grammatical errors. ~Alicia Blair
Horn Island adventure began in darkness two hours before dawn when we woke up in our dorm rooms at the Gulf Coast Research Lab. Watching the sunrise from the deck of the “Mike Sekul” schooner was for me the beginning. Our group of 16 hearty souls stood in awe of the scene. We were finally realizing our dream of walking in Walter Anderson’s footsteps.
Teachers are a very flexible and organized group of people. We did not let the threat of wildfires on the western end of the island stop us. We decided to deal with it if and when the time came. Our bucket brigade would have been the envy of any fire department. Gallons, and I mean gallons of water, were passed from pier to boat to hold and back again. Of course so were the bags of the food and tents.
It was exhausting work. and then we had to walk it across the mile wide island to the south side. Along the trail, I saw tents and bags left on the side of the trail. The carrier had to lighten the load. This reminded several of us of the pioneers crossing the plains, discarding unnecessary items as they moved west. That made me feel glad I had traveled light.
Some pitched tents as soon as possible. Other continued to move bags and bottles. A few started down the beach. I think we all took a nap before long. By late afternoon, we were all walking the beach, swimming, writing, drawing, and enjoying the moment. While walking down the beach, one teacher commented that our tents reminded her of a prairie dog town. Each tent randomly placed over a large area. I had to agree.
Connie, Malin and Kathleen brought dinner. It was planned as our only cooked meal. It was a wonderfully delicious Chicken Tortilla soup minus the tortillas. We all collected drift wood to fed the fire. Tomorrow it will be a dinner of unlabeled cans. It seems WIA would bring a bunch of canned food with him and the labels would invariably come off so he never knew what he was opening until he opened it. In his honor, we will do the same.
All the other meals are on our own. Trail Mix rules. My students and I made beef jerky and dried apples for me to bring. I have tried both and they are good. Of course that means I am drinking lots of water. I brought a coffeepot. My friends and family all understand this and will not be surprised. It was fun to perk a pot of coffee over the fire. Thanks to my team of 6th grade teachers at North Bay, I have a blue (but now very black) camping coffeepot.
My creative inventory consists of 40 digital photos, one long journal entry, one bad sketch of a pine tree with an osprey nest on it and one poem. Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive.
Friday sunrise
It was a long night. When asked, “How did you sleep?” I was honest, “Not well!” The ground was so hard, I regretted traveling so light. I was ready to call friends and ask for an airlift to fly over and drop an air mattress. Bugs were never a problem and there was a wonderful breeze that keep me cool. Though the tent is small – 6x5x3’, it was comfortable.
Once during the night I woke up and the moon was directly overhead. The sand was so white is glowed. The sky was clear, the stars were bright, I thought I could read. Instead I just took it all in, I have never seen the earth look this way before. I know I could not draw or paint it because the magic was in the colors.
I dawn finally came, I was up ready to stoke the fire and make coffee. It seems I was not the only coffee drinker. With help from Dick and Art, the fire started and I pout the coffee on. Otherwise I ate a cold breakfast of Nutrigrain bars and cashews.
ohn and Linda offered to take us on a hike into the interior of the island; a place most people do not visit. Of course, we all went. It was a slow pace which allowed us the opportunity to sit and write or sketch along the way. We saw numerous animal tracks, osprey nests, a even a few flocks of birds almost dancing in the sky over the island.
t the end, John found a place for us to rest and he shared from a yet unpublished book of his father’s writings on pelicans. He read the introduction written by Mary, then Linda read the writings of Walter Anderson. Thus inspired, we went our separate ways.
I went with one group to the north side of the island where I tried to upload Thursday’s logs and photos. No luck! I returned to the south side and went swimming. The water was a little too cool for me but it was sooooo refreshing. Friday was the only day I felt uncomfortable from the heat. I kept an eye out for sharks, and I did not see any! I did have to dance around a group of three rays that kept darting in and out of the surf. They were more interested in each other than in me. I was wary of them.
Q. If you do not have a watch, how will you tell time?
A. Shane, I will tell time by looking at sunrise and sunset, otherwise, I do not need to know the time. I will go to sleep when I am tired and eat when I am hungry.
Q. How come you can’t see the moon?
A. Brandy, I did! It was almost full and so bright I could read by it. The sandy beach reflected the light.
Q. Did you see the North Star?
A. Yes, Micah I did, I also saw the Milky Way because the sky was so clear.
Q. How do you feel about being alone?
Q. Laura, I have enjoyed the people I am with, but I can walk away anytime I want and not offend them. They also want to be alone. It is a calm feeling. I am alone with my thoughts and that is kind of nice.
Q. Is the beach clean?
A. No Karissa, the island is, but the beach has lots of debris washed up by the waves and tide.
Q. Are there any bathrooms?
A. No Shan, there are not. I have a little shovel to dig a hole in the sand after I find a private place. Then I cover up. It is important to do this at least 200 feet from the water. That way I do not contaminate it.
Q. What kind of bugs lives there?
A. Jeffery, there were flies, mosquitoes and gnats. Pollard, they did not bother me but several people used bug spray.
Q. What kind of animals did you see?
A. Wow, lots of you asked this question. Tim and DJ, there are no deer. Ka”darrius, we did see tracks. Some were alligator, some were armadillo, but most were Ghost Crabs. Christian, there are snakes, but we did not see any. We found one snake shed though. I did see several alligators, Kevin, one in fresh water and one in salt water.
Q. Is the water clear? Are there any sharks?
A. Brian, the saltwater was clear near shore. I did not see any sharks, Darnel, but I did see lots of dolphin and three Rays.
Q. What will you eat?
A. Tyrone and Marisa, I brought the dehydrated apples and beef jerky that we made. Then I brought a bag of cashew nuts, grain bars, Slim Fast with coffee in it and of course, coffee. The first night, we had a big pot of soup.
Q. Are the people like us? Are there any tourists?
A. There were no tourists Thursday and Friday Julia. On Saturday we saw boaters and three people in kayaks.
Q. How do people take care of the plants?
A. No one does. There are Park Rangers there, but only Mother Nature cares for the plants and trees.
Q. What was the most colorful and interesting plant that you found on Horn Island?
A. All the flowers were yellow! But the most interesting thing I found was a pile of bones surrounding a Ghost Crab hole. I took a photo and then took a vertebrate and a leg (?) bone. You will get to see it Tuesday.