Horsing Around

Beaufort  

In a process that has become far too routine, I took Barry to the train station this morning. Once more, he'll bring the Escape back so we have transportation while here in Beaufort. I returned the courtesy car shortly after 9:00, made a final stop at Crossroads, then walked into town to catch the 10:00 ferry to Shackleford Banks.The finger pier leading to the oversized pontoon boat was lined with seagulls. A 20 minute ride took us out into Beaufort Inlet before we turned north into the sound, and headed to the western end of Shackleford Banks. Waves piled up in the shallows, but our ride was smooth. Our captain beached the boat and lowered a boarding ramp onto the dry sand. Our group was the first of the day and was an interesting mix of serious shellers with wagons and oversized strainers on long poles, a few families with small kids excited to see the horses, and tourists who probably did not realize what they were getting into. We exited onto a beach covered with driftwood and shells. Most of the group went off to find the horses. I chose to take the road less traveled, and walked around the tip of the island to the Atlantic shore. I could have picked up a backpack full of shells, but only brought two back with me. The biggest accomplishment was being able to video chat with my Mom and show her all the shells. The quantity of shells diminished and I climbed the wind-swept dunes to the trees of the interior island. 

Shackleford Banks is nine miles long and is the southernmost barrier island in the Cape Lookout National Seashore. It is known as one of the best shelling beaches in North Carolina, but is most famous for the free-roaming Banker horses that roam the uninhabited island. Technically the horses are not wild, because their ancestors were domesticated, but feral. The horses are descendants of Spanish mustangs that survived a shipwreck in the 16th Century. I climbed to the ridgeline and used my expert tracking skills and was vewy, vewy quiet as I followed fresh evidence of the elusive equines. I located the horses' watering hole and took a seat on the highest point to look, listen, and wait. I figured that horses were much like the proverbial butterfly: if you chase them they will elude you, but if you sit quietly and wait they will come to you. It was a sunny afternoon and I was able to shed both my sweatshirt and jacket.

The sounds of songbirds and surf filled the air. It didn't take long to hear whinnying. A short time later a beautiful stallion passed before me. He gave me a brief inquisitive look, but continued to graze on the scrub vegetation. I was able to circle him at a distance and get a few decent pictures with my phone. Mainly I just sat and observed. He whinnied again. New sounds of splashing wafted over the hill. 

A mare emerged from the vegetation surrounding the watering hole. The Bankers are considered to be a smaller breed of horse, averaging 13-14 hands. The mare was smaller than the stallion and her legs were covered in mud up to her hocks from walking in the water. The Shackleford horse population is managed to hold close to 120. This herd along with the one in Corolla are the last remaining "free roam" herds. In the 1920s, there were more than 5,000 horses. Today, that number is closer to 400. At 1:00 I bid them farewell and started working my way back to the pickup point. I enjoyed every moment of my time watching these magnificent animals. 

The tide had ebbed revealing broad sand flats. A lone clump of sea grass occupied a tiny spot in a vast open space. I was surprised to see cactus along the trails, not noticing the spiny succulent until part of it hitched a ride at ankle height on my jeans. The sun-bleached remains of a fallen tree formed a bridge between the dunes and tidal flats. Our boat arrived and we loaded after the next group of arrivals disembarked. Cloud cover was thickening and I relayered for the walk back to the marina. Almost exactly as I got onboard, Barry texted me that he had arrived in Richmond. I told him that if we get a nice sunny day, we both need to make this trip. If we do, I'll bring my "real" camera.