A Closer Look at Cumberland Island

Georgia Conservancy volunteer Leslie Sage recounts her experience on the Cumberland Island Service trip over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. Special thanks go out to all of our hard working volunteers and volunteer leaders; our sponsors, REI and Columbia Sportswear; and our partners, the National Parks Service, Keeping it Wild, Atlanta Community ToolBank and Hartfield’s Hikers.

I’m new to Georgia and could not have picked a better first adventure with the Georgia Conservancy than the recent service trip to Cumberland Island in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They hosted the trip of a lifetime, and I am very thankful to the Conservancy and its partner.

We left Atlanta on a cold, dark Friday morning bound for Georgia’s largest barrier island. A few hours later – and after some naps in the 15-person vans – 60 of us boarded a ferry headed to one of the most uniquely protected and biodiverse places in America. We had trail maintenance and beach cleaning ahead of us, but our trip began with sightings of dolphins at sunset, views of wild horses on the white-sand beach, walks through ancient live oak forests to the magnificent ruins of a once-spectacular mansion, and what we’d all been waiting for, Bryan’s famous vegetarian chili.

On the trip were a few kids under 10 and folks over 70. Some chose to stay in heated dorms, while others opted for a tent and a campfire. There were seasoned hikers and first-time campers. Some came alone and some knew many faces already. It was a real privilege to eat, laugh and wash dishes alongside an incredibly diverse spectrum of my new neighbors.

The coffee was brewing before most of us were awake on Saturday, and a wonderful breakfast of grits, bagels, fruit, yogurt, toast, cereal and juice was soon to follow. We packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, and after everything was washed up our group split up for our various service assignments. Some hiked up the island to clear vegetation that encroached on the trails and others, including myself, did the same on nearby paths. The Windex Wizards did a superlative job of deep-cleaning a museum on the island plus some other buildings belonging to the National Parks Service. All of us took a great deal of pride in our service work and look forward to opportunities to volunteer in the future. We certainly earned our dinner on Saturday.

I arrived back at base camp to find fresh clams roasting over an open pit while dinner was being prepared. I’d never had a roasted clam and those of us unfamiliar with the treat laughed as we dared each other to try one. They were delicious. I then had another first – a low country boil – where I soon learned that the best way to eat the spicy potatoes and shrimp was to jump in for finger-food. No forks required.

Afterward, my adventurous roommate insisted on a hike to see the stars. If you’ve never seen the sky on a clear night, far from the lights of any city,  it is a breathtaking sight to behold. Bundled up against the wintry breeze, we admired the perfect view before a well-deserved sleep. Before sunrise the next morning, as a few of us made a return trip to the beach, we saw the elusive piebald deer, a stark white figure against the dawn light. No cameras were out; no crowds exclaimed. It was just a magical, fleeting moment for a city person like me.

On Sunday we loaded up on the ferry and departed Cumberland Island with new friends, new experiences and memories of a lifetime. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to far-off places, but I have never seen such a stunning diversity of wildlife nor been on a trip with such a deep sense of community. The day ended watching the sunset over the forests on the open road. We hugged our new friends and exchanged addresses to join up again for our next adventure with the Georgia Conservancy.

Click here to see the photos from our 2012 Cumberland Island Service Weekend.