Barrier Island Edges: The Bay at St. George Island

Not a beach person?  How about the bay?
It seems Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park has it all.

Old pine, myrtle, oak, and cypress stumps

Being a barrier island, the landscape is constantly changing complements of mother nature.  The shoreline, dunes, and bays are altered with each storm and rough tide resulting in a shifting island.  So, there is always something new to see and experience.

Approaching the bay through the flat woods

Follow the East Slough Nature Trail from the camp ground through the flat woods and scrub to...

Smilax with berries along the trail
Yes, you can eat much of this plant

... to the east end of the bay for a swim.

Swimming in the bay.

The water here is clear so it is easy to see the bottom.  Bringing a snorkel and mask would afford hours of endless entertainment. On the other hand, simply wading the shallow waters of the bay gives you the opportunity to observe fish, crabs, and live shells.

Moon snail
navigating the bay floor!

Here you can truly experience the altering shape of the island where the tides eat away at the shoreline and storms wash over the dunes.  Erosion through the years has carved the landscape, here you see where pines and oaks once grew they now stand in the salt water.

Mighty oaks and pines fall victim to shifting sands

Amazing roots that once were covered with sand
How far inland was this tree when it started from seed?

As you skirt the island it is easy to remember it is shape shifting.  The forest and shrubs come to the edge of the water and where you may view numerous wild flowers amid the scrub. 

Christmas Berry

Seashore Mallow

Should you waded the bay and walk the shore line towards the west end of the island you eventually encounter the primitive campsites at Gap Point often used by boaters, canoeists, and kayakers.

Island Scrub
just inland from the bay

From here you can walk the Gap Point trail back to the campground or cross to the beach and complete a loop traversing flat woods, bay, scrub, forests, and beach.  

Beach Morning Glory

Barrier Island Edges: The Beaches of St. George Island

Nothing like a beach walk to remind
you of simplistic beauty

Most everyone enjoys a beach walk and at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park you have at least nine miles of beach with the Gulf of Mexico lapping the shores.

Bill ready for a long beach walk

Interesting drift wood in the surf

The beach is easy to access.  Simply walk to the beach from your campsite, maybe 1/4 mile, to catch the early morning sunrise.  

The sun rising over
the Gulf of Mexico

While strolling along the beach check the undisturbed sand for crabs, turtle nests, and other signs of life between high tides.

An undisturbed crab home

Did this crab run the wrong way?
It appeared to be a ghost crab....

Or park your car or bicycle at one of the four beach areas and follow the path through the dunes to the ocean.

A slightly windy day at the beach
Plenty of vegetation in the dune area

Of course, with nine miles of beach there have to be more than four entry points and the last is the best... From the last parking area you can enter the trail and bicycle or walk to the end.  

End of the island viewed from the
last parking lot

Now, driving this five mile, single track, rutted road is not for the timid.  I recommend bicycling the narrow road unless driving is your only option and then take a tough truck. The road is secured with a locked gate and you can obtain a permit from the ranger station before driving in this area.

Road to the end of the island

And what do you find after the 5 mile trip down this wash board, narrow, and sometimes flooded road?  Miles and miles of empty beach.

East end of the Island

Birds abound on these lightly populated beaches...

Birds enjoying the solitude at the
east end of the island

Oystercatcher in full flight

A protective Oystercatcher
must be a nest near by

The inlet complete with fishing holes, sloughs and a few fishers.  The day of our visit there were a few families and friends with poles.  Today's catch seemed to be shark, cat fish, and red fish.  

Fishing on the point

For nature lovers, hikers, beach walkers, fishers, swimmers, surfers, boaters, and nappers there is plenty to keep one busy on the island.  In fact, the entire day can slip away if you are not careful... and when on vacation you should not be relaxing anyway.  

Sunset at the end of the island

So, enjoy your day at the beach from sunrise to sunset.

Just don't burn...

Hiking around St. George Island

As mentioned in a past posting, there are many faces to  Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park.

An Oak still enchanting
amid a back drop of Pines

The trails through this barrier island are quite interesting and I found the 2.5 mile Gap Point trail to be particularly interesting with a wide variety of terrain and vegetation.

Trail through the pines that crosses the island
from the ocean to the bay

Fresh water marshes dot
the island and provide water for
the non-salt species

It made sense to start out early in the morning to avoid the head across the open sands.  Brilliant white sugar sand can become quite uncomfortable and bright by 1 PM.  Choosing an early start time is wise.  It also had an added benefit when I almost tripped over this Nighthawk on the side of the trail.  What was it doing? 

Almost stumbled over this Nighthawk
along the path in the early morning light

According to AllAboutBirds.com, "These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find (understatement), and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land."  And so, it sat still while I took a few pictures but had departed the comfortable resting place by the time of our return.  Can't say I blame it as the sand was getting quite warm on the return trip.

Marsh grasses and delicate flowers
could they be Lance-Leaved Loosestrife?

A splash of color in the scrub

As you cross over a dune you realize why turpentine harvesting and cattle raising were historic practices on St. George Island.  There is a large stand of pines from the dune line to the bay.

Hard to fathom how the pines and oaks
thrive on this sandy, salty barrier island

If you were raised in north Florida and spent any time in the woods you probably encountered a "Cat Face Tree" meaning a pine tree.  I find it amazing that the park on St. George Island has the oldest stand of slash pine found on any barrier island.  This is a true test of the resilience of pines.  

Between 1880 and 1930 pine sap
was harvested on the island

Anyway, the 'Cat Faced Trees' resulted from turpentine harvesting and most of the old pine trees in the park show evidence of harvesting for turpentine. Slashes were made on the trees, causing them to produce resin in an attempt to heal themselves. Containers called Herty cups were hung on the trees to collect the resin that was used to make turpentine. (https://www.floridastateparks.org/park-history/St-George-Island)

The scrub today
where storms replace loggers
as the biggest threat

I should note that the commercially developed section of the island is mostly devoid of trees. However, the east end of the island that houses the state park contains the beautiful stands of pine and oak.

A vibrant Oak

Barrier islands are exactly that a barrier or buffer for the mainland from tropical storms.  These islands often take the brunt of a storm, washed over, and changed radically.  St. George Island has been washed over many times by tropical storms which always impacts the landscape often with interesting changes.

Ferns abound in the low areas

Smilax berries!
A thorny vine that can conquer massive oaks.

In 2005, Hurricane Dennis destroyed most of the facilities and equipment in the park and impacted the vegetation.  One wonders about the many changes in the island.

Could this be a form of wild rosemary?

Oh to view the island through the ages... but then we just my be disappointed by the changes.  Perhaps it is best to simply enjoy the present.

Scrub clinging to the limited
fresh water it receives

The many faces of St. George Island State Park

Perhaps the magic experience was due to being away from the ocean for 4 weeks.  However, I doubt it. 

Mid-morning storm clouds threaten
but never deliver

It may have been the camping area is 5 miles from the park gate with virtually no civilization around.  

Miles and miles of sand dunes
ending at the water's edge

It could be that you are surrounded  by water on three sides and can hear the ocean from the campsite.  

Round the bend from the ocean
to find the bay

It may be the moon light that sparkled on the white sand and the mice that darted from the shrubs. 

Small mice that dart everywhere
This entertained the cats

It could be the remarkable sunrises and sunsets.  

Sunrise on the beach

Perhaps the trails that cross the island from ocean to bay passing through old pine and oak forests created the magic.

The island contains many pine forests
You can glimpse the bay between the two stands

Or maybe it was all my imagination... well, stay tuned for a few in-depth looks at Dr. Julian G. Bruce St. George Island State Park as I will provide a bit more detail.

Cockle nestled in the sea grass

Regardless St. George Island State Park is quite an experience.

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And maybe it wasn't my imagination...

Noted awards for the park

#3 best beach in America, 2013 and 2014

 #4 best beach in America, 2012

 #6 best beach in America,  2011 

2010 Outdoor Awards from Reserve America 

 #28 of the top 100 family campgrounds,

 #5 of 25 top bird watching spots

 #13 of the top 50 fishing spots

#11 of the top 25 best beaches 

Tate's Hell and the Dwarf Cypress Forest

Tate's Hell State Forest... even the name makes you wonder about such a place.  Well, these day's it is a Florida State Forest but with a name like Tate's Hell there has to be more.

A sea of dwarf cypress!
But only a small section of this forest

Legend is that Cebe Tate entered the swamp at Sumatra one day in search of a panther that was killing his cattle. He becomes disoriented, snake bitten, and wanders for days in the mosquito infested land. Eventually he emerges near Carrabelle, 25 miles east of Sumatra and when asked about his journey states "My name is old Tate, boys, I've just been through hell!"  Then he died. 

For me the Hell came in the form of
the Yellow Fly and Mosquito.
Neither let up the attack... they hitch-hiked home
with us... about 40 strong in the car!

Tate's story was immortalized in the song  "Ballad of Tate's Hell" by Will McLean.

Dwarf Cypress Forest
at Tate's Hell State Forest

A trip to view the forest was required considering we are Florida folk musicians, Florida park service volunteers, fans of Will McLean, and just naturally curious.  While spending time at St. George Island we found time to visit the Dwarf Cypress Forest in Tate's Hell.  

There is a clear cut area between
the two sides of the bowl.  A fire break?

This stand of dwarf cypress contains trees over 150 years old most are only 15 feet in height.  If you know anything about cypress you know they like wet feet so the area will be swampy and often buggy.  These cypress appear to live in a bowl surrounded by taller pines which tolerate damp feet but prefer sandy soil.  Logic says the cypress are in a bowl.

As you can see, the cypress
are in a bowl surrounded by pines

The cypress and 'bowl' is best experienced from the Ralph G. Kendrick Dwarf Cypress Boardwalk that takes you above the tree tops.  This means the boardwalk elevation is about 15 feet.  It was built to honor Ralph Kendrick a long time resident of Franklin County and forester.  I for one am thankful someone thought to honor 

All I can say is it is amazing.
Check the water levels, take plenty of bug spray
and go!