BY KAREN MILLER, (published Jan, 2020, reprinted with permission by the Amelia Islander Magazine)

I’ve visited Cumberland Island so many times I feel I could hike the backcountry blindfolded. But my husband, Troy had only taken a day trip there, and was eager to explore the trails with me on a 4-day backpacking trip. So I booked us a campsite, purchased our ferry tickets online, and off we went. St. Marys is the gateway to Cumberland Island, Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier island. Here pristine maritime forests, undeveloped beaches and wide marshes whisper the stories of both man and nature. Natives, missionaries, enslaved African Americans and wealthy industrialists all walked here. The island is also home to over 9,800 acres of Congressionally-designated wilderness, and one of my favorite places to unplug and take in the beauty of this magical place.

Proving that Murphy’s Law is a real thing, the weather forecast was not working in our favor, calling for 4-days of cold and rain. So we packed extra clothes and rain gear, and set out on our adventure. We arrived at the Seacamp Dock about 10 a.m., grabbed our gear, and hiked 8-miles to the center of the island, to a primitive campsite called Yankee Paradise. This is my favorite place to camp because we can set up a home base, and then hike to various parts of the island throughout the long weekend.

It was tough crawling out of our warm sleeping bags each morning, but once we set out on the trails, we were in our element. Our first stop was Plum Orchard, an 1898 Georgian Revival mansion building by Lucy Carnegie for her son, George and his wife, Margaret Thaw. This mansion was donated to the National Park Foundation by the Carnegie family in 1971. Troy and I took a private tour of the mansion that included an indoor pool and a squash court – very impressive stuff, having been built in 1898!

Our second day of hiking took us to the beach, where we walked for many miles, searching for shells and taking photos. The rain and wind was bone-chilling cold, and after a few hours we were eager to get back to our tent where we feasted on ramen noodles and chai tea. On our third day, we hiked to the north end of the island to see the First African Baptist Church. This humble, one room church was established in 1893 by African American residents of the island and their families. Some of the founders were born into slavery and emancipated following the American Civil War. The church served as a free place of worship and community center for the north end community known as the Settlement.

On our last day, we broke camp and hiked south, down to the ranger station where we were able to get out of the rain for a little while, and then miraculously, the sun came out! We hiked over to the ruins of a mansion that was once called Dungeness. First built in 1884, the Dungeness mansion was intended as a winter home for Thomas Carnegie, his wife Lucy, and their nine children. The mansion caught fire in 1959 and only the brick and stone walls remain. Though the mansion is in ruins, it still remains one of the most picturesque and visited spots on the island. 

There’s a little bit of everything on Cumberland: pristine beaches, maritime forest, salt water marshes and more, all rich in history and constantly in flux as the island moves in response to tides, currents, and storms. For more information visit www.nps.gov/cuis.

Visit Amelia Islander Magazine for more Backyard Adventures and other articles about life and events on the island.