I was supposed to head home on Thursday but the Marine Mammals field research class was going to Horn Island. New friends and filmmakers Chandler Griffin and Alison Fast (who taught our filmmaking workshop two weeks ago) were going on the trip and I decided to go along with them because when might I ever get to do this again given the current state of things?
I had to cancel an appointment later that day to go out on the boat, but hopefully Mary Margaret will forgive me! Especially when I treat her to lunch soon :)
We set out around 8 a.m. made our way across the Mississippi Sound waters.
The experience was naturally poignant and bittersweet because you end up asking yourself, How much longer will they be able to go out on the water?
The boats are so colorful.
As you can see above, the boat's cabin had an A/C window unit. At first we thought it was pretty funny but by the end of the day were thankful it was there!!
The Marine Mammals class boats out and follows the dolphins around for a little while. It didn't take us long to spot one!
You can't help but think about how Walter Anderson made the trek to Horn Island and other points in the Sound. This was no 5 minute jaunt! If you look at a map of the coast, the Barrier Islands don't look very far from the mainland. We got out there in about an hour, give or take, and this was a big boat with a motor. I can't imagine rowing in the small boat of his...
I really can't imagine how incredibly difficult that must have been. Below is an image from the Walter Anderson Museum of Art website that mapped out his route to the Islands.
Below is our first sight of Horn Island. We drove around a little longer to watch the dolphins. You might also be able to see in the distance that there are quite a few boaters still out and about.
Chandler and Alison grabbing more footage.
The guy in dreads below is from Jackson and is a Teaching Assistant at GCRL. His family owns The Trace Grill in Ridgeland. Small world!
The boat stopped and a motor was secured on a small raft to take us over to the Island. As you can see, there is no shade to be had - I immediately thought Uh oh. I'm gonna be burnt like crispy bacon before the day is done!
We got to the Island and began our walk across. There was no hiding from the sun - it was about 9:30 a.m. or so and already dangerously hot. We all took full water bottles with us. Everyone from Sea Camp counselors the day before to field research professors stressed keeping hydrated by drinking water constantly. (I don't know about anyone else, but I used the bathroom only twice that day. Once in the morning and the other time later that night. Every other drop of moisture was sweated out of me over the day.)
I wore a thin shirt over my camisole and ended up wearing that over my head and shoulders and it felt like I channeled Lawrence of Arabia. I could totally envision people passing out in the desert!
The island was absolutely beautiful. The trees were still stripped from Hurricane Katrina but vegetation was slowly growing back and there were lots of animal tracks through the sand. One of the professors told me the tracks I asked about were Nutria but now I'm sort of wondering if it wasn't an alligator. Could have been...also there were rabbit and bird tracks in the sand, too.
The Parks service put red flags up to let us know where to walk, so folks wouldn't track all over the budding vegetation. Perched high in the trees were Osprey nests that were really huge.
This one circled around a few times before landing.
We walked past a lush, green freshwater marsh. Someone mentioned earlier to watch out for copperheads! Yipe!
We made it to the other side of the island where I stopped and took it all in. The students went swimming in the Gulf, played frisbee in the water - and I was wondering why I hadn't worn my bathing suit!
Above is one of the GCRL professors. He was really nice and told us a lot about the vegetation we walked through and other interesting facts. Obviously, there is quite a glare on the white sand (below)!
The water was cool and felt so good.
I walked right in a little ways knowing it wouldn't take long for my pants to dry (there is still sand in the cuffs of my pants legs). It was so pretty there. I kept remembering what I've read about how harsh the climate is and wondering how Walter Anderson did it all those years, spending weeks out there exploring.
Students enjoying the cool water - they spotted a dolphin swimming past nearby.
Alison and Chandler did an interview with the professor in the surf and got more B-roll. I shot a little bit of footage and did a preliminary interview with William (the guy in dreads).
The professor showed us the little multi-colored mussels that live in the sand. You can scoop them up with your hand and toss them back on the sand. As the waves lap up, they begin digging themselves back underneath the sand again. It was fun to watch. We saw several crabs scuttling sideways underneath the shallow water and the professor also dug up a few crablike animals that live underneath the sand.
It was here on the shores of Horn Island that the state of the oil spill, the lives we lead all really hit home for me. As angry as we get, it's still easy to be fairly disconnected from the reality of what is going on because all we do is look at a map. As we discovered and watched the animals, small and large, that make their homes beneath the sand and in the water, the brutal reality made me upset. It was a thrilling experience but one with marked sadness as well. Those animals are home and have no place to go and many of the fish live only in the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf, not migrating anywhere else.
Watching the shrimping boats, the private boaters, going out with the field research students and scientists was deeply moving as we all sit and wait to see how long it will be until the oil reaches Mississippi's shores; and what exactly will happen when it does; and how long that impact will affect the ecosystem, the aquaculture and our culture. Already tar balls are washing up on Horn Island and bringing with it dead crabs and fish. A coke can on the beach was covered with a thick, smelly black oil that looks a lot like asphalt. There's so much more I want to say but will leave it at that for now.
After a couple of hours, we headed back to the other side of the island, got in the raft and went back to the boat. There were several dolphins (with a baby) that we followed around - or rather, I think they followed us! As the boat gathered speed, the dolphins jumped over the waves the boat made - you could see smiles on their faces. It was beautiful!
If I can get some video footage of it that Chandler caught, I'll post it here.
Not too long thereafter, I spotted a dolphin-shaped cloud!!
As I headed back to Jackson, I passed the largest rocking chair in the world in Gulfport and had to get a shot of it! You've probably seen Ginger talk about it on Deep Fried Kudzu. It was BIG!
The island was absolutely beautiful. The trees were still stripped from Hurricane Katrina but vegetation was slowly growing back and there were lots of animal tracks through the sand. One of the professors told me the tracks I asked about were Nutria but now I'm sort of wondering if it wasn't an alligator. Could have been...also there were rabbit and bird tracks in the sand, too.
Here's a view of our boat after walking a little ways from the shore. It was a lovely silence on the island with waves lapping the shore and birds chattering.
Watching the shrimping boats, the private boaters, going out with the field research students and scientists was deeply moving as we all sit and wait to see how long it will be until the oil reaches Mississippi's shores; and what exactly will happen when it does; and how long that impact will affect the ecosystem, the aquaculture and our culture. Already tar balls are washing up on Horn Island and bringing with it dead crabs and fish. A coke can on the beach was covered with a thick, smelly black oil that looks a lot like asphalt. There's so much more I want to say but will leave it at that for now.
After a couple of hours, we headed back to the other side of the island, got in the raft and went back to the boat. There were several dolphins (with a baby) that we followed around - or rather, I think they followed us! As the boat gathered speed, the dolphins jumped over the waves the boat made - you could see smiles on their faces. It was beautiful!
If I can get some video footage of it that Chandler caught, I'll post it here.
Not too long thereafter, I spotted a dolphin-shaped cloud!!
Vietnamese shrimping boat "Thanh Hai"
A view of a student's notebook.
As I headed back to Jackson, I passed the largest rocking chair in the world in Gulfport and had to get a shot of it! You've probably seen Ginger talk about it on Deep Fried Kudzu. It was BIG!
I arrived home to a happy husband, smelling of SPF 50 sunblock and the outdoors, with a sunburn and the wish that I could have stayed on the Coast. What a gorgeous, magical place.
It was one of those experiences that was both exhausting and exhilarating. I will never forget it.
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