Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Ponies of Shackleford Banks

In the past year, we tried to travel to Shackleford Island on two occasions. But since it's accessible only by boat, conditions have to be right. And in the past, the imminent threat of rain canceled our plans. With only a 30% chance on this day, we took a risk and traveled Downeast.

To my knowledge, one can catch a ferry to Shackleford and nearby Cape Lookout from Beaufort, NC, and Harkers Island. We tried Beaufort first. The operator I checked with had two options: a trip to Shackleford, where we would have been dropped off and picked up when we wanted, or a trip to Cape Lookout Lighthouse. I wanted both.

Since reservations were required for the Lookout trip, we headed to Harkers Island, to the Local Yokel ferry service. Funny name, good service. While they also offered a trip to Cape Lookout, they travel on the sound side of Shackleford Banks. When I told them I wanted to see the horses, they said no problem.

Cape Lookout National Seashore and Shackleford Banks form a check-mark at the bottom of the string of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. After paying the $15 per person (read the rest of this post before you dismiss that as being too costly for such an outing), we climbed aboard the ferry and began our journey across the Core Sound.

And what a journey it was. We flew across the sapphire water, skirting shoals that gave this area the nickname, Graveyard of the Atlantic. True to the ferry operator's word, we saw some of the Shackleford ponies on the way to our destination. We'll get to those in a minute.

CAPE LOOKOUT

According to Lighthouses of the Carolinas, the present Cape Lookout Lighthouse was built in 1859, and the original keepers had to lug heavy containers of oil 163 feet up to keep the light burning.
Today, a 1st-order Fresnel lens guide mariners around the shoals, and the lighthouse keepers have been replaced by volunteers who donate their time greeting guests and manning the Visitors Center. We met two such volunteers, Mack and Alice, from Salem, Virginia, and spent a fair amount of time chatting with them about the lighthouse and the volunteers' role at Cape Lookout. I applaud them, and the rest of the park's volunteers for braving the elements to keep this treasured landmark running.

Mack and Alice at Cape Lookout's Visitors Center

We spent a couple hours exploring the area around the lighthouse, the sea-oat and flower covered dunes, and the Lighthouse Keeper's House:

Copyright K Buffaloe

Copyright K Buffaloe

Copyright K Buffaloe

FINALLY, THE PONIES

The ferry arrived on time, and we began the journey back to Harkers Island. As with the trip over, we saw a few of the magnificent Shackleford Island horses, whose origin on the island is unknown, grazing in the marsh. And this time, the dear fellow from Local Yokel (who, btw, is anything but) positioned the ferry to enhance the view:

Copyright K Buffaloe

What a sight. What a birthday.

For more information on Cape Lookout Lighthouse, go to www.nps.gov/calo/index.htm

For more info on Shackleford Banks, go to www.originaldowneast.com/shackleford.htm

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Harkers Island, an Attempt at Cape Lookout, and Carteret County

Our original goal for Friday was to ferry around Shackleford Island and Cape Lookout via Beaufort, NC. A ominous storm cloud hanging overhead changed that plan. We knew better than to be on the water, so we headed to Harkers Island in search of access to Cape Lookout National Seashores.

The island is small, but it's been well settled with a history we've only begun to learn. We discovered Harkers is home to the Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitor's Center. They do not, however, have a bridge to Cape Lookout. Lesson learned: access to Cape Lookout and Shackleford Island is by ferry only. Click HERE for a list of authorized ferry services.

We did see Cape Lookout lighthouse from the Visitor's Center, but from a distance of 4.5 miles. It's a working lighthouse, and we spotted the glow from the Fresnel lens from the parking lot.


We stopped at one of the ferry services to inquire about fees and running times in preparation for our next visit. Most ferries to Shackleford and Cape Lookout are only $10 a person round trip at the time of this writing.

Next, we headed up the coast toward quiet Atlantic, NC, located in scenic Carteret County, just south of Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. Along the way, we found the city of Davis, which has a car ferry pointed toward Cape Lookout NS. Further up the road, we also found pitcher plants alongs one of the country roads. North Carolina nurtures these endangered plants in a variety of locations along the coast, and we were pleased when we found them on this trip. We fed a host of mosquitoes as we took pictures of a few of the specimens we spotted.

Since our visit, I've purchased a book on the history of Harkers Island and have read about the settlement of Harkers by residents of Diamond City on the wilderness known as Shackleford Banks, and the changes born to the island and the economy with the building of the bridge. For more about what's quickly becoming the lost history of Harkers, go to www.bluewaternc.com/CrystalCoast/Harkers-Island/HarkersIslandHistory/

UPDATE: We did return to Harkers to take the ferry to Cape Lookout, and I finally saw the wild ponies that still roam the island:

carolinatrails.blogspot.com/2009/08/cape-lookout-lighthouse-and-ponies-of.html