Little St. Simon’s Island…

Leaving the dock at Hampton River Marina, en route to Little St. Simon’s.

Just north of St. Simon’s Island, and separated by the Hampton River, lies the private resort island of Little St. Simon’s Island.

Mimi had very kindly arranged for us to take a day trip out to the island to explore the network of tracks and trails laid out there and to spend time on the 7 miles of beautiful beaches on the western side of it. The island is also home to a healthy population of Alligators and Rattlesnakes I was told, so I needed no second invitation to go in search of these critters…

The island was as beautiful as she had described, and I can see why it holds a special place in Mimi’s heart…

The main lodge which once housed hunters on the island.

We were taken out to Little St. Simon’s on a small boat, along with a few other guests, and given a brief tour of the lodge that had been built there, and attracts visitors from all over the world.

Part of the island was once a cotton plantation and was later bought by Eagle Pencil Company of New York, because it contained a large amount of red cedar trees, perfect to make pencils with. The owner of the company, Philip Berolzheimer later discovered that the quality of the trees were not suitable for pencil making and decided to use the island as his private retreat instead.

The little house that Mimi once stayed in while she worked on the island.

Together with a small group of friends, he built a hunting lodge and spent their holidays fishing, and hunting birds and the deer they introduced onto the island.

The bush was too thick to make hunting anything but an exercise in frustration, and soon, the hunting of deer ceased and the island fell silent to gunshots, apart from the occasional shotgun blast to put and end to a rattlesnake that found itself in the wrong place at the wrong time, no doubt !!

Ownership of the island has remained in the family since 1907 and has been passed down through the generations in accordance with Philip Berolzheiner’s wishes, that it be kept as the pristine wilderness that it always had been…

The Little St Simon’s logo… Those aren’t geese…they’re man-eating mosquitoes !!

After our brief tour, Patricia and I decided to take a walk along one of the many paths and roads that are accessible by foot and bicycle, and armed with a bottle of water, hats and sunglasses, we set out for what we figured would be a good hour or so’s brisk walk through the thick bush…

The island is as beautiful as Mimi described it, but what she neglected to mention was that it was inhabited by some of the most voracious squadrons of mosquitoes and horse flies, known to man…

We had no sooner left the camp when the first wave of flying, biting and persistent insects descended upon us… Or rather, ME !! I have always been a magnet for mozzies, and word that I was visiting had quickly spread among the little bastards…

They seemed to ignore Patricia on the whole and concentrated their considerable efforts on my neck, shoulders and back…

I stuck it out for about ten minutes and then could take no more (too much blood loss, you see…) I had to walk with my arms windmilling around me, and almost slapped myself silly in an attempt to defend myself…

We hightailed it back to the lodge, hopped on bicycles and took off in the opposite direction, hoping to throw the buggers off my scent… In order to keep ahead of the swarm, I pedaled myself to the brink of exhaustion, figuring that I could outrun them… No such luck !! The second we stopped to take in the scenery or have a drink of water, the hordes descended upon me… Despite the heat, I was sorry that I was not wearing my full riding gear and helmet for this little jaunt…

A Banded Armadillo, the first one I had seen that was not flattened by a car or heading off into the bush at top speed…

During our ride, we came across a number of Armadillos, the first I had seen close up. We managed to skid to a halt, dash after them and take a few photos. I had no idea these animals could move so fast !! Once they decide to stop and their scratching through the leaf litter and make off, they do so with a fair turn of speed !!

On our bikes out in the marshes…

We eventually arrived at the beach, and I was disappointed not to have seen an alligator or a rattlesnake along the way…

I was not disappointed to notice that the light sea breeze had blown the mosquitoes away, and they had finally left me in peace…or should I say pieces…!!

I knew that this was a temporary respite, and that they were probably regrouping for my return ride back to the lodge… Bastards…!!

Patricia was determined to swim in what I considered to be brackish water at best, and rode her bicycle onto the beach and disappeared into the distance, paying no heed whatsoever to my reminders that back where I come from, sharks tend to frequent the shallow brown waters of the coastline…

I on the other hand, determined not to become shark bait, decided to take a walk in the opposite direction and explore the long line of flotsam that had washed up onto the beach.

A large number of dead and dying Horseshoe Crabs littered the high-water mark. I had only ever seen these prehistoric looking creatures on NatGeo Channel and remembered that they are sometimes referred to as “living fossils”, and have remained unchanged for millions of years. They are fascinating creatures and because they have no haemoglobin in their blood, their blood is blue rather than red !! You heard it first here !!

So these three crabs come up onto the beach, and the first one says…

They come into shallow water to breed, the males clinging to the females for months on end sometimes 9as men sometimes do…) and many of them get washed ashore and die on the beach. They are said to have a lifespan of between 20 and 40 years !!

Some of the ones I saw were larger than a serving platter, and one giant was almost two foot in diameter, or “bloody big” as crabs go…

The beach was littered with sea shells and I took the following few photos of the various shells I found there…

Meanwhile down on the beach, the shells were gathering…

I was able to convince Patricia that these guys had marched onto the beach in formation, and that they hunted in packs…

As they say in these parts, “If the shells fit, then wear them…”

Time seemed to slip away as we walked along the beach, and for long periods of time, we were the only people there. I could see why visitors to this exclusive island came here. There is little to remind you of the stresses we have to deal with in our everyday lives, and being out here is a tonic to the system.

We hopped back on our bicycles and began the 3 mile pedal back to the lodge from where we would take the boat back to St Simon’s. On the way back, we stopped at one of the lookout hides, as Patricia was determined to show me my first alligator of the tour. We climbed the steps up onto a hide that had recently been built and looked out over a large rookery of egrets and herons.

We stopped at one of the bird hides to watch egrets and herons squabbling in their rookery…

While we sat quietly watching the birds take off and land, we saw a smallish alligator swimming under the colony in the hope that a chick would fall from the nest. Patricia seemed relieved that we had finally seen one of these reptiles and as we cycled further down the track, urged me to keep a lookout for rattlesnakes…

No sooner had she said this, than I first saw a small rabbit scurry across the road, followed by her cries of “Snake !!”

I skidded to a halt and took off to the spot she indicated. I was just in time to see a brightly coloured rattlesnake slither off into the thick undergrowth. I briefly considered following it to yank it out into the open so that we could get a closer look at it, but a loud, “Don’t you dare…!!” brought me to my senses…

The bush was too thick in this area, and now that I had seen one, I was afraid of stepping on another in my pursuit of the first one… That’s my story anyway, and I’m sticking to it…!!

As we left the marshes and entered the thicker bush close to the lodge, Squadrons 4, 5, 6 and 7 were waiting… They ambushed me as I passed the vegetable garden and pursued me with loud zings of glee, all the way back to where the bicycles were parked…

Despite my frantic calls for the DDT bombers which I had ordered from the safety of the beach, they failed to arrive…

To keep the mozzies at bay, I would insist on attaching a strong outboard motor to one of these…

Patricia meanwhile pedaled sedately along without a care in the world… She might even been singing a song for all I know, but I wasn’t hanging around to listen. By the time she arrived at the lodge, I was safely inside the air-conditioned lodge, out of breath, and counting the welts on my arms and legs… The receptionist sweetly asked if I wanted a calculator…

On the boat trip back to the marina, I spotted a dolphin in the river, and pointed it out to Patricia, who turned to me and said that we had now seen the “Small Five”…

” Yes Dear,” I replied, ” We saw a one foot rabbit, a two foot armadillo, a three foot rattlesnake, a four foot alligator and a five foot dolphin…!!”

I received a withering smile in response. It is difficult for me not to make comparisons with Africa when it comes to discussing wildlife !!

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Little St. Simon’s Island and would recommend a stay there to anybody who enjoys the solitude, peace and tranquility that the outdoors bring. It is a small slice of wilderness that has been conserved for future generations to enjoy…

But if, like me, you have been cursed with “sweet blood”, be warned… The mosquitoes will show you no mercy whatsoever !!

©GBWT 2013