Cape Hatteras

As the closest landmass to the island of Bermuda over 500 miles east, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore stretches over 70 miles along the North Carolina Outer Banks. The National Park Service operates the Whalebone Junction Visitor Center just south of where Route 64 reaches the town of Nags Head. If you turn right and follow NC12 South, you’ll be on your way to some of the most famous sites to visit along the shore - including the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses, and the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum.

Hatteras Island was originally settled by two Croatan Indian tribes - the Hatorask and the Kinnakeet. Sometimes referred to as “the people of shallow water,” both tribes gradually declined in number and were assimilated into other tribes further inland as English settlers arrived in the 1580’s.

Just off the tip of the cape itself lies Diamond Shoals - the name for the shifting sands that have caused hundreds of shipwrecks over the years. There is also a huge salt pond nearby, where birds and geese stop to rest during their annual migrations.

The wind was strong during my recent visit, and as I walked along the beach looking up at the clouds, it was impossible not to photograph the geese flying bravely out over the ocean. It made me wonder how many miles they had already flown and how many more miles they had to go.