CC's Wilderness and Trekking Page

You'd better make sure you have all these things otherwise you could get in trouble.

TARP
A tarp has so many uses, it won't save your life on every trip but it will make things easier on every trip.

BACKPACKING STOVE
If I could only bring one single item with me to the wilderness it would be a wood burning Trailstove. It is such a good stove, it's absolutely amazing. It weighs less than a pound and there's no fuel to carry.

TOOL
Multi purpose tools are great things, you can do so many things with a good one.

FOOD
Don't get those dehydrated bags of camping food. Just bring plenty of rice. Just eat beef jerky for meat and some carrots for veggies and your all set.

Find a flat sheltered spot for your shelter. Don't go too close to trees or big rocks since blowing snow tends to accumulate around them.
Dig a hole in the snow, about a foot longer than your body and about 3 feet wide, use the snow from the dig to build walls around the hole. Try to get one of the short sides downwind.
Keep digging until the hole is 3 ft from floor to upper edge. Keep in mind that the smaller your shelter is the warmer it will be.
Leave a 1.5x1.5 ft opening in the downwind upper short edge with a connecting corridor, this will be your door.
If you plan to use a stove in the shelter you must also make a vent opening in the side opposite to the door. This opening should be about 6x6 inches.
If possible, try to make a block of hard snow 1.5x1.5x0.5 ft to use as a door block, place this block inside the hole when you're done.

Cover half of the floor on the opposite side of the opening with soft branches to provide extra insulation from the cold snow beneath. This will be your sleeping area, you will later cover the branches with your sleeping pad. If you don't have a sleeping pad with you, make a thicker layer of branches. If it is snowing while you are building your shelter, you can do this step later, after the roof has been put up so you won't get snow on your branches.

Place a number of tree branches over the hole. Keep in mind that these branches may have to carry some heavy snow loads. You can use skis and ski poles for this purpose as well but keep in mind that you won't be able to use them again without ruining the shelter.

Cover the hole with your tarp. Attach edges and corners as well as possible with stakes made from tree branches or string to a nearby tree. Don't rely on weights such as rocks or big chunks of wood, they will start sliding. You want to make sure that there's no way that the tarp will start sagging or slip down through the openings in the ceiling.
Cover the tarp with a layer of snow for insulation. If there is powder snow available try to get a coverage of at least 3 inches. If there is no powder use wet snow or hard snow to make blocks 1.5" thick to form a sheet on top of the tarp, try to rest the blocks on the support poles and not on the tarp. If it is snowing heavily you can let nature take care of this step.

Move in to the shelter. Put your sleeping pad on the branches and sleep with your head away from the door. You can block the door opening to keep warm but you must have at least two small air vents on opposite sides of the shelter to ensure an adequate air supply.

SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
When you're using a stove in the shelter you must open both the door opening and the vent opening. Make sure that the vent opening is kept clear from falling snow on the outside, poke around with a stick periodically if needed.
If you need to urinate during the night, don't go outside in the cold. Just go on the floor inside the shelter. The urine will seep down through the snow, there will be a stained crater left but you can just cover that with some snow.

Cumberland Island National Seashore

Cumberland Island is 17.5 miles long and totals 36,415 acres of which 16,850 are marsh, mud flats, and tidal creeks. It is well known for its sea turtles, abundant shore birds, dune fields, maritime forest, salt marshes, and historic structures.

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
Visitor Center is open daily 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 pm. Park facilities are closed on December 25.

To Island: Cumberland Island is located 7 miles east of St. Marys, Georgia, and is accessible by a concession operated passenger ferry. Following are the ferry boat operating seasons: (RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED)

SPRING/SUMMER/FALL (March 1st to November 30th) – The ferry departs St. Marys at 9:00 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., and departs from Cumberland Island at 10:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m.. Wednesday through Saturday there is a 2:45 p.m. departure from the island.

WINTER (December 1st to February 28th) - The ferry does not operate on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and there is no 2:45 departure from the island. The two departure times from St. Marys and Cumberland Island remain the same.

Weather & Climate
Summers (May through September) are hot and humid. Winters are generally short and mild with variable precipitation and occasional "northeasters." Recommend layers of clothing, especially in spring and fall, rain gear, and good walking shoes or light weight hiking boots.

FEES/PERMITS

Activity Fee
CAMPING FEE - BACK COUNTRY
$2.00 person for Day
Campers also need to pay Day Use Fee.

CAMPING FEE - SEA CAMP
$4.00 person for Day
Campers also need to pay Day Use Fee.

DAY USE FEE
$4.00 person/visit for One Time
Ferry Prices: $12.00 Adult $ 7.00 Child [12 and under] $ 9.00 Senior [65 and over]

Permits
ANNUAL DAY USE PERMIT
$20.00 for Annual

CAMPING

Back Country Camping
Open All Year
All camping is limited to seven days. Back country sites are $2.00 per person per night. There are no facilities in the backcountry sites and water should be treated. Campfires are not permitted in the backcountry and portable stoves are suggested. The four backcountry sites range from 3.5 to 10.8 miles from the ferry dock. Reservations are required and can be made up to 6 months in advance. Day use\ferry fees additional.

Sea Camp
Open All Year
All camping is limited to seven nights. Sea Camp Campground is $4.00 per person per night. The developed campground at Sea Camp Beach has rest rooms, cold showers, and drinking water. Each campsite has a grill, fire ring, food cage, and picnic table. Reservations are required and can be made up to 6 months in advance. Day use\ferry fees additional.

FACILITIES

Museums
MAINLAND MUSEUM BUILDING
Open All Year (1pm to 4pm)
Location - The new facility is located on Osborne Street, two blocks from the waterfront. The museum houses a collection of artifacts from Cumberland Island and includes an exhibit area open to the public.
Closures - Closed December 25 (note: regular hours may vary by season and use)
Exhibits - The exhibition uses pieces from the collection to highlight the people of the island. The lives of Native Americans, African Americans, the Carnegie family as well as others who lived on the island in the 19th and 20th centuries are seen in the island environment. “This exhibit gives visitors to St. Mary’s a glimpse of the island,” said Superintendent Frederick. “Even if they are unable to go to the island, we hope this exhibit will encourage them to return for a longer stay.” These exhibits are considered temporary and were produced by park staff in cooperation with several local vendors. This is the first major effort to bring the island story to mainland facilities. However, contracted exhibits will be planned and produced, creating more permanent displays. Permanent exhibits will take approximately two years for the entire process. These exhibits were funded through fees paid by island visitors and campers. The collection of historic and prehistoric objects was housed in buildings on the island for years before the former bank building was acquired. This facility keeps the collection in climate-controlled atmosphere to prevent their deterioration. A small portion of the total collection will be on display, primarily pieces that illustrate life on the barrier island. “These are objects that have never before been on public display,” said curator John Mitchell. “We can learn from these items about how people lived in the past.”
Available Facilities - Public restrooms and water fountain.

Visitor Centers
MAINLAND VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER - ST. MARYS, GA
Open All Year 8:15 am - 4:30 pm
Closures - Closed December 25

TARP A tarp has so many uses, it won't save your life on every trip but it will make things easier on every trip.
BACKPACKING STOVE If I could only bring one single item with me to the wilderness it would be a wood burning Trailstove. It is such a good stove, it's absolutely amazing. It weighs less than a pound and there's no fuel to carry.
TOOL Multi purpose tools are great things, you can do so many things with a good one.
FOOD Don't get those dehydrated bags of camping food. Just bring plenty of rice. Just eat beef jerky for meat and some carrots for veggies and your all set.