The steep cattail edge dropped into a tea-colored pool, just inland from the coastal dunes. Sunlight bounced off the burnt-amber bottom to a depth of two feet, then vanished in a dark abyss further out, where creatures lurked. From the deep, snapping turtles, bass, gar, and water snakes appeared in silent shadows, then were gone. A... Continue Reading →
First, I want to apologize to all my readers for leaving you in the dark. It is true I have not posted anything on this site for over a year. If you are reading this now, I am amazed that you kept your access to my blog open. So, where have I been? Well, after... Continue Reading →
It had threatened to rain on previous sections of this hike, but so far, we were spared a deluge - not so lucky today. The forecast predicted morning showers, so we came prepared with raincoats and umbrellas. Shortly after leaving our car at Jones Park in Gulfport, dark clouds gathered in the northeast and slowly... Continue Reading →
We met again at Sharkheads in Biloxi to begin the fifth leg of our hike across the Mississippi Gulf Coast and were joined by Sue, a friend of Gail’s, who is an expert biologist and an avid birdwatcher. Just our luck, because soon after we started to hike down the seawall, we came to the... Continue Reading →
I had fallen behind Gail, Charlie, and Marcia as we walked through the City of Ocean Springs at the beginning of the fourth leg of our hike across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. My mind started to wander. What if Jefferson hadn’t bought the Louisiana Territory from Napoleon in 1803, and France had established a French-speaking... Continue Reading →
We started up on the east side of Fountainbleau Beach, directly across the outlet of Graveline Bayou, where we stopped last. A brisk breeze was coming off the sound and pushing small wavelets of brown water up the steep, narrow beach. Gail, Charlie, Marcia, and I headed west toward our destination for the day at... Continue Reading →
The skies were grey and threatened rain over Mary Walker Bayou just north of the Gautier (GOH-chay) City Park, the starting point for the next leg of our hike across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Astute geographers will note that we were skipping forward about four miles from our previous ending point at the Pascagoula River... Continue Reading →
Note: This is the first part of a series to chronicle a hike across the Mississippi Gulf Coast by four friends over several weeks. “They be your women?” Charlie and I thought the young man standing along the side of the road twenty yards in front had said to us. “What?” I asked. “They be... Continue Reading →
A hunting knife hung from his belt as he stood midstream, helping his barefoot girlfriend cross the slippery rocks; clear water wetted the bottom of his rolled-up jeans. Marcia and I were next to cross the creek, and we sat on the bank to remove our boots. Watching the couple climb the far bank, I couldn't fathom why he needed to... Continue Reading →
