Off to See the Ponies...At the Beach

As it is Memorial Day weekend, we did what all people living within an easy drive of the ocean do and went to the beach...to Assateague National Seashore to be exact. And our plan was to go camping, not just join the legions of others being beachbums. And trust me, there were many, even though the water temperature hadn't even warmed to 60 yet. Only a few hearty souls ventured into the water...most bums were planted firmly in the sand. But it was sunny and warm, and is there really a better way to kick off the summer than by sitting on the beach, the sound of surf pounding in your ears, seagulls and kites overhead, and wild ponies romping across the sand?



Wild ponies? Oh yes, Assateague National Seashore is home to a colony of wild ponies, which really ups the ante on the whole beach experience. There might not be a boardwalk at Assateauge, but there sure aren't any wild ponies at Ocean City.

And wild ponies abound at Assateague. We caught our first glimpses as we drove into the park, right at the butt crack of dawn, in order to secure one of the last remaining permits for backcountry camping. In order to trudge 4 miles through sand with 25 pounds on our backs, we had to be at the ranger's station when it opened at 7:15am. Apparently there are many people like us who have warped ideas of fun. Trust me, 4 miles of hiking through sand carrying that amount of weight is not your typical walk in the park.

We then caught sight of two groups of ponies while renting a canoe and cruising along the bay side of the barrier island that is Assateague.






And later as we hiked off to our camp, a great procession of ponies came wandering down the beach, not the least bit bothered by the crowds. In fact, one of the ponies thought it a fit time to put on a show by engaging in a little bit of battle with another pony.





We ended up having a really good time camping among the dunes. Jeff built a great campfire of the beach and we had a delicious dinner of hotdogs, cherries, carrots, pretzels, trail mix, and s'mores. Mmm, mmm, good.