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(The scale of this photo is not obvious
until you realize the specks on the ridge are people, better seen in this close-up.) |
You can't miss Jockey's Ridge if you get near Nag's Head unless it's pitch dark. It begins just inland from the beach on the east side, and tumbles into the sound on the west side. The highway (NC 12) goes around it by necessity, and barely has room to do that.
What
a strange sight this is, an ancient mountain of sand in
a place where everything around it exists just a foot or two above mean
sea level. This tremendous dune, or actually a series of dunes, seems
to defy
explanation or reason. Where did it come from? How did it get here? Caught
between the ocean and the sound, there seems
to be nowhere for it to go, and nowhere it
could have come from. Why is it here?
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North is at the top in this aerial composite of Jockey's Ridge assembled from NOAA
photos taken right after Hurricane Isabel.
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Jockey's Ridge is certainly
not the only large dune on the Outer Banks.
There are others, mostly between Nag's Head and Carova, with Kill Devil
Hills being another well known site for large
dunes or "hills" as they were called in the
early days. Old maps and charts list places
like
Whales Head Hill, Poyner's Hill, Paul Samiel's
Hill, Wreck Hill and many more. But these places
were not really hills, just
a fanciful use of the term "hill" applied to larger-than-average
sand
dunes. Still, on the flat, often treeless and
desolate landscape that characterized much
of the Outer
Banks just a hundred years ago, these "hills" were
distinctive landmarks where nothing else could
serve as
such.
Jockey's
Ridge was most likely the largest of these "hills",
even two and three hundred years ago, and is
today the largest
sand dune on the east coast. In fact, it is large enough to be visible
from space,
and astronauts have taken photos of it, as in the example at right from
NASA. But it is in a constant state of flux, changing shape and size
with every
breeze, and with every storm. Yet, in a chaotic way, it
remains essentially the same, and has done
so for at least several hundred years. Universities,
and scientists, and scholars have studied it,
and student theses have been written about
it. Core samples have been taken to determine
how long it has been here, and to find out
what might be under it. And if you could interpret
all their mumbo-jumbo techno-jargon, you would find out that essentially
what they know is this - it's been here a long
time
and it's made of sand. The rest is a lot of
unanswered questions and speculation.
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| Sunset over Roanoke Sound viewed from Jockey's Ridge. |
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The
wonderful thing about Jockey's Ridge is that
we don't have to worry about all that. Leave
the why's and wherefore's to the scholars
All we need
do is marvel at it, and enjoy the view.
This
place is especially for children and lovers.
The kids are wild about this gigantic sandbox.
They
can run and play, and really have a ball, and
maybe wear themselves out (so they'll sleep
in the car, or take a nap when you get back
to your vacation lodging). Bring a large piece
of an old cardboard box and they
can use it for a sled.  Or they can play super
hero,
jumping down the sides in the steeper places.
They won't actually go very far, but it will
feel that way to them. They'll never forget
the
experience. But it's the view and the sunsets
that attract the lovers, and the young
at heart
too. The park is open until at least sunset, and it's a great way to end a day of sightseeing.
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3
photos above: Both the kids and the
young at heart enjoy Jockey's Ridge.
Below: This old tree from 1973
was gone in 2003. The tiny specks atop
the dune in the background are people. |
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 "When
you visit Jockey's Ridge,
be sure to wear your walking
shoes, and bring your camera.
It
will take some footwork
to reach the closest of
the
ridges
for
a good view of the area. This is no climb
in a lighthouse, which
is a piece of cake compared
to walking a quarter mile
in loose sand. But once
you get to the top of a
ridge, you will find the
view is worth the effort, and you're going to want some photos.
I must
admit that my first visit to Jockey's Ridge after being
away for so long was something of a disappointment.
In 1973 the main
dune was huge. It felt like a mountain.
It actually had something of a ridge along the top,
with steeper sides that made you feel as if you were
on top of the world. The view seemed to reinforce that
impression too.
Now
the dunes are flatter, look lower, sort of spread out and less
distinct than before. That feeling
of being "on top
of the world"
isn't quite the same.
But
it
was
no
less
of
an
effort
to walk and climb than before, though the belt-load
of
camera
equipment might have had something to do with that
impression. It's hard to tell.
There was another disappointment
that was even harder for me. There used to be some
grand old windblown trees behind the dunes, on the
sound side. They were gnarled and bent over, the way
pines are on high exposed mountains,
but
they had
wonderful character
and aesthetic appeal.
But I could not find them on
this trip. The
spot where they grew is completely
smothered by the march of the sand. It's possible they
were damaged or destroyed by hurricane winds over the
years, and not victims of the shifting sand. I have
no way to know. Still, that was one memory from those
years ago that stayed with me. I had done several paintings
with those trees in them. They were to me something
of an icon for "defying the elements", as
is
the whole of the Outer Banks in a general way. But
their
absence,
more than anything else, made me realize how much
this
place can change, and yet, still remain essentially
the same. |
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 In
this wide angle view at right, looking south
from Jockey's Ridge, the upper left of the photo
shows
the
ocean and the upper right shows the sound.
In the original full-sized image the bridge
between Roanoke Island and Nag's Head is visible,
as is Roanoke Island. But the necessity of
reducing the size of the wide angle image above
to make it practical for the web looses those
fainter details, even though it is still quite
a large image.
  Just
as Roanoke Island is visible from the dune, Jockey's Ridge is equally
visible, if not more so, from the island, particularly
if you view it from the Fort Raleigh site. The photo at left was taken in
2004 on an overcast hazy day, and the dune was still easily seen from the
"Lost Colony" amphitheater. Comparing this photo with one at
right taken from the same area thirty one years earlier in 1973 shows how the dune
is presently flattened out
on top. In 1973
there was
more of a peak on the north end (left side of the photo).
The
Park Service has nature trails through the trees and thickets around
the dunes for the nature enthusiasts and bird watchers.
Hang
gliding is a big draw here as well, with a concession next to the park
office where lessons are offered right there on the dunes. A kite could entertain
a kid for hours on these great sand dunes, given the constant wind here.
It's
no wonder this has been a popular place to visit long before any bridge
connected
the barrier islands to Roanoke Island or the mainland. You simply have
to come and see it for yourself.
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