Assateague

Many of our friends in the Northeast suggested that we go to visit Assateague Island National Seashore. Given that Kathleen remembered reading and loving the book Misty of Chincoteague as a kid we didn't need to be told twice. The drive out to park from Baltimore was pretty with lots of small towns and farms along the way.

Assateague island is 37 miles long and never more than a mile wide. The northern two thirds are in Maryland, while the southern third is in Virginia. There is no road down the whole island but you can access the island at either the very northern tip or the very southern tip. We went to the northern side because Virginia doesn't allow animals in the park, even in the car. Which is a problem for us.

The island is largely known for the wild horses. These horses are believed to have descended from horses that were put out to pasture on the island about 300 years ago in order to avoid paying grazing fees. Now there are two distinct herds, one in each state. The Virginia herd is rounded up every year by the Chincoteague fire department and foals are auctioned off. The Maryland herd is managed as wildlife by the National Park Service as part of the National Seashore.

In order to keep the population from getting out of hand, the Maryland horses are administered birth control through a dart riffle and only allowed to have one foal per mare. This ultimately leads to the mares having longer, healthier lives as well.

Although the horses are wild animals, they are about as tame as most city squirrels. They show little to no fear of approaching people, and often hang out on or around the roads. Not that there are many other places for them to be. We saw two horses as soon as we arrived on the island hanging out to the side of the road. While the original two were gone later, there was whole band hanging out in the road.

 

 

In addition to looking at the horses, there are nice beaches that are probably quite crowded in peak season. They were a little cold and windy this time of year.

  

We did one short "dune" hike. This hike included large sections of the road that was built down the island in 1950 during a period in which people were planning on developing the island. The great nor'easter of 1962 quickly convinced people that this wasn't a good idea. All that remains of that plan is a very dilapidated road.

 

It also seemed like a great place to kayak and take bikes out in a different season. Even though we weren't there during the peak of possibilities, we were very glad that we stopped in.