Eleven members and friends of Unitarian Coastal Fellowship joined leader Tom Wentworth for a nature walk at the Hoop Pole Creek Nature Preserve in Atlantic Beach on April 23, 2022. Also joining us was Mickey Cullison, canine mascot for the nature hike. The weather was clear, warm, and breezy, which made for a nice morning of fun and fellowship in a lovely outdoor setting. We learned from the trail’s signage about the significance of Hoop Pole Creek in the Civil War — Union troops crossed Bogue Sound from Morehead City at this location to bring troops and cannons to Bogue Banks for the siege of Fort Macon.

We enjoyed strolling through the lush maritime forest on the easy 1.1-mile round-trip hike, soon reaching an open sand spit along Hoop Pole Creek. In addition to many native plants in the forest, we also saw numerous exotic invasive plants that have entered the preserve from nearby landscaping. The marshes and sand flats on the latter part of the hike offered sweeping views of Bogue Sound and an opportunity to hike on firm footing quite far from the forest edge. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes in the maritime forest segment of the hike had misread the hike info in Our Coastline, and they mistakenly believed that this hike was the “UCF Blood Drive”! All participants were relieved when we left the forest for the breezy marshes and sand flats at the far end of the trail. Several nature walk participants then drove to Emerald Isle to join the “Hands Across the Sand” event. Overall, it was an excellent adventure! Please continue checking Our Coastline and The Wave for updates on future monthly nature hikes and environmentally themed outings!