Despite my general love of quiet-but-restless, life-giving marshes and despite the beauty of the beach, I would say the maritime forest is the richest geographical aspect of the island.

It seemed like another world in the live oak forest, which generally separates the marsh and ocean. As you walk into the forest from the beach, it is as if you have walked into a room which is silent, dark and cool. Outside noise seems to shut off, and you find random sound to be more amplified than normal, as when you talk to someone or one of the native creatures sounds off.

To that end, the maritime forest is full of wildlife, from large banana spiders (which bite but are not poisonous) to a variety of birds and raccoons whose beady eyes and acute sense of smell make it a must to clean up your site of any food. The nocturnal scavengers are going to visit as you try to sleep anyway, it's just best to leave them no reason to stay.

Armadillos and at least one feral hog also visited our campsite but in each case, they either ignored us or shied away. I didn't see any white-tailed deer or alligators, though both exist on the island.

An unexpected addition to the exotic landscape were small frogs that appeared to be everywhere in the maritime forest. A ranger told me they are called Green Tree Frogs and they are especially noisy after rains. They are less than an inch long and can be found in ferns and in trees as you move about the forest. They are similar in size and appearance to the poisonous dart frogs found in Central and South America except they are a little smaller, not as colorfully varied and are harmless. Most of the frogs I saw had vibrant, light green skin, but I did see a few that were jet black.

On the beach, shark teeth can be found along with a variety of shells. And from May to September you might happen on a nest of Loggerhead turtle eggs.

Each morning, I noticed tracks in the sand that staggered along before ending in a big hole and then started up again before another hole appeared and so on. It looked like a drunk pirate might have been stumbling along the beach the night before, maybe in search of buried treasure. Unless he had cloven hooves, the tracks were most likely those of feral hogs looking for turtle eggs, according to a ranger.

The Loggerheads nest from about May to September but the Park Service warns to stay away from a nest if you see one as the turtles are federally protected. I saw a medium-sized Loggerhead (they can weigh up to 350 pounds, 158 kilograms) that had washed up on shore but no other evidence of the turtles.

Cumberland Island is a wonderful place. I was surprised to see as many other people as I did. No bother, though. For the most part, I found the other visitors on the island to be respectful of the island and others' privacy.

I even enjoyed one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen, in the company of two strangers in rocking chairs on a deck at Sea Camp. Imagine a place so rapturous that it could not only silence the rankling presence of strangers, but make a lullaby of their creaky chairs.