Phil and I used to kayak to Monomoy Island from Stage Harbor in the early 2000s, before the Great Whites came. There were always lot of seals about but you never had to worry back then. Our favorite place to stop for a picnic lunch was on the inside of South Beach, a stretch of beach that was miles long extending from Chatham almost to Big Monomoy Island.
I was so surprised to see South beach a few days ago with signs that said, “Do not walk on sandbar.” This beautiful beach that was soooo long was now only a tiny little sandbar. The Atlantic Ocean had breached the beach and finally swallowed it all up, except for this little piece. Wow!
Morris Island in Chatham is always a great place to take a walk, unless it is high tide. There are always so many birds to see and other wildlife. The trails through the woods and by the harbor also offer beautiful views.
However, if it is high tide, you can’t even make it down the beach! You can see the water all the way up to the rocks as you look out toward Monomoy Island. Have you ever hiked Morris Island?
There are still plenty of people enjoying a nice walk on the beach in Chatham. This is such a pretty view, looking out to the ocean from Chatham Light.
One of the overlooks at Morris Island in Chatham looks out over the water toward Monomoy Island. It brings back so many memories of our kayaking out there 15-20 years ago when the seals would follow our kayaks around. Not any more. There is much too much risk of seeing one of the Great Whites out there, which we have no desire to see.
Oh, we did have fun riding those waves in as the tides changed. Great memories…
