Boneyard Beach: Big Talbot Island State Park
Big Talbot Island State Park: 30.5032° N, 81.4500° W
You can find this gem of a place at Big Talbot Island State Park. You will see signs for the Scenic nature preserve and picnic area. You will need change to pay for the parking. You can park in the available spots both at the entrance and inside the park. There is a trail that leads to the boneyard beach access. There is a shortcut pretty close to the start of the trail, that you can use to get to the beach, as long as you are not hauling a lot of stuff!
History:
Humans – called Archaic People who practiced St John’s Culture– have been present in this area since 4000 BC. Spanish named them Timucua. The root of the name is “atimoqua” which means "lord" or "chief."
Talbot Islands – both little and big – are barrier islands and remain undeveloped thanks to their state park status. These islands were christened by General James Oglethorpe to honor Charles Talbot, the Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
In 1984 Big Talbot Island was designated as a Florida State Park. This is where you will find the Bluffs Scenic Shoreline Picnic area and scenic nature preserve, fishing spots and a boat ramp further south.For more details, please check out: https://stateparks.com/big_talbot_island_state_park_in_florida.html
If you take the shortcut to access the beach (you will spot it on your right hand), you will get down to the beach. This unique beach with skeletons of beached oak trees scattered hither and yon. Here you can see these once alive oak trees that fell from a ridge, an island or a bluff, in distant shores, were swept away by the ocean currents; their bark removed by the swifter currents; salty water cleaning it up; scorching sunlight and sandpaper like action by waves with sand particles and sediments mixed in, polish it to a bright white shine; and eventually deposit these trees – at times in bits and pieces, and other times, the whole tree – on this beach in Northeast Florida.
These trees serve many purposes. They reduce the risk of erosion’ break the fury of hurricane wind and accompanying storm surge; provide shelter to different animals; look amazing; and make for wonderful background or foreground elements in photographs!
The panoramic vista is impressive!
These trees are massive. For sense of scale, I have included human figures in some of my photographs.
The roots provide another clue to what’s needed to keep these trees erect and alive.
It is a popular destination for paddlers and fishermen.
You can see sand bars and beach on the other side as well.
There are plenty of possibilities for photographic composition.
People picnic here and lots of people take opportunities to photograph friends and family members using natural frames-within -frames created by the beached trees.
These trees, especially the ones that are still erect, albeit dead, act as perches for birds. Look at this:
The question of the tree falling and making sound has spurred a branch of metaphysics. "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is attributed to George Berkeley, an Irish philosopher who pioneered the “immaterialism” or its modern name, "subjective idealism". However, even though he did theorize the very concept implied in this philosophical thought experiment, he did not say these exact words. The closest quote dates to 1883 and is even more relevant to our topic: the Boneyard beach in Little Talbot Island State Park.
The section Editor’s Table (P 543, The Chautauquan, 1883) contained this interesting question:
Q. "If a tree were to fall on an island where there were no human beings would there be any sound?"
A. "No. Sound is the sensation excited in the ear when the air or other medium is set in motion."
Well, sound or no sound, “to be is to be perceived”. Hence the tree will make a potentially perceivable sound – or simply put, a hearable noise. Here on this beach, we have a tangible proof that a substance or an object – such as a tree – exists as a distinct entity separate from its properties. That is, a tree’s existence is independent of whether others can perceive its sound or not when it falls. You can find plenty of trees that fell some distance away and ended up here, right in front of us, glowing in gorgeous sunlight! Visit this place earlier in the morning. You will find beach mostly secluded and to yourself. A wonderful place for reflection on life, death, decay, and most of all, elegant beauty – present in both things fallen and erect.
