Escape to the Enchanted East

For most traveling to Bimini, a visit to East Wells is not the norm, nor even a checkbox on the to-do list, sadly.

The East is the 'bush,' in all its overgrown messiness, in all its virgin pureness. I have prior exposure to this area thanks to my experience working with the Sharklab--the inlets through red mangroves make for ideal lemon and nurse shark nursery grounds--but Kevin had not yet seen this critical ecological hotspot on the islands.

(View of the ferry looking back from the North West of Bimini)

(North Bimini--everything you see is threatened to be erased for housing and golf course creation)

From the Big Game, this would be a daunting journey, but well worth every step. (Fortunately we were able to hitch a lift to the Resort, cutting off 4 miles of the walk north). As the sun shone from directly above, shade was limited to directly under trees. Once the long-winded walk up the North stretch of development was finished, we entered an untouched tri-habitat of beach, Australian pine groves, and mangrove flats to our right.

The wind picked up noticeably on reaching the Northern tip. Shells jingled and tinkled as juvenile hermit crabs scuttled across the pine needle walkway to the beach sand. We glanced to the right to see land crab holes and exoskeletons just before the dense mangrove entwinement.

(Gulls sparring over fish find)

 Once we hit the northern tip, the walk south and east was easy breezy. The sun would be falling west behind the trees, while the salty wind blew bitty white caps out of the east. Gulls and pelicans searched for pilchards and baby bonefish throughout the shoreline.

(Kevin taking in the sand flats)

(A Bimini boa stretching in the falling sun, greeting us on our exit back into civilization)

We will be doing the East Wells hike again, hopefully with the kids of Bimini, and next time with more rations than our gallon of water and 3 sunflower butter and Jelly (Kevin's allergic to nuts) sandwiches. This place is beyond words...the quiet natural elements enveloped us away from the busy, dusty life of North Bimini. This place, in a few months or a year's time, may be entirely destroyed. I will venture deeper to learn about what else lives within.

-C