Nags Head to North Pea Island, southbound
June 17, 2025. Two last hikes to finish out Segment 18, which completes all of the piedmont and coastal plain hikes. I had 20 miles left, and our beach rental house was located in southern Nags Head, in the middle of those miles. So on Tuesday of Beach Week I did 11.5 miles.
It’s always fun to be at the beach with family!
Navigation is not an issue on the beach, so I left the rental house and started hiking south at 5am.
The sun was coming up by the time I reached the abandoned pier at the end of the first hour.
The timing for low tide was perfect for early-morning hiking, and I had good, firm sand the whole way. It makes such a HUGE difference in the effort curve!
I had plenty of time for morning devotions–and this one was on…DEVOTION!
The bridge crossing over Oregon Inlet is three miles long, but traffic was light and there was a nice wide shoulder to walk on.
The sky was darkening by the time I finished crossing, and as there had been lightning in this direction earlier in the morning, I was very happy to be off the bridge with my metal pole before it started raining.
Rain was steady, but not very heavy for the last hour of beach walking.
I took an early cut-over to the road because I wanted to avoid crossing through the bird-nesting protected areas.
One quarter mile to the little parking lot.
My husband-shuttle got there five minutes before me—with a dry towel!
We made a quick stop back at the Oregon Inlet Marina, because on the way to pick me up, Loren had spotted two Black-necked Stilts in the rain-puddles.
The final hike for Segment 18 awaits, but first some quality beach time!
My.Bird.Walks. 
Thanks, Mary. How many people can arrange two sections of the MST and a family vacation!
Lorraine Boyd
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