Story (Fire Island Article 1 
by Kady Harn)

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Fire Island Beach Walk
By Kady Harn


Fire Island beach walk...

If you ask me how I remember the beach walk on the Fire Island on the last Saturday. These are few moments engraved in my mind…. The chill of the night air, the colors of the sunset, the laughs of little Joshua, the cold splash of sea waves and the warm ocean breeze. All of the elements above summed up a joyful day for me.

We started out in the late afternoon, a hot, humid summer day. Due to the heavy traffic and intensive heat, I was suffering a minor carsick. Soon as we parked into the Bay Shore Ferry parking lot, I couldn't wait to stumble out to get some fresh air. The first warm sea breeze I inhaled into my lungs was the best sedative fume I could ever had.

We had a rather big crowd that day; everyone was ready for summer fun. The hike was prepared and led by Yolanda, Josephine and Maria. We boarded the 5pm ferry that took us to the island in about 1/2 hour. After a quick early dinner, we started our beach walk at half past 6. When we approached close to the beach, the curious two-years-old Joshua was fastening his steps down the ladders with his mother. He took my offering hand and we marched toward the sand beach. We were all excited and eager to rush to the waterfront. Oh, then I figured he was way too slow, I had to dump this litter prince of charming.

The open sky and sea were magnificent! I was immersing myself totally with the surrounding; the crushing sound of the waves, the silky sands under my feet and the splash of water…than I heard the happy laughter of little Joshua. He got himself all wet by chasing the wave. His mother was guarding him from strong wave to knock him off. The little fellow was enjoying himself with ecstasy. His crystal laughs and giggles spread out simply with joy. I couldn't help but laugh with him. That was one of the best sounds to the ears.

We were supposed to walk 5milles round trip; however, you could enjoy the walk in your own pace. Just be back to the town center for the 10:50 pm ferry departure. Or else, spend a night on the beach counting the stars…as another option.

Anyway, I paid much attention looking for my photo shooting targets rather than excise walk. Soon after I lost trace of most people. John Hsu, with his SLR camera in hands, was searching for his picture perfect object as well. He was the only one in sight. So, we paired up the pace and look for our own target search. It was relaxing and fun….

Suddenly, I spot somebody familiar from my eye corner, Ray was napping by the beach. Sneaking closely and trying to steal a shot for the fun…somehow he sensed my approach and blew the whole picture. So I had him sat properly and smiled to my camera instead.

Before the sunset, John & I walked over to the other side of the island for a better photo view. The hue of the sinking sun was enchanting. The haze of summer heat softened the brightness of the fireball. The gradations of orange to purple were paste smoothly across the sky. By the dock, both of us were checking the best composition for the quick disappearing moment. With my point & shoot, it saved me a lot of time and granted me some time to admire the scenery.

The darkness mingled in quickly, so we headed back to town. Shortly after 10pm, people started to show up, looked tired indeed. Don't ever underestimate the strength on sand walking; it's actually tougher than regular hike. The night air was a bit chilly. Some people did not prepare for the extreme of the temperature, couldn't stop shivering from the blow of cold wind. Anyway, we were back to the parking area by 11:30pm to call off the day.

Thanks to our leaders and friends, I enjoyed this walk very much. If my pictures come out the way to my expectation, I wish you all could share some of the moments with me. And hopefully, you can come and join us on the next trip….

Kady

http://community.webshots.com/user/kady125
 

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