North Carolina's Wild Horses The Wild Horses of Shackleford Banks (cont'd.)      The only way to reach Shackleford to see these horses is by boat. You can take your own boat, but if you don't have one, you can ride one of the passenger ferry services from Harker's Island. These ferry services are sanctioned by the Park Service to provide transportation not only to Shackleford, but to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse as well. During peak tourist season it may be best to call ahead and reserve a seat for the day and time you desire.      At left is a photo of the sort of passenger ferry you can expect to ride. This one is at Calico Jack's on Harker's Island.      If you take a trip to the island to see the horses, you may find them near the eastern end of the island in plain view. If not, then you will have to go looking. In that case you'll need good hiking shoes. Keep to the grassy and sandy areas.      The horses often will go out into the tidal flats, but if you're tempted to follow them there you can easily become mired in muck up to your knees. If the ground is damp and mushy, don't go there. It's also a good idea to not go alone. Besides, the more eyes you have helping to spot the horses, the better your chances of finding them.      Keep in mind that these are wild horses. While they are used to humans being nearby, you cannot predict how they will act, so don't approach them too closely. It's a good idea to check with the Park Service office located at the very eastern-most tip of Harker's Island (at the end of the road) to find out more about the horses and the park rules before you go.      You need to be aware that there are no facilities on the island, certainly not on the eastern end where you will most likely be looking for the horses. You will need to bring food or snacks, and water enough for the length of time you plan to spend walking and looking. Having some hiking or camping experience will be helpful too. If you've taken one of the ferries over, then you will have to keep track of the time so you can make it back to your pickup point at the appointed time to catch the ferry for your return trip.      You will probably want to take photos of these special horses, which will require a zoom lens if you want to get good shots. Again, you should not approach the horses too closely. Just take your photos, keeping your distance, or they will likely just leave and then you'll have to go looking again. All the photos here were taken with the equivalent of about a 700mm lens, which would be around a 14x zoom. You can see what a challenge getting some photos can be, especially of you're using a pocket camera with a 3x to 6x zoom.

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