Misty of Chincoteague – Of Swimming Ponies, Kayaks, and a Hurricane

Revised April 2022

When planning my maiden voyage in my new-to-me VW Eurovan campervan named Tilly, (wondering why my van is called Tilly? Read about how she came to be named here) I planned an ambitious East Coast road trip.  I had a rough idea of where I was going for the first half of the journey – I was camping with my sisters and visiting a good friend in Wisconsin, then to Chicago for “friends and family” time. A woman I met in Italy messaged me that she was going to be camping in Tennessee with a friend – did I want to join them? Of course I did, so of course I did…I spent 4 fun days with Paige and Lynn.

Next, south to Georgia for some cousin and former co-worker shenanigans and from there to North Carolina – Asheville, and Kure /Carolina Beaches to visit long-time friends…but then where should I go? I still had a few weeks to fill – my plan was to end up triumphantly rolling into Acadia National Park on my birthday in mid-August.  I was so excited to see Maine – somewhere I’ve always wanted to explore!

 I bought the Old People’s Road Atlas ( the LARGE PRINT version – omggg. Each state is on 5 or 6 pages! Oy ve. But hey – at least I can read the names of the towns and the road numbers!!!) and began looking at places going north along the coast from Carolina Beach toward Maine. Where should I stop? Nags Head…Virginia Beach…Assateague and Chincoteague Islands…WAIT.

WHAT???

These are REAL PLACES???

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely loved reading the famous “Misty of Chincoteague” book series by Marguerite Henry back when I was 11 or 12 years old. I was fascinated by these stories of the wild and free ponies that swam across the channel and were auctioned off by the fire department.  “Stormy – Misty’s Foal” and “King of the Wind” were other titles in the series…I adored these books, and recommended these to my kids when they were younger.

So – wait. Back to Chincoteague. I could actually GO there!!?? Hell yeah! I was definitely going!!! I can’t even tell you how dang excited I was!!! (Does everyone else know these are real places and I’m just geographically challenged??)  I booked a campsite for my VW van, paid a steep toll (it was really expensive! Like $18??? I told the guy in the tollbooth “damn! This better be some bridge!”) and drove across one of the loooooongest and most beautiful bridges from the mainland to the island – the Chincoteague Causeway.

Actually comprised of 5 separate bridges, this engineering marvel spans more than 4 miles across the sea (6.9km) as it undulates across the Black Narrows and the Channel and finally connects to the tiny island.

Once I arrived on the historical island,  I googled a bit and found a couple of tours that went out into the Channel each day in hopes of a sighting of the fabled ponies, and decided that kayaking would be more fun than a boat ride. I booked a morning with Assateague Adventures for a 3-hour exploration to paddle the waterways. The marshy, murky waters were shallow and muddy, the route was peaceful and simply beautiful, and the mood of our small group was anticipatory. The owners of Assateague Adventures, Steven and Jess, are a ridiculously likable couple who are passionate about the ponies, kayaking, nature,  Chincoteague history, adventure, the safety of their customers, their big dogs…and each other. They are simply adorable. After an hour or so of kayaking, we were rewarded with a view of the horses. They were royal and majestic – haughty, regal fully grown stallions and fillies standing haughtily atop a small hillock a dozen yards or so from the shore, surveying their kingdom. There were spindly-legged brand new foals playfully rolling in the sand and prancing around and whinnying; the herd paid absolutely no attention whatsoever to our small group of mesmerized and transfixed kayakers snapping photos in awe and watching them frolic.  It was pure magic.

Where did these mythical ponies come from? Legend has it that the feral ponies on Assateague are descendants of survivors of a Spanish galleon that sank on its way to Spain during a storm in 1750 off the east coast, but it’s more likely that they are actually descended from domesticated horses that were brought to the island by farmers in the 1800s hoping to avoid taxation. (I like the Spanish galleon version better, don’t you?)

Every summer, the ponies are rounded up by the villagers for Penning Day and the new foals are auctioned off to raise money for the volunteer Fire Department. Some folks walk away with a pony of their own, but many simply donate money to the cause by doing a “buy-back” which essentially sends the ponies back to Assateague without “owning” them. A buy-back pony is auctioned with the stipulation that it will be donated back to the Fire Company and returned to Assateague Island to replenish the herd.

Take 60  seconds to watch this beautiful video made by Jess from Asstageague Adventures – it’s gorgeous!

All of this pony penning and partying had gone on for decades – since the 1920s -but came to the attention of the world after the author Marguerite Henry visited Chincoteague at her publisher’s suggestion and stayed at Miss Molly’s Guesthouse to write the now unforgettable story of Paul and Maureen, brother and sister, who dream of owning a pony of their own. Soon after her book “Misty of Chincoteague” was released, the island began to see an increase of attendees at the annual event – folks who had read the book and were curious about these magical, mystical swimming ponies. And after the movie, based on the “Misty” book was released in 1961, the tourism for the island grew by leaps and bounds. 

Upwards of 50,000 Misty fans descend upon Chincoteague each year. But this summer, in the crazy year of The Pandemic 2020, the pony swim and all the revelries surrounding it – a carnival, music, food, and fun for the tens of thousands of Misty fans- were canceled due to Covid-19 – the first time the penning, prancing and partying were canceled since World War ll. Although the festive atmosphere wasn’t there, neither were the crowds, so having the tiny island nearly to myself was quite lovely, I must admit!

I did a walking tour (of course I did! You know I love those!!) with the knowledgeable, funny, informative and captivating Cindy Faith from “Chincoteague Step Through Time “ She led a leisurely twilight walk through the well-preserved town and pointed out all the key spots related to the Misty phenomenon – Miss Molly’s  (still in operation!) where the author stayed to write “Misty”, the tiny local movie theater where The Movie premiered with much fanfare ( the film opened simultaneously in Los Angeles) and where the famous pony herself was able to put her hoofprints in the wet cement (just like the movie star handprints at Grauman’s Chinese Theater! ) and Marguerite Henry was on hand to assisted Misty in “signing” her name.

Cindy’s walking tour was so interesting and informative – she’s worked at the Historical Society for over 20 years and has lived on the island nearly her entire life, working at the haunted ice cream parlor as well as other local spots, so she has an insider’s scoop (haha!) on the history of this small, charming and captivating island. She regaled us with the intriguing tale of Chincoteague’s incredible Civil War involvement (definitely a great story of courage and rebellion – check it out if you’re a Civil War buff or just like a great tale of the underdog. )

You can find Cindy and her fascinating, entertaining and sometimes spooky tours on Facebook at Chincoteague Step Through Time – she offers a variety of tours: haunted, pirate and more.

On my last day, I was woken by an insistent and frighteningly loud alarm blaring from my phone.  It was from the National Weather Service warning me of impending weather – a hurricane at worst, tropical storm at best. Soon after receiving that message, the sirens started wailing throughout the small town, notifying everyone of an emergency weather situation. 

I nervously peered out the windows from inside my comfy cozy bed in the van to see what my neighboring campers were going to do – stay? Leave? Batten down the hatches (whatever that means!)?

The wind began to bluster and howl, and the trees were bending and writhing perilously in the gale-force winds. I decided to get out of the campground – too many big trees precariously nearby that could crash down on my sweet little van. But where to go? 

Driving cautiously around the town, I saw that all the streetlights were out and there were very few cars on the road. What to do? This was my first hurricane, after all – I’m used to Colorado blizzards, not east coast tropical storms!  I called my friend Molly in Colorado and she suggested I call 911 to find shelter for me and Tilly, my van. Here’s how my conversation with the 911 operator on Chincoteague Island went:

Me: Hi, I’m from out of town and I’m camping at Pine Grove Campground in a van. I’ve just left there because I was worried about the high winds and all the trees crashing down. Is there a shelter I should go to?

 Police: Hmm. A shelter? Hmm. Ok. Hold on a sec. Let me see…(covering the phone and talking to a co-worker) Hey Bob – yeah I got a lady here who wants to know where she should go for shelter from the hurricane. Yeah. A shelter. Where should I tell her to go? Whattya think?

Me: Do you have a community shelter for something like this?

Police: Oh, no ma’am. No. Hmm. We are still checking. One moment. Hold on…

 Me (again)  So…Should I go to the fire department, do you think? (remember – the fire departments here are fancy as all get-out because of all the money that’s been raised over the years from the swimming ponies and all the festivities each year.)

Police: Oh, hey… that’s a great idea! Yep. Ok. Sure. Yeah. Hold on and I’ll tell them you’re coming. (covering the phone and talking to the co-worker again) Hey Bob – could ya call over to the fire department and tell them there’s a lady in a white van and she wants to sit out the storm for a while. Yeah. { long pause while Bob calls the fire department } Ok. Yep. I’ll tell her.) Ok, ma’am. You can go over there and Harold will watch for you and let you in.

 Me: Um ok – thanks!

So I drove over to the swanky deluxe firehouse and sure enough, Harold stuck his head out the door and waved me inside. I entered a ginormous community room of some sort, large enough for a big wedding, and Harold grabbed a brand new folding chair for me that was in a stack of a zillion against the wall and placed it at the brand new folding table in the center of the room. “Would you like a Coke or some coffee, ma’am?” he asked solicitously. There was NO ONE else in the room. I am fairly sure Harold (and Bob and his co-worker) thought I was over-reacting.

I waited out the storm for the next few hours until the winds died down, Googling “wind speed to topple a campervan”(84-122 mph, btw)  and “how long does a hurricane last” and other random hurricane fun facts to pass the time, then I thanked Harold, tossed a donation in the firefighter boot on said folding table, and drove off through the town streets which were now littered with toppled trees, splintered branches and a whirlwind of leaves.  The locals were beginning the cleanup efforts, leaning on rakes and chatting casually outside their homes about Hurricane/ Tropical Storm Isaias that just blew through.

Chincoteague Island…

Ponies, kayaking, an entertaining and informative walking tour, giant LOVE Adirondack chairs in the local park, fabulous fish tacos at Picos Tacos with Stephen and Jess from the kayak tour, “hoofprint “hand”prints in the concrete outside the tiny historical 1945-era movie theater, my first hurricane…and yes, of course I bought a copy of the book while on the island!  I really really enjoyed my stay on Chincoteague (and  I visited Assateague National Park as well, which is just maybe 15 minutes across another bridge and features lovely beaches). So very happy I found this wondrous place on my giant road atlas!

Definitely worth a stop to enjoy this tiny island off the coast of Virginia and its small-town hospitality! If you’ve been, drop me a note and tell me what you loved about it – and if you haven’t yet been, add it to your list! 

Some animals, like some men, leave a trail of glory behind them. They give their spirit to the place where they have lived, and remain forever a part of the rocks and streams and the wind and sky.   ~ Marguerite Henry, author of “Misty of Chincoteague”, “Stormy – Misty’s Foal”, “SeaStar- Orphan of Chincoteague” and 56 other books 🙂