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Corolla's Wild Horses
by Matt Artz
Corolla's famed wild Spanish mustangs have inspired many a drive north, through the traffic-heavy hustle and bustle of the Dare beaches up to where the road ends and the sand begins, where development has largely been halted and the flora and fauna of these barrier islands is laid bare. It is here that these great horses have roamed for centuries, almost unbelievably surviving in the harshest of environments. And it is here that the nature lover in all of us can gain a sense, from both the horses and the area, of what life might have been like along the Outer Banks long before the Wrights or the Wings or the global franchises. Many off-road tours are offered for those adventurers who want to explore the four-wheel-drive/Carova area where the horses roam. The tours specialize in finding the horses, the guides know where they are, when they're there and how to find them. But the tours are not limited to the horses; they show off every aspect of the area, from the history to the wildlife to the geographical features. And to ensure a quality tour, each of the tour companies in the area limits how many tours are given each day, creating minimal disturbance, so as not to scare the animals from their natural environments.
"We don't over sell it," says Scott Trabue of Back Country Outfitters and Guides, "so that you always see something when we take you out." The modes of transportation offered for these tours are varied and, in some cases, new and excitingly cutting edge.
For the last 12 years, the signature tour at Back Country Outfitters & Guides has been a traditional four-while-drive expedition with the bonus of a special kayak portion of the tour, in which you paddle through the waters of a coastal reserve in the Currituck Sound. The Kayak Safari starts with a 15-mile off-road ride up the beach, viewing various shorebirds as a guide explains the ecology, history and local legends of the area.
"Our guides are all naturalists," says Trabue. "They are trained to know all of the critters that you'll see, not just the horses. It's a non-stop dialogue in ecological terms." Back Country got even more eco-friendly last year when they began offering Segway tours.
A Segway is a self-balancing, two-wheeled, single-person transportation vehicle that Trabue believes is the future of short transportation. It is powered electronically, simply by plugging a charger into a computer. "These Segways will revolutionize short transportation," said Trabue. "Right now, they're where cell phones were ten years ago, or home computers were fifteen or twenty years ago. They're ecologically friendly. There are no emissions, and they're quiet so you don't startle the animals. They're green and clean, and for ten cents worth of electricity you can go for twenty-five miles."
Trabue stated that Back Country is the first in the nation to offer off-road tours on Segways, adding, "We're pretty proud of that." New Segway drivers are first certified so that they'll know everything they will need to know to feel comfortable and safe on the tour, learning basic skills, proper operation and safety features.
"We teach you how to ride like a professional," said Trabue. "We get you very comfortable on the Segway, and then we take you out for a historic guided tour where you learn about the people and the Outer Banks the way it was around 1875 and how this area came into existence. We talk about the unique people who lived here and try to give people a little of the local culture, rather than just a history-book-review. We want to give people some of the flavor of the area." One Segway tour "glides"through the old Corolla Village and various landmarks from the turn of the century, including The Whalehead Club, the Chippendale Bridge, the 1875 lighthouse, the old schoolhouse and Corolla Chapel.
Another tour includes a four-wheel-drive excursion through 30 miles of beach and dunes for an off-road Segway experience, rolling through the maritime forest located inside a private Spanish mustang reserve. Back Country's latest off-road adventure is the "Hummer Experience."
"We'll teach you how to drive on the sand," said Trabue, "and then we'll let you drive up to the (Virginia) state line and back on the beach in the greatest off-road machine ever made. Who doesn't want to try their hand in the sand?Ó Also new for 2006, Bob's Wild Horse Tours" new sister company, Beach Jeeps of Corolla, is now offering four-wheel-drive Jeep rentals for a self-guided tour where visitors follow a pre-planned GPS (global positioning system) route to the northern beaches.
"We give people about two and a half hours to go up there and play," said owner Bob White. "We set them up in a Jeep Wrangler, and they can go up to Swan Beach and Penny's Hill. Second only to Jockey's Ridge in Nags Head, Penny's Hill, also known as Lewark's Hill, is also recognized as one of the largest active natural sand dunes on the East Coast. "
At North Swan Beach, be sure to stop and check out the old Wash Woods Life Saving Station. Then it's on to the wild Spanish ponies in Carova at the north end. In addition to the horses, visitors may also often spot dolphins, red fox, and the occasional deer, according to White.
For larger groups, Bob's Wild Horse Tours offers tours in air-conditioned Suburbans, with a guide to tell stories of the area. "For us," said White, "it's about the knowledge and the lore. People always want to know about the pirates, so we talk a little about the pirates and about the history of the area, its people, and some ecology. It's a fun, informative tour for the whole family."
Also new on the tour scene this summer, Corolla Outback ATV Adventures is debuting its new electric-powered ATVs (all terrain vehicles). "I call them ETVs," said owner Jay Bender, adding that the stainless steel ETVs were all custom-built just for Corolla Outback last year.
"The tour usually lasts about two hours," Bender said of the fifteen-mile ride. "There are two people per vehicle, so there are usually about ten to fourteen people on each tour, plus a guide. We may let 'em go all the way up to the state line if it's a nice day." The scenic, eco-friendly ride begins at the beach access ramp and goes north to Carova Beach through back-country areas, including a 70-acre tract that is part of the Wild Horse Reserve, as guides explain the history of the areas that you are visiting.
Corolla Outback strongly suggests calling at least two weeks in advance for reservations. Essentials to bring on an ATV tour include a backpack to carry your belongings, sunglasses and sunscreen for UV protection, and a camera to capture the memories.
Bender added that what the guides talk about often depends largely on what those taking the tour want to know and see. "We go over a lot of stuff," he said, "but the more people get in to it, the more questions they ask. So you have to allow some flexibility to it." While visitors will likely see much more wildlife than just horses on any of these tours, it is Corolla's wild ponies that continue to be the biggest attraction. The history of the legendary Spanish mustangs' initiation to the North American continent goes back more than five centuries.
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