Was up really late packing last night - didn't get to bed until 1:00 am. Then up at 4:00am to hit the road by 4:30. I meet Mark and Jim at an I-95 park & ride and we're on our way!

It is a cold morning and I'm really tired as we drive through Maryland, and then Virginia. (Jim and Mark are in the Pathfinder and I'm in my car.) Then we cross the North Carolina state line and the sun streams through the car window and warms me like a basking lizard. The ochre and manila sand peaks out from beneath the green and brown vegetation, and scrub oak and long-leaf pine populate the roadside. We pass an old country store, its wood worn and darkened from age and weather, and another old building painted bright blue with a hand-painted sign proclaiming "Massages - All Girl Staff." Joe Cocker is singing "You Can Keep Your Hat On" and suddenly I am awake.

After seven hours of driving, we get a room at the Motel 6 on Route 1 in Aberdeen, NC. This puts us in close driving range to the Sandhills Game Area, where we found a Pine Snake and Pine Barrens Treefrogs last year. After tossing our luggage into the room, we climb into the Pathfinder and hit the pavement.

It doesn't take long to realize that the hunting is going to be tough. The Sandhills harbors some unique animals, but because of the harsh environment (pines, sand, and sun) their density is low. And since there has been a drought for the past two years, water levels are low, and the herps less active. But we are always guaranteed to find several lizards basking in the hot middaysun, seemingly unphased by the lack of rain. The first ones we notice are the racerunners scrambling through the dried grasses and fallen pine needles. Forget about getting photographs of these guys, especially after they've been basking all day long.

We walk along a stream we had hunted in the past. The stream is down to a trickle and some of its small tributaries are completely dried up. Mark finds a garter snake wending its way through the low branches, but other than that, the forest is quiet. We decide to check out the pond where we had found the endangered Pine Barrens Treefrog the year before. At least there will be water in the pond and that may attract some animals during this period of drought. It will also be a little cooler for us to hang out in the forest close to water.

The pond is quiet other than the intermittent twittering of a few lone birds seemingly talking to themselves. As we walk the pond edge, there are many Cricket Frogs hidden between the grass blades and sitting on top of matted, submerged vegetation. Cricket Frogs are tiny guys, only three quarters of an inch long or less. There are two species found in this range: the Southern Cricket Frog and the Northern. A quick look usually does not suffice to tell which one you are looking at, but my guess would be the Southern. The legs look long, whereas the Northern has shorter legs. There are also differences in the webbing on the hind feet, and striping on the thighs, but I did not take a close look at these characteristics.

Jim finds a small two-inch box turtle partially submerged in the water between a couple of rushes. It's always good to see young animals because it indicates that at least some reproduction is going on. And with the hit that Box Turtles have taken over the past few decades, it's especially good to see young ones. I remember when I was about 16; I took a walk through Double Rock Park, a small park close to my home in suburban Baltimore. In that one day I found 13 Box Turtles in about three hours. A couple decades later, I'm lucky to find one adult. Sadly enough, statistics support the anecdotes.

With today's long drive and the hot afternoon sun draining the energy out of us, we decide to take it easy in the evening and save night hunting for tomorrow night. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.