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35
M
y first glimpse of Sandy Hook was from high up in the Atlantic
Highlands in the 1950s when I was a kid. Back then, it was still
Fort Hancock, and I didn't give the restricted U.S. Army base much
thought, other than wonderment at the radar domes in the distance
and intrigue at the adults talking of the missiles there. Then, eight years
ago, a friend gave me a guided tour of the former base while I was doing
research. Soon I realized Sandy Hook had more than I had imagined.
I began to make trips every summer as I was taken in by its unusual
combination of elements—what the National Park Service refers to as
the five themes: Navigation, Lifesaving, Recreation, Nature, and Defense.
Simply put, they are the five "stars" of Sandy Hook.
continued on page 36
Above: Sunset on Sandy Hook at the salt marsh just north of Horseshoe Cove.
Opposite page: Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Lighthouse.
Paul
Scharff
