Deer wander the island, which is home to feral pigs, armadillos, raccoons and possums.
To the east lie endless miles of ocean. To the west spread vast salt marshes, cut with deep tidal rivers and creeks that separate the island from the McIntosh County mainland. Cornelia Walker Bailey, a Sapelo native and a resident of the island's small Hog Hammock community, is driving visitors around in a battered Chevy Blazer while her rich contralto voice describes the island's past and its possible future. The vehicle squeaks as it pitches over the rutted road, paved only with loose oyster shells dug from shell rings deposited by aboriginal inhabitants thousands of years ago. A published book author, professional storyteller and pragmatic cultural activist, Bailey suddenly begins talking about spirits.