With more than 7,600 acres of protected dunes, salt and freshwater marshes and a decommissioned lighthouse, the gorgeous Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge will make you feel like a trailblazer.

Rick Nye, the current manager of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, will be leaving the position at the end of the month.

There’s not a soul on the beach at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. The silence is soothing. The seals are out at Monomoy Light, a short boat ride away. The great whites have headed south.