The eye of the storm crossed the North Carolina coast near Cape Lookout at about 0730 local (1130 GMT) on Saturday - at the start of what is predicted to be a 36-hour assault on the US east coast.
Dune after dune, rising and falling beneath his feet, then finally falling, falling, falling all the way to a gray-green-blue vastness, riffled, glinting, and crossed by the cloud shadows as far as the eye could see.