Lost Coast, found treasure
waves crash, sea lions grunt, cobbles roll
forest, sand, surf meet
This time last week, I was hiking the Lost Coast trail, a 24.6 mile stretch of seaside and beach trail in the King Range National Conservation Area, which is managed by the BLM Arcata Field Office. Whenever anyone would ask how it was, my synopsis was this: “It is unreal how beautiful the Lost Coast is.” Not the most elegant phrasing, but the honest truth. Enjoy the pictures my friends, and if you like to backpack, put this trail on your bucket list.
The hike begins from the Mattole Trailhead. We have our self-issue permit and bear canisters, and we are ready to go!Our first major landmark was the Punta Gorda lighthouse, also known as the “Alcatraz of lighthouses,” which was in use until 1951.The lighthouse was “open” to visitors, by which I mean, you could climb up to the top – and take panoramic photos.Ladies of the lighthouse! Floppy hat catching some wind.After exploring the lighthouse, we journeyed on to our fist campsite.First night campsite on a small hill above a freshwater creek that flows into the ocean. We could see and hear sea lions on the offshore rocks below.This cobblestone beach was where we started our second day of hiking, it was immediately below the cliff in the picture above. Hearing the waves crash upon the shore then toss and roll the cobblestones over each other is a sound I will not forget.Group pic! Our campsite from the first night is in the background.Back to the beach to continue the hike. It was neat to see the exposed folds in the rock along the shore.Deceased sea creatures were inevitable while hiking on the beach; we saw chiton (left) and sea urchins (right), as well as crabs and shells of other things long gone.Posed in front of one of the many freshwater streams that flow into the ocean.Still unreal.Any good camping trip needs a good nap time. We found a giant piece of drift wood to rest our weary bodies upon.Second night campsite, just a stone’s throw from the surf.We had a visitor in the night – BEAR!It was THIS close! (Yellow dot in upper left is my tent.) Good thing we followed the regulations and had our food and smelly things in our bear canisters.On the third day, the trail called and we followed. This is a picture from the second (of two) high-tide impassable sections on the trail.We saw (and smelled) a dead whale! Probably a young gray whale.Kelp-ie stick photo!Third night campsite, we crept closer to the ocean each night. I waited a little too long to take this picture, and thus you see the effect of the north coast fog.On the third and final camping night, we played rock stack, which is exactly what it sounds like and more fun than you may be imagining. Look at our creation!With my Bandito camp shoes on, I greeted the morning of our final day on the Lost Coast.About a half mile from the finish, we received some trail magic – three beers to share among ourselves AND someone to take our picture. The home stretch!We made it! Slightly cleaner and in high spirits, we prepared to depart the Black Sands Beach trailhead in Shelter Cove.I am already dreaming of my next visit!
This is one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen. We were situated above the coastal fog, approximately on O’Rourke’s Bench in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. Phenomenal.
Sea of fog sunsets Point Reyes falls, seals, lighthouse
Muir Woods sky-scrapers
As if we had not been spoiled enough, we were treated to this gorgeous view out of our tent on Saturday morning at the Pantoll campground in Mt. Tamalpais State Park.Our Saturday adventure began with a seven-ish mile hike along the coast at Point Reyes National Seashore.Our destination was Alamere Falls, a waterfall into the ocean. California really does have it all.We made it!Throughout the park, we encountered an abundance of blooming wildflowers. The Douglas iris (pictured here) was particularly stunning.In the afternoon, we journeyed across the park to see the Point Reyes Lighthouse. For the physics buffs out there: the Point Reyes Lighthouse is a “first order” Fresnel lens, and its inner workings are particularly display-worthy because they originally debuted at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair.Our final park stop was to see the elephant seals. This is a picture through a binocular of one of the male elephant seals calling. It was a rather amusing sound.Day two of our adventure led Laura and I to Muir Woods National Monument. Yes, we are wearing matching rain jackets and pants; we bought the rain jackets separately.There is something captivating about these trees. For the botany enthusiasts, these are the coastal redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens). You will see a picture of another of the “redwoods” in the next section.Walking among giants
GIANT sequoias Rim Trail, peep s’mores, & dyed eggs
Sippin’ the good life
In early April, a group of us went to see the “Big Trees” of Calaveras State Park in Arnold, California. The “Big Trees” are giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum), and no picture can do them justice, you will have to come see them for yourself.
Walking along the North Grove Trail was akin to walking through an adult-sized jungle gym made of tree parts past and present. Look how big they are!On day two, David and I hiked a 10-mile section of the Arnold Rim Trail. Here I am at the Top of the World.At night, we refueled and rewarded ourselves with peep s’mores, which are like a traditional s’more, but with the marshmallow replaced by a peep! Before you dismiss the idea, try it: it’s all about the caramelized sugar.Easter coincided with our trip and to celebrate, we dyed eggs. I think that one is looking at you!
Cache Creek backpacking
Rolling trail, wild blooms, critters
Vast oak savanna
The last weekend of March, three of us went on our first backpacking trip of 2015. Our travel destination was Cache Creek Natural Area, a 70,000+ acre expanse of BLM land. For our adventure, we selected the 10-mile Ridge Trail hike, which meandered through oak savannas and the occasional stretch of chamise chaparral. It was a beautiful trip full of wildflowers and animal sightings, the latter of which included a coyote, a gopher snake, a ring-necked snake, a squirrel, and more lizards than I could count.
Sometimes the best way to celebrate trail life is with a shady nap.Dinner never tastes so fine as when it comes at the end of a 10-mile hike and is made over a camp stove. Here we are enjoying pita pizzas.Wildlife sightings/catchings: gopher snake left and ring-necked snake right.Happy crew nearing the end of our trek – what a weekend!
*Weekend Warrior endnote: hopefully now it is clear why there have been a dearth of posts. This blog is still something I intend to keep up, but the spread between posts might continue at the current pace. Thank you for reading!
Purple owl’s clover (pink flower) and small blue lupine (purple flower)
Wildflowers create
purple, yellow, white brushstrokes
on verdant hillsides.
On Saturday, February 28, David D. and I visited North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve located near Chico, California. The reserve is known for its annual wildflower display, and it did not disappoint. I hope we can return in the coming weeks to see what new flowers are making their appearance. I would also encourage you to seek out wildflowers in your area when the time is right. There is something magical about seeing a hillside painted in color by a vast number of flowers, particularly ones that have not been planted or tended by human hands.
Disclosure: my wildflower identifications are my best guess.
David in a field of blue lupine and purple owl’s clover.Kellogg’s monkeyflowerPoppies – possibly California poppies or frying pan poppies, blue lupine, and purple owl’s clover.Waterfall and landscape of the reservePhoto credit: David D.
Nesting great horned owl’s
yellow eye speaks without sound,
‘I am watching you.’
Observing wildlife is one of the chief perks of my internship, and seeing this – my first owl in California – was unforgettable. When that yellow eye fell upon me, I felt my heart jump. I had the sense that the owl was looking straight into my soul, an unnerving and exhilarating experience.
What also struck me was the nest, how well camouflaged it is and how dense the vegetation is around it. I know owls are agile flyers, but to navigate through the needles and branches to this site without rumpling feathers seems impossible. Perhaps the view is more open from above? Or perhaps my raptor nest blueprint needs revising? My framework is based mostly on Michigan bald eagle nests, which are large and obvious from a distance. The great horned owl bird cam in Savannah, Georgia that I have been watching seemed to confirm this would be true for large owls too, but given this nest, I think I must reconsider. Thankfully, this opens a whole new world of possibilities for nest sites!
Great horned owl nest. Photo credit: David D.A #WorstBirdPic to show you just how hidden this owl nest is. I promise it’s in the picture somewhere near the middle.
Frosty Fun Run Champ –
Eight races to test myself.
Bandito Power!
The Frosty Fun Run Championships took place on Saturday, February 28, and I brought home the gold. This was an eight-race, Saturday morning series with courses ranging from 3.7 miles to 5.5 miles. Participating was a fun way to meet community runners – I was the girl the guys didn’t want to lose to – and to test my speed. I joyfully represented The Banditos (I wish “Banditos Represent!” was five syllables), and look forward to running with them in two weeks for the Palmetto 200. Super pumped!
Next chapters revealed.
THE overarching question:
Will it all fall down?
I thought I would address the delay between recent posts: House of Cards, Season Three was released on Friday, February 27, and my discretionary time was immediately prioritized to include one (or three, but who’s counting?) episodes every night. This in addition to running, yoga, and trivia meant blogging would have to wait, but I am glad to be back at it.
