Bruce Trail

Ontario, Canada
September 3 – 6, 2007
Bonnie and Norm Kern

Resources
The Bruce Trail Reference Trail Guides and Maps – The Bruce Trail Association
The Bruce Trail by Rich & Sue Freeman – Footprint Press – Describes a hike of
the complete Bruce Trail.
Website for the Bruce Trail Conservancy - http://brucetrail.org/places
Shuttle - http://www.thorncrestoutfitters.com/

The Bruce Trail meanders for approximately 465 miles along the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara Falls to Tobermory, Ontario. Various parts of the trail are within a few hours of Toronto, Ontario, and Buffalo, New York, or a half day drive from Detroit, Michigan. For our four day hike we chose some of the northern most miles on the Bruce Peninsula which extends into Lake Huron. This hike is described on maps 39 and 40 from the above noted Reference Trail Guides and Maps. Our hike started at Kilometer 136.6 and ended at Kilometer 168.4. This stretch is reputed to be the most demanding of the whole Bruce Trail.

Camping is limited to established campgrounds. For Back Country and Group sites within the National Park call (519) 596-2263. For Cyprus Lake Campground booking information and fees call 1-877-737-3783 from 7 am to 7 pm or by internet at www.pccamping.ca (24 hour service).


Side trips before the hike - We drove to Tobermory from Detroit on Friday, August 31. Tobermory is a very nice little town at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula which extends out into Lake Huron. It is a summer tourist town and since this was Labor Day weekend in the US, Tobermory was very busy. We stayed at the Blue Bay Motel which overlooks Little Tub Harbor, all the shops, pubs and restaurants. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony outside our room. Everything is within walking distance in Tobermory. We can recommend breakfast at the Princess Hotel, dinner at the Leeside and Mermaid, and deli sandwiches from the grocery store. On Saturday we walked to the National Park Headquarters. We watched the movie, and stopped to climb the observation tower which affords wonderful views of the nearby islands and the Niagara Escarpment to the east. The Burnt Point Trail gives a taste of what the Bruce Trail will be like and gives nice views of Lake Huron. On Sunday, we took a Zodiac boat out to Flower Pot Island. We were the only people on our boat and there was only one Zodiac ahead of us so we expected to have the Island pretty much to ourselves. As we landed we saw the camp sites of people who had kayaked out from Tobermory. That would be a nice adventure. Unfortunately, a large glass bottomed tour boat had stopped off shore and was transporting people to the island so we shared “our” island with several dozen other folks. We walked north towards the light house which is a very nice walk. The Flower Pots are quite amazing limestone formations from when the lake level was higher. The light house keeper’s house was interesting and included many historic pictures. We had a nice lunch and snooze at the water’s edge. The squirrels were very used to humans and were fearless in their quest for food from our backpack when we left it on the ground for a moment.

To High Dump – The Thorncrest shuttle met us at 9 AM above Little Cove, as arranged, and drove us to our starting point, at the end of Crane Lake Road. The trail seemed to be a logging road and now perhaps a snowmobile trail. The exposed rocks had many scratches or gouges that seemed to be caused by metal. This stretch of trail is a nice shaded walk in the woods. We met a party for each car that was parked at the end of the road. Once we accounted for all of the cars we expected to be alone. The first person we met was a fellow who was running with a pack on his pack and a smaller pack on his chest. He had run from High Dump, our destination. (Dump, in Canadian logging country, is a place where logs were slid down the cliff into Lake Huron, where they were gathered into rafts and transported. Dump does not mean a place for trash as it does in the US.) This stretch of trail is gently rolling but more down than up. The final pitch down to the camp site was quite steep. A rope had been installed to make the climbs down and up a bit easier. We started walking at 9:45 AM and were at camp by 2:30. 8 Kilometers.

At the bottom of the pitch there was a sign but no map of the campground. We just wandered around until we found site number 8 for which we had the reservation. All the sites have large wooden platforms. This is good, because there is little smooth, level ground. The limestone is exposed everywhere. We had the whole campground to ourselves. We enjoyed the “beach” which has NO sand. It is made up of limestone rocks from 3 inches to 30 feet in diameter. We waded and rinsed and then read our books in the sun, enjoying the sound of the waves in the background. Norm went back to the tent to get a snack and found squirrels attacking our packs. We kept the food with us down on the beach. We filtered water out of Lake Huron.

We enjoyed Backpacker’s Panty (blue pouch) Hawaiian Chicken, which has no freeze dried taste. After dinner we hung the food on a bear pole which was provided by the park. It has a nice pulley system. This avoids the hassle of finding that perfect tree with the limb that is low enough, yet high enough, and long enough to keep the food safe from the bears or other varmints. We fell asleep about 9PM but then woke up later and took a walk down to the beach to see the stars. It was very clear so the star viewing was excellent, with the Milky Way, a satellite but no falling stars. We then went to the outhouse by flashlight. We hadn’t memorized the route so finding it in the dark was a humorous challenge.

On to Storm Haven – We enjoyed a pretty sun rise but then nothing but cloudy skies. We were walking by 8:30. The Bruce Trail from High Dump all the way to Little Cove is very rugged. The lime stone is exposed everywhere and is rough. It demands a great deal of attention to choose your footing. There are endless short descents and ascents, many of which are steep. This trail is more rugged than any hikes Norm had done outside of the Grand Canyon, including trails in Georgia, Arkansas, New Mexico and along the Pacific in California. Bonnie first cracked her hiking stick and then broke it at the worst possible instant (of course). Fortunately, she didn’t injure herself when it broke, but it was supporting much of her weight at the time. We learned that once a stick is weakened it should be replaced immediately. We found another stick right away. We saw only 2 backpackers but we saw several day hikers from Cyprus Lake Campground. There are many overlooks where you can see the limestone cliffs both to the east and west. We always like the pictures which show “We came all this way.” We wondered at the trees which grow out of seemingly solid rock and at many strange angles with bends for seemingly no reasons. A sign at Halfway Dump indicated only 2 km to go. We thought it meant 2 km to Storm Haven, but now I believe it was 2 km to the trail head. It was actually over 4 km to Storm Haven. The misunderstanding that we were “almost there” made it seem even further. With about 2 real km left, it started to rain. We put on our slickers and put plastic bags on our packs and then, of course, it stopped. In total this day was 11.4 Km or about 7 miles.

The pitch down to Storm Haven is made easier by some nice wooden stairs. The bear lines and the out house are at the top of the stairs. All the rocks at Storm Haven are flat. Everything is horizontal. At High Dump everything was basically round. One wonders what forces cause these differences. We found our reserved platform and set the tent up immediately. It then started to rain again so we tossed the packs into the tent and climbed in behind them. It felt good to be done for the day and to be off our feet. It stopped raining long enough for us to have Stroganoff for dinner, hang the food on a bear line, and visit the outhouse. We saw a single fellow at another site and a couple frolicking in the lake with their air mattresses. We went back to the tent and read and fell asleep. During one of Norm’s nocturnal walks, he saw some familiar items from his “snacks for today” bag, which he had forgotten to put in the bag on the bear line. Some local varmint must have enjoyed his snacks including the last of the chocolate.

Short walk to Cyprus Lake – Camping on the Bruce Trail is only allowed in official camp grounds, and we were lead to believe that penalties were heavy for infractions. There are few camp sites in this stretch of trail so we had to make a compromise. From Storm Haven to Little Cove is 17 km (over 10 miles) and we didn’t want to have any day that was quite that long. A campground at about 162 km would have been nice. The compromise we selected was to have a very short third day. We hiked only about 4 km (2.5 Mi) into Cypress Lake campground.

We awoke to continued rain complete with thunder. We rolled over and went back to sleep. Norm eventually went up the stairs to retrieve the food from the bear lines. It had stopped raining and there was some blue sky. We had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. As we reached to the top of the stairs, it started to rain one last time. We ducked into the out house and waited it out. We put the plastic on the packs again, just in case, and started walking about 10 AM. The tree roots, which are exposed on the trail, were quite slippery and even the limestone was more slippery than when dry. We had to watch our steps even more carefully than on the previous days. The trail took us down to beaches twice. It is tough walking on all the loose limestone rocks, since they tend to act like big ball bearings when they move. On the beach there are no trees, so the trail blazes are painted onto boulders or are on short posts. All of the Bruce Trail that we walked is very well marked with 2 inch by 4 inch white blazes that are otherwise on trees. There is almost always at least one blaze in sight. Even where there is not a blaze, there is little doubt about where the trail goes. There are few side trails and the forest is so dense there is little temptation to leave the trail. Again the trail includes many ups and downs. We started to ask ourselves, “Is this descent really necessary?” The day brightened and eventually we could see our shadows.

On the third beach section we were pleasantly surprised to find a sign for the Horse Lake Trail which took us to the Cyprus Lake Campground. We were even more pleasantly surprised that this trail is smooth, level and soft. What luxury. Once in the campground we found no signs or maps directing us to our reserved camp site. We had to impose on another camper, who had a map, to find our way. We were close to our site and had not walked far out of our way. We hung out all of our wet stuff including clothes and the tent. As soon as Norm hung out an empty food bag to dry there was a squirrel sniffing around it. Again we took our food with us everywhere we went. We were visited by a beautiful butterfly that hung around for several minutes and a few pictures. We split a tuna salad for lunch, and found evidence that varmints had gotten into the food that was on the bear line back at Storm Haven. (Actually there were not actual poles at Storm Haven. There was a line stretched between two trees and separate pulleys down from this line. Perhaps the varmint crawled across the horizontal line to our food? Perhaps we should not have pulled the food all the way up to the horizontal line? Good thing we brought enough food to share.) We cleaned up in the nice bathrooms and then went for a dip in Cyprus Lake which has real sand. We enjoyed freeze dried chicken breasts for dinner. How amazing are those things? At first they feel like graham crackers, but after 10 minutes in a little boiling water they become real chicken again! We tied the food up in a tree over a neighboring campsite. We found some fire wood and enjoyed a little fire. We never saw a camp ranger.

Long Walk to Little Cove – No intruders in the food this time. Walking by 8:40. Marr Lake Trail is more rugged than Horse Lake Trail. We were plagued by flies. They definitely didn’t care that we had Skin So Soft on. We had to put our long pants on and keep long sleeves rolled down. There is some private land in this stretch and we crossed a road for the first time in the trip. There were some lakes on the map so we could better judge our location and progress today. We had lunch at the halfway point. The middle of the day included a stretch where the walking was much easier. There is an especially pleasant part that runs through a limestone gap. We saw a large hole that would allow someone to climb down into a limestone grotto overlooking the lake. The climb looked pretty tricky so we just looked. Next to the hole there was a post with a number 8 on it. Attached to it was a special punch. There was a card with several punches in it. Close examination indicated that you could possibly win various things if you could get various numbers of punches, from presumably multiple locations. We laughed when we saw that second prize was 4 tons of, guess what, limestone! Anyone who has walked the Bruce Trail has seen enough limestone for a life time.

We took the side trail to the sink hole. It is about 60 feet deep and over 100 feet across. We took a short nap on the ground cloth. We only saw day hikers today. We saw three loons pretty close up near Loon Lake. We were stopped when we saw a huge poodle come bounding out of the woods. It looked out of place with its traditional hair shaping. It was followed by a party of four. We met a mother and son who hike on the Bruce Trail every year. As the day wore on Bonnie started to suggest that they need to build bridges across more of the down and up places. She even threatened to wait until a bridge was built before she would cross one such place. The closer to Little Cove we got, the happier we got. There were a few people there on the beach when we arrived. One took the traditional “We did it” picture and we walked up to the waiting car. This day was 14 Km or almost 9 miles.

We arrived back at our hotel and found a very different Tobermory. The crowds were gone and already some businesses were closed for the winter. We celebrated our hike with a wonderful whitefish dinner at the Princess Hotel. We gave each other foot massages, watched Peyton Manning play football and fell asleep.

Lost Coast - Northern Coastal California

Jerry and Norm

April 24 - May 1, 2009

Resources

The Hiker’s Guide to the Humboldt Coast, Bob Lorentzen, Bored Feet Press

The Hiker’s Guide to the Mendocino Coast, Bob Lorentzen, Bored Feet Press

Both books include maps.

Trails of the Lost Coast Map, Wilderness Press

King Range National Conservation Area Lost Coast Trail Map – BLM Arcata Field Office

Tide Tables (we used Shelter Cove) - http://gofishingforum.net/

BLM Website for Lost Coast (including shuttles) - http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/kingrange/index.html

Note – We also did this hike in 2004. We did it one week earlier this time. The weather was much cooler this time. Since we were familiar with the route and the sights, we planned to minimize some bad spots and maximize our favorite spots.

Friday April 24, 2009 – Getting There – Left home at 6:30 for a 9:00 flight. Long luggage line at NW or is it Delta? Breakfast at McD’s. Long walk to the very end of the terminal at Gate 78. Had to hustle. Oh, flight now scheduled for 9:23. Had aisle seats across. Uneventful flight. Landed at 11:40. Poor signage within the airport to find the rental cars. They are far away from the terminal at the end of the air tram. Long line at the Budget desk. Finally, driving by 1:30. We missed the exit for the REI store where we planned to by the butane/propane gas for our stove. Jerry pulled off the freeway and got directions to a sporting goods store that had gas at the next exit. We at lunch at that shopping center too. Traffic was awful for about two hours after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. The last three hours were OK. Highway 101 to Leggett and then turn left onto Highway 1. Go South to mile marker 90.88 and turn right. The road into Usal Creek is rough and rougher than 5 years ago. Took it slow. Parked the car at 8:00 PM. We set up the tent, just in case, but went to sleep in our bivy sacks, hoping to prove to ourselves we wouldn’t need the tent. We heard voices and saw lights late into the night. We were later told the park is party headquarters for kids from Fort Bragg. Norm moved into the tent at 4:00 AM to see it if was any warmer. Yes, it was.

April 25, 2009 – To The Light House And Beyond - Both of us woke up with moist sleeping bags, evidently from condensation within the bivy sacks. Between that and the forecast for 30 something degree nights all week, we decided to leave the bivy sacks and take the tent. Nuts! We packed up and moved the car as we had been directed. Jill, the shuttle driver, was on time at 7:30. She said she loved to come over to Usal, that it was her playground. She drove faster than we had, do I guess it was her playground. She warned that we might get motion sick due to the winding roads. Norm eventually moved into the front seat, took some medication, and asked Jill to slow down and even stop once. She was very cooperative and compassionate. Norm eventually fell asleep. We picked up BLM Bear Cans at the store in Petrolia and arrived at Mattole River at 11:30. Jill took our final three day’s food to the Shelter Cove General Store which is on the hill above Shelter Cove. Jill provided the excellent King Range National Conservation Area Lost Coast Trail Map. It clearly shows the areas with tide issues and gives the hiking distance between all major land marks down to the Needle Rock Visitor Center.

We were walking in just a few minutes. It was very WINDY, from the Northwest. We were very happy we had decided not to walk South to North as we had originally planned. As the next few days developed, we became happier and happier about that decision. Everyone we met mentioned the wind. We stopped at the light house for lunch and were soon joined by The Couple in Black. They were friendly and shared their names but we forgot them. They were 20 something, from Portland, and were going all the way to Usal on the same basic schedule as we were. They didn’t have a map for the lower half, so we shared ours. Later, a larger group of younger people arrived from the south. We skipped a nap we were contemplating and headed out. Soon, we met adults who were probably the chaperones of the young group. We also met a farther, son, and grandson. Nice to see them hiking together. We managed to find several stretches of trail above the beach, which we missed five years ago. We soon heard and saw dozens of sea lions sunning on some large rocks. We saw several creeks falling down the hillside. There are small creeks all along the route all the way to Shelter Cove. It is not necessary to carry very much water. We saw the first of four cabins which are very near the ocean. They made us wonder about who owned them, how long had they been there, how does one get to them, and how often are they used. We also saw the first of many driftwood shelters. They must have been made by previous backpackers for shelter from the wind. Most have some nautical ropes or floats incorporated. This one was partially roofed. It was too soon to stop so we just looked through it.

There is a tide issue in the stretch beyond the light house but the tide was going out, so all points were passable for us. We wanted to camp beyond the final tide issue, so we needed to get to Randall Creek. The guide book indicated we would see Reynolds Rock at or before we arrived at Randall Creek. We didn’t know what Reynolds Rock would look like but we guessed it would be more prominent than all the others. We never saw such a rock so we overshot Randall Creek. We became sure of that when we got to the clearly marked foot of the Spanish Ridge Trail. (Note - The guide book indicates that the Spanish Ridge Trail starts 250 feet beyond Randall Creek, and that at 10.5 miles another spur climbs Spanish Ridge. We believe that the currently mapped and marked trail corresponds to the guide book’s “another spur”, and that the Spanish Ridge Trail is no longer marked at 250 feet beyond Randall Creek.)

Jerry walked back a quarter mile to the last small creek/ravine and found two flat spots. The Couple in Black took the other one. We were somewhat out of the wind, but gusts would blow the tent away, even with a pack inside. Norm crawled in to hold it down. He got comfortable and dozed off. He basically stayed in the tent until Jerry got ready to retire for the night. We should not have even put the tent up, until we actually intended to retire. The wind gusted all night. We eventually were wearing every but if clothing we brought; 2 shirts, sweat shirts, rain jackets, rain pants, stocking hats, gloves. This was required on every evening but one.

April 26, 2009 – Crossing the Flats – Awoke at 6:00 and were walking by 7:30. We planned the trip around the notion that we wanted to arrive at the foot of the Shelter Cove hill early in the morning instead of mid afternoon as we had last time. This meant we had some discretionary time, so we dropped our packs and hiked up the Spanish Ridge Trail for about 45 minutes, until we could see back to the beach again. It is open and grassy and very pretty, with nice views down the shore. After, heading south again, we met a fellow with his dog going north. He mentioned the wind and said “Nothing to block it but Asia”. Asia wasn’t blocking much wind for him or for us. We enjoyed seeing the shore at lower tide. The kelp sparkles in the sun, as the waves move it back and forth. We stopped again at Oat Creek to shave and clean up, and basically hang out. It was sunny and we had a nice rest and stayed for lunch. The Couple in Black had not been stirring yet when we left our camp but they passed us at Oat Creek. We passed them again at Kinney Creek. We saw several snakes cross the trail today but no rattle snakes. Lizards too. We also saw the very sad sight of a dead whale being flopped about by the surf. Sad Sight. Almost the whole day was on trails above the beach. The trail goes pretty high at one point. Passed three more cabins/homes at the foot of the cliffs. Two can be accessed by road and one by plane. The first was occupied but we did not see a vehicle. The road to these cabins would demand a vehicle with plenty of ground clearance.

We camped in a big driftwood shelter just beyond the landing strip for the third house at Big Flat. The Couple in Black took a shelter down a bit further. Water was readily available from Big Creek. We were nicely out of the wind this time. We had vivid memories of this stretch from the first trip and they didn’t match up very well with the actual trail today. Funny how that works.

April 27, 2009 – Getting Close to Shelter Cove – Awoke 6 AM. Walking by 7:30. We wanted to hustle through the first 4 miles which have the tide issue. It was about low tide when we started so we were not exactly racing the waves. The road above the beach ended too quickly and we were walking on the cobbles and in the sand for most of the day. We saw into a few tide pools with star fish and saw all the kelp on the beach.

Jerry claimed he saw a sea lion but it never appeared again. Norm offered a dollar if the sea lion appeared again. Jerry kept talking about him but “Fred” did not reappear. Eventually Norm charged Jerry $3.00 for repeated references to Fred. Ironically, we saw about 30 real sea lions down the shore a little ways. We then even saw one up on the shore. He was very close to where we were walking and actually startled us as we realized that he was not just another piece of driftwood. He seemed healthy and contented. Tossed sand occasionally, maybe to keep the flies off?

It was cloudy and the wind was not as strong. We made good time over the first four miles. We took longer breaks after that. We wanted to camp at Horse Mountain Creek which is 1.9 miles from the foot of the Shelter Cove hill. We stopped one creek too soon, but walked further down shore without our packs. We found the sign for the Horse Mountain Creek trail and once again knew we had stopped at the wrong place. We went back for the packs, and dropped them at the foot of the trail. We walked up the H.M.C. trail for about 40 minutes, then back down and then carried the packs over to the actual creek. We found a small shelter there and set up camp. There was a much more deluxe shelter on the south side of the creek but when we arrived another party seemed to be camping there. They eventually left and we went over to check it out. It had a roof and multiple rooms. Jerry was convinced there was wild life (mice and snakes) living in it and that the roof would collapse, so we didn’t move in.

We played ‘tag’ with a party of 3 or would it be 4 today? The couple had their nine month old daughter with them. We couldn’t imagine it, all the extra stuff, giving the baby the attention it needed with little hesitation…

We saw the Couple in Black pass us and go on toward Shelter Cove. Norm was convinced they got a warm, dry motel room for the night and would be having bacon and eggs for breakfast. He tried not to think about it.

April 28, 2009 – Up the Hill and Out the Hidden Valley Trail – Awoke at 6:30. Jerry’s efforts to level out the area under the tent were only partially successful. Norm’s area was on a sideways slope and he had trouble staying on his mat and out of the side of the tent. We had kept water in the bucket and found a mouse floating. We shaved so as not to discourage anyone from giving us a ride up the hill.

We were walking by 8:00. The footing was not as loose as some other parts of the beach. It seemed that the beach was made up of very small gravel instead of actual sand. We reached the Shelter Cove parking area by 9:30, used the flush toilet, and headed up the hill. We walked about 2 of the 3 miles to the store before Greg picked us up. We bought him coffee at the store. The clerk didn’t seem to know much about our food being there or having the bear cans picked up, but she lead us to where the FedEx pickups are made and our food was there. She agreed to let us leave the bear cans as long as someone from the shuttle was going to pick them up. We bought some snacks and tossed the 3 days of trash we had accumulated. As we repacked with the new food, a young fellow engaged us in conversation. He lived near some part of the Lost Coast Trail and had hiked parts of it. He gladly gave us a ride for the last one plus miles to the Hidden Valley trail head. He is a local musician and says they band has steady work. They also do some fund raising for the local communities. He said this is a great place to be poor. We tipped him a few dollars for the ride. Nice fellow.

We were surprised to see the sign indicating that this part of the trail required bear cans. We had left ours at the store so there was little choice but to get through this section today. Because we had been given the two rides, it was now possible to get beyond Nick’s camp site where we had planned to stay, and get to the state park boundary. We would need to drop our packs for a few minutes and hike into Nick’s to get water. We had lunch on the park bench at the top of Chemise Mountain. Very nice panoramic view of the coastal mountains. We extend our thanks to whoever carried the pieces of that bench all the way up there. There is a huge climb at the beginning of this stretch of trail and then it’s up and down until you reach the state park boundary. This stretch has some nice views of the ocean but no views of the coast looking south. Eventually there is a view looking back north and of Shelter Cove. The hike into Nick’s (taking the second trail, not the first) to get water is about ¾ mile but seemed quick without the packs. We reminisced about our night at Nick’s on the previous trip. We saw lots of dog sized scat and lots of elk scat. Nothing that looked like bear scat.

We were done by 5 PM. We arranged some bricks and boards from the fallen down house and made a decent camp site. That house would have been the only private house with an ocean view for about 30 miles. We wondered what had kept it from being completed. The Couple in Black walked past as we got dinner ready. It got quite cold on the hill top so we walked down the trail a half mile just to get warmed up. With 6 miles of Hidden Valley, 2 Miles on the beach, 2 miles on the hill and 1.5 miles over/back to Nick’s we had an 11 plus mile day. Satisfying but not a killer.

April 29, 2009 – Needle Rock and Bear Harbor – Awoke 6:30. Things a little damp but not wet. I hate to carry a wet tent all day. Walking by 8:00. Our favorite place on the Lost Coast is Bear Harbor so we only had 5 miles to hike today. We could stop often and long and enjoy the wonderful views of the coast to the south. Dogs greeted us at the “house on the left”. One didn’t even seem to be tied up. Wound down to Whale Gulch where we again found the huge laminated beams, 40 feet long by 5 feet wide. We speculated on how they got there and what their purpose might have been. Jerry guessed they had been lowered from a helicopter for use in a bridge over Whale Gulch Creek. Neither seemed very likely to Norm, who thought there used to be a logging road in from the North and observed the creek is currently crossed with the help of a single 2x4. (Later, the Park manager told us that Jerry was actually correct on both counts. The local people had objected to the bridge for some reason and so the beams had never been put in place.) We soon arrived at the mown paths of the state park. The Couple in Black was camped at the first picnic table. There was a field full of pup tents, but we never saw the probable occupants. We then came upon a very industrious team of young people from the California Conservation Corps who were making trail improvements. We thanked them for their hard work. The next picnic table was near a creek so we stopped for a snack, and Jerry cleaned up. About 45 feet away an elk was lying in the grass chewing its cud. There is an elk herd in the park and they must be very used to people. There was a wonderful ocean view but we didn’t see any whales swim by.

We moved on to the visitor center, registered, paid for two nights and watched the ocean from the front steps for a while. We headed down the road toward Bear Harbor. Our memory of the road was that is was straight, level and exposed to the sun. This is one short segment like that just before it ends but the rest is rolling, winding, and partially shaded. Memory is a funny thing.

No one was at Bear Harbor when we arrived so we took ‘our’ north most camp site. We set up camp and went down to the beach. There were three kayakers who had been out diving for abalone. We spent the afternoon amongst the big rocks watching the tide come in and talking about spiritual things. It was sunny but still cool.

Norm went off to get water for dinner/breakfast and saw the Woman in Black near the creek. He asked if she was getting water but she said she was picking nettles. Norm asked if that was a good thing. She laughed and said you can eat them if you cook them first. The Couple in Black were camped on the far side of the big creek. We prepared to have our normal freeze dried dinner except that this package of chicken and dumplings had a far more complex “recipe” than normal. It required simmering the basic chicken, peas and gravy and then 12-15 minutes of simmering after the dumpling mix was put on top. We don’t carry enough gas for that duration of cooking and our narrow Jet Boil stove wouldn’t have worked very well for this dumpling simmering anyway. We just put the dumpling mix away, and made up the chicken and gravy with the normal “dump boiling water in the pouch, stir, and wait 10 minutes” recipe. It turned out OK and we supplemented it with snacks. Better make it a point to read each freeze dried meal package next year. An elk walked right past our camp, and down the trial into the forest. We gathered some fallen wood and made a fire. Played Trivia by flash light.

April 30, 2009 – Tide Pools, Redwood Trees and the Ghost Town – We intended to hang around for low tide which would ‘peak’ at 10:40 so we slept in a little. We arrived at the beach at 8:15. There was not much to see, until we started to look more closely. Something that just looked like sand on the rocks turned out to be hundreds of individual little animals that cling to the rocks, get covered with sand, and close up when the tide is out. We could see the ones that were still under water and thus open, then we could see them everywhere. As we hung around, and the tide went out, we could get further out amongst the rocks and we found tide pools with sea anemones, star fish, crabs and a 7 inch red chiton. Norm even thought he glimpsed a sea otter, but the photo is inconclusive. Great fun for boys from the Midwest.

We were walking by 9:40. The CCC team was ahead of us trimming weeds and pulling a huge stump. We thanked them again. Based on the volume of droppings we were following a couple of elk up the trail. Saw our first big Redwood trees. Wow. There is a big climb at first, then a rolling section, and a big descent into Wheeler. There are two amazing redwoods with side limbs that are bigger than most normal trees, as you reach the valley floor. This seems to be School Marm Grove. We had lunch at the first creek crossing and the poked around at the second creek crossing. There is a large metal frame attached to the ground at the creek and a foundation to the west of that. There are several open “home sites” but no physical evidence of the 30 plus homes that made up Wheeler. We tried to imagine the school house, the community and life there. What was it like to be so isolated and with the same 30 families for 10 years? Would there be any privacy? We stopped again at the beach. Saw a crab pot in the river. Took a short nap on the driftwood logs.

Walking again by 2:40 with four plus miles to go. We didn’t expect to finish until about 6:30. There is a huge climb as you leave the beach. A few more foundations are there. There is a rolling stretch and then another big climb before the long, steep descent into Little Jack Ass Creek. We actually got in before 6:00 PM.

The prime camping site on the beach was occupied, but it was starting to rain and we hadn’t seen the other two sites that the guide mentions so we took a secondary site on the beach. It was around the corner of the cliff from the primary site. We were out of sight and we never saw the other fellow. Perhaps he did not even know we were there. The Couple in Black made a site in the grass between the main trail and the beach. Our site was on an elevated place right next to the cliff. We were somewhat concerned about being dry at high tide at 3:40 AM. Checking the tide tables indicated that it had been an even higher tide a few days ago, which would have eroded our little hill away, so we thought we would stay dry. We put the tent up immediately due to the threatening rain and threw most of what we wanted to keep dry into it. We put on our rain gear and made dinner in a drizzle. As the rain picked up at 7:15, we went into the tent and played Trivia. When the rain stopped, we moved our food away from the tent. There was no place to hang it on the beach, so we put it under a big rock and surrounded it with smaller rocks. The surf is very loud there because of the cove shape. It sounds like a big gun shot every now and then. Norm happened to be up at 1:30 AM and saw that the tide was quite a distance from the tent and surmised we would have no problems in our location even at high tide. He slept a little better. In the morning we saw that the waves had come within about 40 feet of our tent but not nearly as high in true elevation.

May 1, 2009 – On to Usal and the Car – In the backs of our minds all day was the need to arrive in time for our “red eye” flight from San Francisco. Norm forgot the flight paperwork but we thought the flight left at 11:00 PM and planned backwards from that time. We thought we’d have time to clean up in Usal Creek or shower at the airport, and have a nice meal on the way south. We set the alarm for 6 AM, and awoke as planned. We packed and went up to the out house. Norm filled Mr. Bucket as he crossed the creek. The prime camp site was already vacant. We filtered water and had breakfast. Jerry found several ticks on his pants and jacket. As we were zipping our packs for the “last” time, Norm noticed he did not have his sandals. He immediately remembered where they were back on the beach, so he went to get them – 20 unplanned minutes. Then we headed south. We soon reached the other two camp sites. They are large, flat, well sheltered and even have fire rings. In the valley the trail goes through many tall weeds which were very wet, so we kept our rain pants on until we got to a more open section of the trail. Immediately, the trail headed up. The elk droppings continued but they were noticeably fresh. Soon we caught up with a female and two males. As we closed up on them, the female ran uphill off the trail. Excellent, just what we had hoped for. As we closed on the rear male, he just looked at us and chewed. He’d move a few yards, stop to bite off something new and then chew for a while, and repeat. His progress was not going to get us to our flight. We tried standing sideways to look bigger with our packs. Jerry had a stick. The elk didn’t seem impressed. When we edged even closer, the elk seemed to feel threatened and we thought he might become aggressive. Our tones became very conciliatory and we backed down the trail. Norm picked up some rocks to throw either at them or off to the side to get them off the trail, but we didn’t want them to become aggressive, so we never tossed the rocks. Jerry said he was running out of ideas and was ready to try anything including a whistle. Norm had a whistle that was quite handy, so we tried it. Three short bursts and both male elk ran up the trail. Jerry suggested that Norm just keep blowing the whistle in hopes it would drive them off the trail. It worked. We warily moved up the trail and peaked around every corner, but after about five minutes we became confident that we were finally past them. During the elk episode we covered about 50 yards in about 20 minutes. We were now 40 minutes “behind schedule”.

There were three more major climbs and descents. We snacked once and had lunch. Jerry found a tick that had “connected”. In the middle of the second of the three climbs the trail affords a nice overlook of the ocean. Jerry spotted whales. We saw only the spouting and brief glimpses of their backs but we saw them for several minutes so there was no doubt about this sighting. Seeing whales made the trip complete! As we completed the final major climb it started to rain steadily. We put on our rain jackets but our pants were already pretty wet from last night’s rain on the weeds along the trail. The last section of the trail is out in the open and winds through tall weeds, so by the time we reached the car our pants were soaked and we were ready to be done, and get into dry clothes. We both have water proof boots so we were surprised that our feet were becoming wet. Jerry suggested that perhaps the water had actually run down our legs into our boots.

We changed into our dry clothes in the warm car and headed up the dirt road out of the Usal Creek area. Norm found the flight paperwork. Not only were we 40 minutes “behind schedule” due to the sandals and the elk, the plane was supposed to leave at 10 PM not 11 PM. So much for a nice meal on the way. We had burgers from a drive thru. The signage to the rental car area in San Francisco was confusing and then the signage to turn in the Budget car in the Avis area was confusing so we arrived at our airport gate only 40 minutes before flight time. No time for that shower at the airport. Sorry about that fellow travelers.

Conclusion – We were very happy we had taken the local advice and walked North to South. We took one extra day to do this hike this time. We spent that time enjoying the wilderness on side hikes and longer rests. The extra day made the trip much more enjoyable. Climbing the Shelter Cove Hill in the morning was an excellent idea. Somehow our weather was warmer last time. Just lucky?

4 Day Grand Canyon Rim to Rim

Basic plan – Drive to South Rim. Park Car. Take Shuttle to North Rim. Hike to Cottonwood, then Bright Angel, then to Indian Garden Campgrounds, and then back to the car. Reservations are required at all campgrounds and for the shuttle.

To the North Rim, Sunday September 3 2006
We happened to park next to a Transcanyon Shuttle and ate our lunch on a nearby picnic table. As we were eating, Chris, the driver, arrived. He invited us to put our packs on the van and then invited us to ride up to Bright Angel Lodge with him. Chris looks like Santa Claus. Summer job perhaps? At the BA Lodge we were joined by 9 other people plus another van full. In our van there were 3 people who had just finished their hike and were going back to their car. The rest of us were going to start our hikes the next day. Some people had reservations for beds at Phantom Ranch so they were going to travel very light and intended to get to the Ranch in one day. The rest were only going to Cottonwood on the first day. Some people had meal reservations at Phantom to compliment their Bright Angel Campground reservations. This took many calls to pick up spots from cancellations. We arrived at the North Rim at 5:30 and checked into our rustic cabin. We enjoyed the sun setting until our dinner reservation at the lodge. Lights out at 9. Norm too cold. Bonnie too hot.

Down to Cottonwood, Monday September 4
Arose at 5, prepared and ate oatmeal in our cabin. Caught the 6:15 shuttle to the trail head along with 7 others. The three fellows with day packs were going all the way to Phantom Ranch. The other party was a mother with her adult daughter, son and daughter in law. We saw them several times throughout the day. It was about 60 degrees at the top. We were first to start down and saw two deer almost immediately. Just before lunch another hiker drew our attention to a small rattle snake right next to the trail. We saw many lizards that would scurry away and then stop and do a few pushups. We enjoyed all the colors in the rock as well as the effects of the desert varnish. We saw a wrangler bring down an empty mule and then bring a (presumably injured) hiker back up. We met a strung out party from NY and California; all ages and sizes. We met a volunteer from Tennessee with a ranger shirt. Her job was to assist hikers and keep them from doing anything dumb, like hiking down further than they could hike back up. We passed her later as she assisted a hiker. She gave us advice about the Roaring Springs side trail: “Don’t bother, there really isn’t a good view.” She also told us where we could access the creek if we needed it. She told us a little about Maverick, the gentlemen who is 79 years old and is crossing the canyon 79 times this year. We stopped for lemonade at the pump house and added water to our bottles there. The mother and daughter-in-law caught up with us there. The mother was packless. Evidently her son was carrying his and her packs down. She had been stressed by the heat. The daughter-in-law waited with her for a while and then went back up the trail to assist her husband. By the time they got to camp at 6pm, Mom had her own pack again and everyone seemed to be in good spirits.

We made good time to the Coconino lookout and to the tunnel and then slowed somewhere in the Redwall. We rested in the shade several times. We stopped for lunch way down in the Bright Angel Shale at about 11:30. We arrived at Cottonwood at about 2:30. We walked past several sites but dropped our packs at No. 6 due to the excellent shade. Bonnie was very ready to be done for the day. We took a very refreshing dip in the Bright Angel Creek with many others who were camping at Cottonwood. We rinsed our clothes. We took a nice nap on the picnic table at our campsite. We were pretty happy with our new Camelbacks. Bonnie had the beginning of trouble with a few of her toes which eventually turned black. We had the amazing freeze dried chicken breasts for dinner. They start out like graham crackers and then turn back into real chicken.

Down to Bright Angel CG, Tuesday
Up at 5am with the alarm. On the trail by 6:45. Saw two more mule deer just out of camp. First stop, Ribbon Falls. We left our packs near the main trail. We had the falls to ourselves for about 20 minutes. It’s really a beautiful and unique place. Guys from Texas and NY joined us, and we took their pictures in the little cave in the travertine. We sent via e-mail. After hiking each hour we rested for 15 minutes. We had lunch under a rock overhang which gave us needed shade. Bonnie enjoyed the complex make up of the rock with schist, granite, mica, etc. As the temperature increased, the day got long. Norm kept looking for the bridges and Phantom Creek. We ran out of water just past where Phantom Creek joins Bright Angel. We found a shady spot and were happy to have the excuse to get wet in the creek. Norm filtered about 2 liters and drank as much as he could stand. People told us we were just about to camp but we were happy to take the break.

We were equally happy to have a lemonade and a cool tea once we reached Phantom Ranch. What a busy place with hikers, mule riders, and river rafters coming and going. Took Bonnie’s picture under the thermometer near the campground bridge. It read 120 degrees. We took site No.3 on the creek side of the trail and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the creek. We had Pad Tai freeze dry dinner. We will try not to buy that again. Too many competing tastes and too spicy. After dinner we walked down to the boat beach and put our toes in the Colorado River. It was running quite brown and so there was no temptation to jump in. We then went a ranger talk about bats. It was humorous and interesting. Of the 38 species of bats in North America, 36 eat bugs. Great. The other two each fruit. None drink blood. We had seen 3 dead or dying bats on the trail. We went to bed about 8:30 but slept poorly due to the heat. Neither zipper on the tent would go past half way so we were completely vulnerable to bugs, but had fortunately no problems. Time for a new tent.

Up to Indian Garden, Wednesday
Arose at 5am and were on the trail by 6:40. First two miles are up and down and sandy. The trail gives up all the elevation you gain. We were passed by the “Bat” ranger from last night’s talk. We passed him as he stopped to help some other hikers. We took a refreshing break in the shade next to Pipe Creek. Bonnie soaked her bandana. We were in 100% shade until 8:45 and then in and out of the shade all the way up to IG. Again we stopped for 15 minutes after hiking each hour. The middle third of the trail is swithch backing through the schist and granite. Seeps in the schist supported pools with tadpoles. As we broke into the Tapeats Sandstone, we rejoined Pipe Creek and enjoyed the resulting plants, trees and birds. We took a 45 minute break, and might have even napped a bit. Flies make a decent nap difficult.

We met the “Bat” ranger. He was coming down but he had never passed us on the trail. He got a chuckle from our quizzical looks and explained that he had come up an old trail along the old pipeline over by Plateau Point. He says some climbing is required.

We were into IG by 11:20am. Few sites were occupied at that point. We had lunch at our shady campsite. Bonnie washed her hair. Norm walked out to Plateau Point. With no pack and on level ground, it seemed like quite a short hike. It got cold and windy and rained big drops for just a few minutes. Nice pictures of the morning’s climb as well as Horn Creek Rapid where Norm’s raft flipped in 1994. Definitely worth the walk. Bonnie was alarmed by the weather change and pulled some of the gear back under the shelter.

Didn’t see very many people on the trail today. The first couple seemed to have a day on the beach in mind since they were carrying a patio umbrella. We passed three women who were soaking in Pipe Creek. They asked if hysterical laughter was a sign of heat stroke. Caught up with a young woman who clearly had a “bad” knee. Her friend was carrying both packs. We still couldn’t keep up with them. The three hysterical women arrived in camp at about 4:30. Two of them had some of the third woman’s gear. They were still having a good time. They all collapsed and fell asleep by 6pm but then woke up about midnight and made dinner.

We had Chicken Teriyaki with Wild Rice but Norm wasn’t Wild about it. Bonnie shared an orange to improve the meal. Nothing is as good as an orange in the desert. We shared Norm’s melted Toblerone Chocolate for dessert while we played Trivia. We took a walk around the campground, and enjoyed the cooler temperature. Due to the rain we hung the packs inside the shelter instead of on the varmit-proof hanger. Norm spotted a mouse in the roof beams but in the morning there was no sign that the mouse had bothered the packs. All of the food and garbage was in the ammo boxes provided by the NPS. All three campgrounds provided ammo boxes.

On to the South Rim, Thursday
We awoke to overcast skies. We hoped for the overcast to stick around but not yield any rain. We started playing “tag” with a younger couple from Austin TX. We took each other’s pictures. We saw many day hikers with a great array of clothing, water and food supplies or lack thereof. We met a young couple who were dressing in black and who had no food or water. They were already beyond Mile-and-a Half House. They assumed there would be a store at Indian Gardens. We encouraged them to turn around soon and Bonnie gave them her plastic bottle with some water.

Norm had just mentioned jokingly, “When we meet the Grandmother from India carrying a baby, we are almost at the top”, when we met a middle aged couple from India. They had hiked all the way beyond Three-Mile House, in street shoes and long pants but they did not have a baby. We rested just beyond Mile-and-a-Half House. Norm looked down the side of the slope and saw two, unopened one pound cans of Spam. He imitated a girl saying “I just can’t carry them any farther.” Bonnie pointed out that no girl would be carrying Spam, so they must have been abandoned by a guy. We had a good laugh. We passed a group who was doing trail maintenance. We thanked them. We met another volunteer in a ranger shirt, who was hiking the trail to assist and to keep people from trying to do more than they could actually do. We suggested he look for the couple in black. They eventually caught up with us and passed us going up. They had wisely turned around soon after we met them the first time. Near the top we heard, “Why is the trail muddy. It hasn’t rained.” Thank the mules for that. We met a total of five mule trains, all at spots where it was easy for us to get out of the way. We spotted the petroglyphs, up on the left before the second tunnel. We reached the trailhead sign which is a mandatory photograph, but there was no one there to take out picture. Bonnie heard voices above and she asked a person to come down and take our picture. We got our picture, but it started to rain right at that moment. We hustled up to Bright Angel Lodge before we got too wet. We looked for Rim-to-Rim T shirts but couldn’t find them in our sizes.

We ran into the Austin couple at the showers near the Mather Campground. Norm gave Bonnie 4 quarters for the shower. Too bad the price had gone up to 6 quarters. We had lunch in Tusayan and were on the highway by 3 and down to Phoenix by 6:30.

California - Lost Coast

California Coast - Lost Coast Trail

Jerry and Norm

May 1 – 6, 2004

Resources

The Hiker’s Guide to the Humboldt Coast, Bob Lorentzen, Bored Feet Press

The Hiker’s Guide to the Mendocino Coast, Bob Lorentzen, Bored Feet Press

Both books include maps.

High & Low Tides, Lost Coast Trail Transport Service, Roxanne@saber.net or http://gofishingforum.net/tide.pl?location=Shelter%20Cove%2c%20California&state=CA&lat=40.0333&lon=124.0667– Note, there are points where passage is much more difficult or impossible at high tide, so tides must be included in your planning.

Trails of the Lost Coast (map), Winderness Press

Other Lost Coast information including information on bear cans, shuttles, permits, trails, camping, etc. at http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/kingrange/index.html

We arranged to be picked up by the shuttle at the Usal Creek in the Sinkyone State Park. We flew to San Francisco, rented a car, and drove north about four hours to Leggett where we left 101 and went towards the coast on Highway 1. We enjoyed the giant redwoods including the Chandelier Tree which is so large that a car can drive through it.

Day 1 Shuttle, Mattole River to Randall Creek – Roxanne picked us up at the Usal Creek as scheduled at 7am. We put the car in a shady spot at the foot of the trail. Roxanne drove the winding roads up to the Mattole River. She stopped at the DNR where we got our permit and borrowed our Bear Cans to protect half of the food. She agreed to drop off the other half of our food and pick up the Bear Cans in a few days at the store above Shelter Cove. What service! Roxanne told us about life in Shelter Cove with her three sons and life as a shuttle driver. Driving in the coastal mountains on the winding roads requires new brake pads and shoes every 3,000 miles. This cuts into the shuttle profits. Due to the mountains and the curving roads, the trip was over four hours.

We were walking by 11:45. We took a slight sort cut and so we did not head directly for the beach. When we got to the beach we saw signs of sea life immediately in the form of a sting ray on the beach. We had lunch before we reached the light house and enjoyed the first of many sea lions frolicking in the surf.

We walked in black sand all day. Along the way we saw mammoth stumps which we assume must be redwoods based on the size. We stopped at 6:30. We walked beyond the tide issues at Sea Lion Gulch and actually further than we had planned. The camp sites at Cooksie creek, where we intended to stop, were occupied so we kept going to Randall Creek which made it a 8.7 mile day. The good site at Randall Creek was also taken but we found a workable site back up the creek a little way. After we set up our tent we found out there would have been nice spots up on the bluff, where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset. In hindsight, I’m not sure why we didn’t just find a spot on the beach.

Day 2 – to Big Flat and Shipman Creek -Soon after leaving Randall Creek the trail left the beach and went up. This well packed soil was easier walking than the sand. In the morning there was picturesque fog floating above the ocean. The meadows we crossed were filled with bright yellow California Poppies which were beautiful. Later we saw hundreds of white morning glories. There are huge piles of driftwood including many large logs and stumps. People have used the driftwood to make camping shelters right above the beach. The trail comes pretty close to the shoreline and you can see the waves crashing onto this drift wood. Beautiful. We crossed several creeks either by stepping stones, climbing over dead trees or just wading. The most surprising things of the day occurred at Big Flats, where the trail leads up to an actual landing strip. We know it is actual because we had to get off the strip when we saw a plane coming down right at us! As we left the Big Flats area we passed a couple of nude sun bathers. Bottoms Up! There were several other people there, properly clad, and there is a large house at Big Flats.

We found a nice campsite among the old logs at Shipman Creek, making the day about 10 miles. We made a small fire from driftwood and saw whales swimming by. Again we were between tide issues as planned.

Day 3 – On to Shelter Cove and UP to the Hidden Valley Trail - We awoke to a cool and wet world due to heavy fog. We walked all the way to Shelter Cove on the black sand beach. We saw hundreds of seals floating in the water, star fish on the shore and whales passing by. We took pause (or would it be paws) when we saw clear bear tracks in the sand. They seemed to be about six inches across and about eighteen inches apart. I guess the bear cans were worth the trouble. There were a few more creek crossings. The final stretch is open to vehicle traffic so there were tire tracks. We saw only one vehicle. We also saw a dedicated young surfer who was carrying a surfboard and a back pack evidently bound for Big Flats which is reputed to have some good waves. That’s about a 10 mile walk.

We reached the first Shelter Cove parking area at lunch time so we ate and napped on the beach before starting the climb through civilization. We then walked up the road, and at the first intersection we hitched a ride “to the store”. To our horror, the truck took us downhill not uphill. He took us to the only store he knew of. When we asked about our food at the store, all we got was very blank stares. Wrong Store! We started walking back uphill again. There wasn’t much conversation. Luckily we hitched another ride in another pickup and this time we made sure we would get dropped off at the right store. This store had the door on the left as described by Roxanne and our food was waiting for us. We left the bear cans so Roxanne could return them for us. What service! We had some cool snacks and drinks and started uphill again. That is one long hill especially in the heat of the afternoon, exposed to the sun. We failed to hitch a ride on this leg. The road is quite steep so it discourages drivers from stopping. We were relieved to get to the shade of Chemise Mountain Road which led us to the Hidden Valley Trailhead which is clearly marked. After another few miles we settled on a campsite on the saddle of a ridge. It turned out to be windy as the evening unfolded. We didn’t find the site until 7:30. That is one long day; probably 13+ miles.

Day 4 – To Bear Harbor - Being away from the shore, we awoke to a dry tent which was nicer and lighter. We were on the trail by 8:30. We began the pattern of giving up and then working to regain elevation; down, down, down. There are breathtaking views from the high elevations of the shoreline going south. We passed a home site that had only been started, with steel beams, a roof and floor but no walls. Things like that always cause us to ponder the story of the place and the people. About lunch time we approached Whale Gulch and passed a huge beam. It made us wonder about the story of the beam and how it could have been transported to that location. It didn’t seem possible to get there with any sort of vehicle. We met a Boy Scout troop going north. We lunched in the shade near the creek in Whale Gulch. We walked through our first big redwood grove. A short walk brought us to the Needle Rock overlook and Park where we napped on a picnic table, and then walked down a gravel road to the visitor center. There we were welcomed by the resident volunteers who gave us iced tea, advice on ticks and information on abalone. One can volunteer to live at the visitor center for a week or two. It is a quaint cabin on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. What a spot!

We walked on down the road to Bear Harbor Campground which can also be reached by car. We set up camp and walked down to the harbor. There are huge (Cluster Cone) rocks where the waves explode. We climbed on the rocks for a couple of hours enchanted by the sights and sounds. We learned that the next day would be very special due to an extremely low tide that would allow easier access to the abalone which live below the water line on these rocks.

Back at camp we saw elk hanging around the out house. There were beautiful calla lilies growing in the stream. We made another driftwood camp fire.

Day 5 – Wheeler and the Jack Ass Creeks - We hung around to see the abalone harvest and hundreds of starfish, which were exposed by the low tide. We couldn’t see either of these sights in Michigan or in the Grand Canyon.

On the trail by 8:30. The plants along the trail were very wet and so were our pants within moments. Don’t you hate that? The trail stays away from the shore and deep in the woods where we saw many very large redwoods including those in Schoolmarm Grove just as we reached Jackass Creek and Wheeler. Wheeler looks like a town which could happen but in fact it is a town that already happened. It is abandoned. You can see where the streets and individual home sites were. We had lunch by the creek and napped on a picnic table. The rest of the Lost Coast Trail has the pattern of a steep and long climb, some relatively level travel, and steep a descent to a point where you can access the ocean followed by another steep and long climb, then repeat. Our final descent was steep and down to Little Jackass Creek which we reached at about 3:30. 9 plus miles for the day.

We occupied a nice site on the beach with some benches and an outhouse near by. We saw whales jumping and breaching. Eventually two fellows set up a camp on the black sand beach (our beach). We chatted with them. One fellow seemed to have a superiority complex somehow related to his knowledge of the ocean from sailing and from being a California resident. I talked about the tides and the tide schedule. Even with all his knowledge he didn’t have a tide table or seem to know why he might need one on this hike. Score one for the bumpkins from Michigan. We found our first ticks tonight.

Day 6 – Back to the Car - As we left camp we saw a deer near the outhouse. Not sure where they came from but two fellows took our camp site before we were even over the first hill. We saw many slugs but even from the high points we saw no more whales. The trail is up and down including descents into Northport, Anderson and Dark Gulch. We started to say we “must be about an hour from the car” much too early. That really makes the day long. At Dark Gulch we wanted to take a break but did not find any trail to the beach or any camp sites. After Dark Gulch we had a rest stop on a high point and were joined by Kevin who was hiking North by himself. He had been on hikes for some months now. His only food was porridge so he was happy to take some of our extra food off our hands including steak bites, M&Ms and Gorp. He was marginally equipped. He had been to college and was married but seemed to be out trying to “find himself”. This part of the trail has its own wild flowers. We saw Foxglove plants taller than we were. Eventually the trail started a winding descent to the Usal Creek area and right back to our car. We cleaned up in Usal Creek and drove to Leggit for iced tea and ice cream, and then on to Willits for a motel and our traditional steak dinner at the Purple Thistle. Due to some long days we finished a day early. On day 7 we drove back to San Francisco and visited Pier 39, had fresh sourdough bread and rode the cable car to China Town. We have done four total hikes outside the Grand Canyon and this is our favorite of the four.