WA Vacation

Finally, we saw sunshine and blue sky this morning.

Doug had recommend a couple of sightseeing options, the Third Beach sounded particularly interesting. After checking out the map, we found out that there were camp sites along the coast, so we decided to make it a backpacking trip. We're promised tide pools, sea stacks and star fish littered the beach, these were all new to me. I was excited about the unknown, backpacking to the beach, how hard can it be? We're told there were upland trails that we needed to take; rope ladders to climb over cliff and bluff. Sounded like a fun obstacle course. So we picked up our permit, bear canister, tide chart, packed our backpack for 2 days of food, and headed to the Pacific coast! I love backpacking, it gives me a sense of self-sufficiency, sense of freedom, everything I need is on my back.

Backpacking along the coastline turned out to have a different kind of challenge. The trail from the parking lot led us through a lush wooded terrain. Once we reached the coast, the trail went down to the beach where pile of drift woods gathered. From the beach, we had to watch for a large disc that marked the beginning of upland trail. The tide was coming in as we're hiking along the coastline, as the beach get narrower and narrower, I was worried that we might miss the sign. Just when the we're about to run out of dry land under our feet, I saw the disc, and a sad looking rope leading up to a slope. That was the begining of a series of fun rope climbs. Turned out rope ladders were mostly just ropes no ladders.

The upland trail however was less fun, a long stretch of it was very muddy. Once, my shoe was sucked out of my foot. Other than that, the rain definitely contributed not only the muddy trail but the amazingly thick and lush rain forest experience along the coast. Up and over couple of bluff and cliff later, we made it to Scott Creek campsite. It was already a big group there when we arrived, but the coastline was so long that we could still find a corner to ourselves. We pitched our tent in a nook aganist a big tree, the views from it was priceless.

After we settle down and get familiar with our surrounding. We walked further south to visit other area. The tide was going out by now, it sure made walking along the beach, a walk on the beach! We made it to Strawberry point, spotted many white moving spots on few rock in the water. As we get closer, those were the sea lions! Ten or twenty of them sunbathing on the rocks. One of the even play peekaboo with us, it jumped in and out of the water, and pooked up its head from time to time to check on us. Very cool.

On the way back, few smaller tidal pools had formed, we looked for star fish but was fruitless. Instead there were many sea anemone, and bald eagles gliding above us. Once got back to "our" beach, we gathered wood, made fire ring thinking that we'll have a nice fire tonight, but the darkness never came. We sat around, cooked dinner and watch sunset on the beach. Around ten o'clock when we headed into the tent, it was still pretty bright out.

It was amazing to fall asleep with the sound a raving waves. Surprisingly soothing :).