It was cold last night. I actually slept in my pile pullover which indeed kept me warm. Today was a bit of a lazy day as we had little miles, a good chunk of beach walking with one Overland Trail.

No matter how low the tides are, there are certain headlands that are impassable. Today we had one of those. It’s a “No Name Point“ but from all the comments, the Goodman Trail was our only option. We walked close to a mile on the beach and started seeing footprints leading to the bluff. The fog was so dense there really was no other way of knowing where the ropes were dangling. Sometimes they will have a Black & Red Disk hanging which denotes tide restrictions, while other times we’ll notice buoys hanging near the trail. Today it was just a rope hanging along a muddy slippery mess of a trail.

Sally, as always took the lead. I appreciate her doing that as it gives me comfort watching her climb like a Gazelle. And so we headed up the Overland Trail to the lush green rain forest. Today there weren’t any ladders, just huge hemp rope with knots tied onto it for better gripping and pulling. I’m not sure what steep angle this is that we are climbing but I’d guess around 60-70% grade. Pretty much straight up. There would be no way I could climb it without a rope, that’s for sure, especially with my Water Shoes! This continued for about a mile or so, ropes, then hiking then ropes again…Over and over till we made it to the forest floor, which is 250-300’ above Sea Level.

This is the second longest Overland Trail, close to three miles. It meanders back and forth, through the trees and the deep woods. If there is such a thing as Sasquash, this would definitely be his residence. As we crested the top, there was a brilliant sun rays that was shining through the tall trees. Talk about the hand of God teaching through and touching us, welcoming us to His Cathedral!

About half way through our morning obstacle course, we dropped down to Goodman Creek with a nice flowing waterfall. We walked over to inspect it and heard some odd noise in the brush. As we headed back to our packs, a Ranger was be bopping through the woods, with her heavy duty shears and an enormous pack. Maya was the first Ranger we have seen on the trail. She asked for our permit, how we were storing our food ( right answer is Bear Canister, which we both have) and how our hike was going? She couldn’t have been more than 25 years old. She told us that as of today, there is a Fire Ban in place. No more campfires except designated Campgrounds with steel rings. That makes perfect sense as in California, you can rarely have campfires. She gave us some insight on the upcoming hiking days venturing south. Then she went on her merry way.

We did the same, bouncing down the trail, wiggling up and over, down and under some unwanted trail magic per se. There are a few places along the trail that could use some extra clearing but for the most part, the trail is up to snuff. A couple more climbing ropes before we started our steep descent.

I have to say that going downhill with ropes is much more enjoyable for me, than going up. Sally is the opposite. When one person is using the rope, you always wait till they get off. First of all, you don’t want one to fall on top of the other climber, and two, you need to have all that energy a rope can give you. No slack, no one else tugging or messing with your business until you have completed your climb. It was once again, a super steep descent, and tough to see where you’re going and where your foot will end up, without looking behind.

This PNT is much more than I had anticipated. But it sure is fun and gives us plenty of upper body workout, leg building, grip strength, along with butts of steel and ankles of titanium! Tons of fun. Around 1030, two hours later, we lowered back down onto the beach, gave each other a High Five, and skipped down the beach.

Another Beach Walk to camp with tons of Sea Urchins, Starfish, Anemones and Man of war jelly fish stranded on the beach. We didn’t have much ground to cover which was a good thing since we kept stopping to hang out in the tide pools and get a closer peek at all the barnacle covered rocks. One time I step a little too close to the rock I was inspecting and started sinking. I’m not sure if this is what they call quicksand or not, but Sally grabbed me before I was completely sucked down into the abyss. Well, maybe a bit dramatic but makes for a great story!

As we rounded the cove, we saw a pair of Bald Eagles and heard the small eagles, if there’s such a thing, chirping for food. Mamma and Papa were flying around the rock looking for meals to feed their babies. The next cove had a couple of Red Billed Puffins, or something similar to that. With their long beaks, they were pecking at each little crevice and gobbling up tiny morsels. Just love this marine biology class with so many creatures on display.

We arrived at Mosquito Creek, and I’m certainly not impressed with its name! So far, so good. No mosquitos flying or landing or biting. The creek is about the largest fresh water that we’ve seen at the beach so far. It flows through a canyon and enters the ocean providing clean water and a great place to bathe. Even with my shower two days ago, I look like and smell like Pig Pen.

We walked along the beach, went up the Zig-Zag trail as Dave calls it, in search for a proper campsite. After scouting the bluff, we decided to head back down to the beach where it’s much warmer. Even with the fog, the sun breaks through and warms your body on the beach. Up on the bluff, the trees are so thick, it’s just bloody cold and damp. We pitched our tents and Sally came up with a brilliant design on securing her tent. She went looking for long narrow pieces of driftwood and laid them horizontal to her tent. Then instead of staking her stakes in the sand, which doesn’t work, she tied her guide lines around the driftwood. Pretty dang smart woman.

Another darn good day out on the Wild Coast of Northern Washington. We have a couple of days left before venturing home but definitely enjoying these last moments out here. Sally’s planning to return with her Girl Pack, probably next summer. It’s such a unique experience and place to wander and feel at peace. Typically I’m not an ocean dweller, but this place may just change my mind. How can you not fall in love with such a remote and wild area like this? Oh, just in case you were wondering, snake count: 4.

This morning as we were walking through the rain forest, and Sally recited Lamentations, the Lords mercy’s are new every morning. It was such a great reminder that we do have a new day everyday, to make things right, to start something new or just to restart. Think about that, each day beckons something new. What a great reminder. God, thank you that I don’t have to regret the past or worry about tomorrow. You have it all under your care so all I need to do is live for today!

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.””
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬