by Dana Paz
Dana's version of the Lost Coast
Prologue: Amy, Joe and Chad hit the road on Friday night. They arrive at Black Sands Beach at around midnight and set up camp. As they set up camp on the beach right near the parking lot, Ferd and I haven't even started our trip yet. (This is thanks to me. I am an hour late, because I will be late to my own funeral.) Ferd and I arrive at 6am Saturday morning. We sleep. Chapter One: The group all meets up at 9:30 am and prepares (checking packs, brushing teeth, breakfast, etc...). Ferd's little white truck stays behind, and we all pile into Joey's pathfinder. After much map examination, it is determined that the best way to the Mattole trailhead is via the dirt road. We stop first at the local general store, the kind of establishment at which you can buy the biography of Che Guevara, or a hot burrito. Upon arrival at the Mattole trailhead parking lot (which is packed), we were approached by a very friendly ranger who gave us a (free) fire permit and warned us about the importance of bear canisters. We are now ready. It is 1:30 in the afternoon. Chapter Two: The start of the hike is unassuming. We just start walking on the sand. Chad, the map holder, and Amy, the pedometer holder, discuss mileage, callibration and landmarks. There is no initial trail, so these logistics are important. Ferd finds a walking stick, and Joe tests out his new trekking poles. A walking implement in sinky sand is HUGELY beneficial, if not imperative. There is much picture taking, as we are all in awe of the beautiful landscape. We hike for 5.5 hours. Mostly, there is sand. Wet, dry, black, beige, pebbly, smooth. As many varieties of sand as I knew existed. There is also some hard-packed trail and some rock scaling (except Ferd, who went around the rocks before the tide rose and then stood there laughing as we struggled). We finally set up camp at 7pm, on the beach, but mindful of the tide chart. The deciding factors on the location: proximity to a water source, and distance from the other campers (of which there were many). Suffering from sleep deprivation, and having hiked about 9 miles, I slept. It was wet (a sort of misty rain) and beautiful. Chapter Three: Sunday morning is foggy and cool. We get a slow start. Some of us sleep in, and we all take our time with breakfast and coffee while our gear dries. We start hiking at 11am. The beginning of the trail is hard-packed, and we all enjoy this reprieve for creaking ankles and knees. Several times I look up and am breathless from the beauty of the landscape. About 3 miles in. we are back to sand. We find everything from bones to a live sealion on the beach. At a large water source, about 7 miles in, we stop for a 45 minute lunch. Taking a load off is key. Then we're off again. We make camp after a total of 12 miles. We are right near a water source and everyone wants to stop, but I'm worried about the tide coming in and washing us away. Luckily, I'm wrong. The tide stops about 10 feet from the fire pit. Otis looks beat, Chad's knee requires some Schnapps, Amy is sunburned, Joe's hips are bruised, and my knees are making audible creaking sounds. Ferd is superman. After some well deserved cocktails, we all sleep the sleep of the just. Chapter Four Monday morning. The Aleve is passed around, and gear is packed up. We want to get an early start. We only have about 3 miles to go. We limp off. After the 12 miles of the previous day, the hike is pretty cake. It is all sand and rocks. At one point, a crazy wave traps Joe, Otis and Ferd, and they have to leap to safety. There is so much fog, that we can't see more than 50 feet ahead of us. Then, as unassumingly as the hike began, it ends, with Black Sands beach emerging from the fog. We all feel like champions. Epilogue: Ferd and Joe drive like race-car drivers to get Joe's car from Mattole. The rest of us lie on the pavement and wait. In record time, they are back, and we drive to the nearest Outback. It's tradition! The End.
|
|
