At Prairie Creek Norm and Pekoe led off on the James
Irvine trail. I brought up the sweep. This trail through old growth redwoods is
so beautiful, so mysterious that everyone was soon enchanted.
On we went
to Fem Canyon - awesome is the only word for this steep canyon blanketed with
ferns. When we arrived at the beach, Norm led one group to the waterfalls. I
took the rest along the road to Gold Bluff Picnic grounds where we set up camp.
Along the way we encountered a herd of elk, not immediately recognizable as
they were resting in the tall grass. As we looked around, we would spot
antlers, then a head would rise above the grass.
This first
evening we had a delicious dinner provided by Elaine, and brought out by Inge -
lemon chicken and Moroccan stew and Costco pies. Afterwards we ask everyone to
introduce their self and tell one thing that would help people to remember
them. Then we retired early as it started to rain.
The
problem came the next morning when we took off the rain flies in order to
dismantle our tents. The tents were wet and sandy. And not everyone had brought
rain gear, so they had to borrow from those who had extra. Even the teenage
girls, who hated to ruin their fashion statements, eventually gave in to
plastic rain ponchos. Terry had a surplus of umbrellas that she handed out.
They turned out to be best gear for this rainy day, as the rest of us became
too hot in our layers of coats, ponchos, etc.
After
breakfast, lunch making, packing and loading our gear, we were off - stringing
along the beach in our colorful plastics. We seemed to manage this section
okay, but as we tromped along the Skunk Cabbage trail in the never-ending rain,
everyone became tired and most of us were wet to the skin, both from rain and
sweat. We were so spread out that the front hikers became cold while waiting
for the stragglers. Thoughts of our wet tents and sleeping out at the soggy
Orick Rodeo Grounds were running through our minds. I was determined to find
some inside shelter when we reached Orrick - a church or school gym or if not,
then motels. At the same time other hikers were discussing motels and
hot showers. As the idea spread, there developed a group effort to get us to
our cars and out of this situation.
At the
trail end but not yet to camp, some of the men organized a system to get our
cars and we transported everyone to the campsite. Ron, Phyllis and Inge were
there with tarps and blankets. They had a warm fire going, snacks, and warm
drinks. But it wasn't enough to satisfy us. We were wet and cold and had no
intention of putting up wet tents.
I went into Orrick
first to the School, but the gym was in use. I was referred to the postmaster,
who made three calls for me to inquire about the Community Center, but no one
was home. He gave me the phone numbers and I went back to camp. From there we
contacted Donna of the Orrick Chamber of Commerce and she secured the
Center for
us. This was a very nice, fairly large building, with kitchen and bathrooms.
Perfect. We put up our tents to let them dry out and got into dry, warm
clothes. Verna brought a wonderful hot dinner of taco salads. We then relaxed
in our security and enjoyed visiting with each other.
About half
of the group decided on hotels for the night and went off in various directions
to secure them. The three families wanted the following day off to recoup. We
decided to cancel the walk for the following day and reserve the Center for
another night. We agreed to some alternative day hikes for those who wanted to
join in. We would then continue the walk as planned on Thursday, meeting at Dry
Lagoon.
Those of
us who were staying in the Community Center found that our tents had dried, so
we decided to sleep in them. Without the rain fly I had a wonderful view,
through my net top, of the wood rafted ceiling of the Center, listening to the
rain on the roof. It felt so good to be dry, warm, and comfortable. And it was
especially gratifying to know that the crises had passed and everyone was okay.
The next
day the sun came out. We considered continuing the Coastwalk, but decided
against it, as the trail was overgrown and muddy, and more rain was predicted.
So we continued with our alternative plans. We had a lovely and sunny walk
along the Orrick dike to the ocean. At
the beach a few hikers waded the inlet and explored the opposite shore, leading
to where we had ended our beach trek the day before. In the afternoon some of
the group walked the Lady Bird Johnson Grove with naturalist Jenny Hansen.
That
evening Jenny Hansen presented a slide show about the fragile dune system. Most
of the hotel stayers joined us for dinner and the program. Donna from the Orrick
Chamber also joined us for dinner and answered questions about the Orrick
community concerning opposition to environmental policies. And we were
justified in our decision for another night at the Center, as it did rain again.
On
Thursday morning we had a confusing bout of shuttling people to Dry Lagoon for
our walk and the cars to our end destination of Trinidad. However, with that
out of the way, the fog lifted and we had a beautiful day for our jaunt across
the spit of Big Lagoon with guides Cliff and Art. After lunch we walked through a resident area and Phyllis gave us
a tour of her cabin. It was interesting to hear her tales of how many of the
houses including hers had to be moved as the erosion claimed the banks on which
they had been built. We continued on to
Patrick's Point along an old highway that was also being claimed by erosion.
Patrick's
Point is a fabulous place to camp. As we entered camp, Inge's friend, Elaine,
was giving foot messages. Ah such luxury! Soon we settled down for appetizers,
campfire, conversation, and a gourmet dinner by Daryl Chinn. (ginger chicken,
baked salmon, rice. stir fry veggies, salad, watermelon, and peach cobbler) We
spent the evening challenging Jim (the US Cribbage Champion), pouring over
Daryl's agates, and being entertained by David and Yael's storytelling. Having worked together through our rain
crises, the group had gelled, a nice close feeling.
Friday was a free day at Patrick's Point. A few folks
went to Trinidad to tour the Humboldt Marine Lab. Most walked the rim trail and ended up searching for agates on the
beach. In the afternoon we had a wonderful
presentation about the Yurok Indian Village and their lifestyles and customs by
Ranger Brent. Later he brought some
examples of Indian baskets to our camp. Phyllis and Jo Ann brought a lasagna
dinner and salad. That evening we joined the Park Service for a program on
Coastwalk presented by board member, Sarah Gurney.
Saturday, Everett and Ruth led the walk from Patrick's
Point to Trinidad, mostly along a secondary road. The group sang as they
walked. We took a side trip along a
trail to Elk Head, a beautiful rock outcrop with tide pools. At Trinidad we
were met by Inge with box lunches and by Barbara with the Rider Truck. We ate our lunch on the beach, and then we
split up to head home.
One of my
best memories is being passed along a long line of Coastwalkers for long warm
hugs from each. What a high!
I have so
many thanks to give. First, to all the Coastwalkers who pitched in and helped
in so many ways - not only with all the work tasks, but also with encouragement
through my first Coastwalk; Then to Inge who coordinated the walk and arranged
for the campsites, guides, and cooks and ran all the errands during the our
walk week; To Barbara who was our
wrangler and helped me through the mechanics of the chuck wagon; To Phyllis who worked every day from cleaning
the Community Center to cleaning the chuck wagon; To the cooks - Elaine, Verna, Daryl, JoAnn, Phyllis, and the
Schultzes - having good food and enough quantity was a truly wonderful treat;
To the trail guides - Norm and Pekoe, Cliff and Art, Everett and Ruth - we felt
secure in their knowledge of the trails; To Elaine for having the nerve to take up our dirty feet and give
them a much needed massage; To Jennie
for her wonderful presentation on the dunes and her nature walk in LBJ Grove; To Brent for his informative presentation on
the lifestyles of the local Indian tribes; And especially to the Orick Community and Donna for their "lifesaving"
efforts.
Jill
Miller
Onsite
coordinator and registrar