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JUNE 14 - 17
4 Days
Photos and a narrative about our four fabulous days on the Mendocino coast.
Mendocino Coastwalk Returns
By Laura Herman
There are three impressions I get every time I drive into Fort Bragg. Sighting the first wedge of the Pacific Ocean, the scent of salt in the air and the constant roar of the crashing waves. For three days these were our companions.
Twenty six hikers, three coordinators and two Chuckwagon Wranglers dropped their cars off at Harvest Market and then pitched tents at MacKerricker State Park north of Fort Bragg. Our cooks arrived and rich smells filled our campsite.
Before dinner we formed a large circle and introduced ourselves. It soon became evident that most had been on several Coastwalk hikes before. This came as a surprising last minute detail for the three first time coordinators.
Our volunteer cook, Francesca Tyrnauer, and daughter Gillian served gourmet spaghetti, with sausage on the side, two salads, bread and brownies and ginger cake.
We woke up to blue skies on Tuesday June 15, 2004. A rarity on the North coast. Rarer still was the fact that there was no wind. These clear still warm days accompanied us throughout our trip. We became increasingly amazed at our good fortune with the weather.
Our first day hiking took us our to Ten Mile River, so named for the ten mile distance between Noyo River and Ten Mile River. We hiked along the old haul road which had eroded away in some parts. We walked along the beach in those stretches. Generations of blue jellyfish creature lined the beach. Fresh ones were a gelatinous transparent with bright blue edging, while those brought in by older tides had dried and faded. We learned that these oval shaped creatures were not solitary animals but rather members of a colony.
We walked along the Inglenook Dune Preserve, a rare habitat holding fragile plant and animal life. It is home to the endangered Snowy Plover. The coastal winds keep this ecosystem moving. In the past, grasses were planted along the edge of the dunes to stabilize them. We now know that it is their nature to move, so park rangers have been pulling out the grasses so the dunes can return to their native pattern.
On the return we met up with Rouvaishana, Parks Service Interpreter. He took us into the dunes, giving much detailed information about their history, geography and wildlife. He took us up to the edge of the fen, an extremely rare wetland running through the dunes. This bog supports primitive plant life. We felt as if we were on another planet, as we traveled farther out onto the dunes.
The day’s walk totaled about 11 miles out and back along Ten Mile Beach.
We returned to “High Tea” instigated by Jackie Pelner Frankle, one of the coordinators. She had made chocolate and almond cookies, which were served with other snack and beverages. This tradition welcomed us home each day.
Our volunteer cook, Sandra Baldocchi, arrived with Jambalaya, bread salad and cookies. The terrific dinner was the perfect cap for a great day. After clean up and announcements, one of our hikers came forward as a story teller/stand up comedian. It was good fun.
We had to pack up all our gear and have it ready for the Chuckwagon on Wednesday June 16, 2004. We hiked south of MacKerricker State Park along the boardwalks. Below the bluff were tidepools in rocky areas. Further out on larger rocks we spotted silvery seals, an egret, a great blue heron and other sea birds. We came to the old Pudding Creek Trestle and then walked along the highway into Fort Bragg. We stopped at the Guest House Museum where we caught a shuttle to Caspar.
Bob Lorentzen met us and guided along the Caspar Headlands to the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse Preserve. He is a former Coastwalk Leader and author of the “Hip Pocket Guides” to Northern California. Hikers learned an incredible amount from him. A docent from the Lighthouse met us and told us about the famous shipwreck, the Frolic, and about the lighthouse.
Our final leg of the the hike brought us from the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse to Russian Gulch State Park. This park is more jungly than the other areas so we had a change in landscape. The fog did pull in late that afternoon but cleared the next morning.
Ruth Dobberphul cooked an exquisite Tunisian dinner with carrot and parsley dips, a spicy lamb dish, salad, bread and fruit for dessert. All the dinners were superb and we had become spoiled, but grateful, after each day’s hike.
We heard from Greg Fearon on the goals and status of the Coastwalk organization. It was an inspiring talk and group discussion.
Appreciations went around and we honored Elizabeth Basile who had completed her 16th Coastwalk, completing all California counties. She accepted a bouquet of flowers and sang a song about herself.
Our final day was glorious. We hiked along the bluff north of Mendocino and then into the Mendocino Headlands. Below us were waves crashing on rock, stirring up the teal water. As we wove in and out of each blue, we saw view after view, one more marvelous than the next. We came to Mendocino Village and headed down to Big River Beach. We were met by Henri Bensussen’s lunch and Chet Anderson of the Mendocino Land Trust. What a welcome after 3 1/2 hours of hiking. After lunch, Chet told us about what the Land Trust is doing and how they purchased Big River and then turned it over to the state so it could become our newest state park.
We had some time before our shuttle came to deliver us back to Harvest Market. Some hiked up the Big River Haul Road in search of an Osprey’s nest. Others came by truck and still others went into Mendocino Village to relax.
All agreed that it was a great three days of hiking. An easy-going and cooperative group made things run smoothly. We all appreciated the weather and the beauty of the area.
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