This summer we made a trip to Lost Coast in Northern California. This was my second trip with my friends from IIIT. We had thought about going to Lost Coast an year before but we ended up going to Desolation Wilderness in the Lake Tahoe region that time.
Lost Coast is really a coastal region lost in itself. It is located remotely in Northern California sublimely away from human civilization but having an amazing closeness to the Pacific and a landscape which seems to have both a mellow and a tough attitude, I guess thats the result of living in solitude of such rough wilderness.
This is not a normal hike....when you decide to go to Lost Coast you need to plan a little in advance. This is mainly because of 2 factors - the shuttle and the high tides. Shuttle comes into picture because the start and the end point for this hike are not the same. Most folks start at Mattole and hike for around 25 miles over 2-3 days to end at Shelter Cove. So people generally park their cars at Shelter Cove and take the 2 hr shuttle to Mattole. We took the shuttle operated by Sherri - here is her website http://www.lostcoastshuttle.com/. We were 6 guys who settled into the big van...it cost us $50 each but gave 4 extra hours, kind of worth it.
High tide comes into picture because there are certain sections in the 25 mile stretch which become impassable during the high tide. So you need to consider the tide chart for Shelter Cove
region before you start making any plans, as this will decide how many miles you would be able to cover each day and where you can camp. Somethings good to know about the tides..there are 2 low tides and 2 high tides every 24 hrs, so there is a difference of approximately 12 hours between the high tides. Water gradually rises during the high tide until the time listed on the tide chart and then gradually ebbs...so you would not be able to cross the impassable section for approximately 2 hrs before and after the time listed. Also note that the tide times shift forward by around 50 mins each day, so if there is a high tide at 2:30 PM today...you can expect a high tide at around 3:20 PM tomorrow.
Day 1: San Francisco -> Shelter Cove -> Mattole -> Punta Gorda -> Cooskie Creek
We started from San Francisco at around 4 AM for Shelter Cove which is around 5 hours drive. Stopped for breakfast at The Maple Restaurant in Ukiah. There we were able to catch the Germany Vs Argentina quarterfinal of the FIFA world cup..Germany was astonishing and it thwarted Argentina to win 4-0. Imagine the start of a trek with such an high energy game. It's a beautiful drive on the Redwood Highway to Shelter Cove with red woods on both sides of the road and a lot of twists and turns. We reached Shelter Cove at around 11 AM where we parked both our cars and took the 2hr shuttle to Mattole.
We started the hike at around 1:30 PM from Mattole. The first thing you will notice, as soon as you start is the sand. It is tiring to walk on the sand, it really made me think about the camels and their hoofs. The wind was blowing strong but it was cool...and it was so cool along the Pacific Ocean that it just took away all the tiredness from the journey. It was really nice and since it was blowing from North to South it was helping us in our stride...just that it was also blowing the sand to our bare legs...making it feel like needles.
After walking for little over 2 hours we reached Punta Gorda Lighthouse. We took our lunch break there. Its an abandoned light house but it would have been really courageous to have lived in the building and maintained it in the early 19th century.
After Punta Gorda we were in the high tide time zone and we had to cross the impassable section in order to move forward. We entered the impassable section and it became really tough to climb up and down the rocks beside the ocean...but somehow we managed to reach the Cooskie Creek around 7 PM and decided to camp there. We were tired after walking for around 6 miles on the sand and climbing those rocks...with all the wind blowing it was tough to setup the tents but the boys finally managed it...then it was time to eat, sit next to the bonfire, talk a little and sip some cognac.
We started the hike at around 1:30 PM from Mattole. The first thing you will notice, as soon as you start is the sand. It is tiring to walk on the sand, it really made me think about the camels and their hoofs. The wind was blowing strong but it was cool...and it was so cool along the Pacific Ocean that it just took away all the tiredness from the journey. It was really nice and since it was blowing from North to South it was helping us in our stride...just that it was also blowing the sand to our bare legs...making it feel like needles.
After walking for little over 2 hours we reached Punta Gorda Lighthouse. We took our lunch break there. Its an abandoned light house but it would have been really courageous to have lived in the building and maintained it in the early 19th century.
After Punta Gorda we were in the high tide time zone and we had to cross the impassable section in order to move forward. We entered the impassable section and it became really tough to climb up and down the rocks beside the ocean...but somehow we managed to reach the Cooskie Creek around 7 PM and decided to camp there. We were tired after walking for around 6 miles on the sand and climbing those rocks...with all the wind blowing it was tough to setup the tents but the boys finally managed it...then it was time to eat, sit next to the bonfire, talk a little and sip some cognac.
Day 2: Cooskie Creek -> Big Flat (Rattlesnake Ridge Trail)
We had to cover 10 miles on Day 2. We got up late in the morning, had a relaxed breakfast and were ready for the long hike by 11 AM.
First few miles were again in the rocky section but then we got on to a trail with firm ground...believe me it felt so good after those long walks on sand, rocks and pebbles. It was like walking in a grassland, with higher up on your left are the small hills of red wood trees and on the right you have the vast blue Pacific. It was a long walk, which occasionally trailed in the sand but always came back to the firm ground.
We took a few breaks at the creeks, it was heavenly to take off your hiking shoes and soak your feet in the running cold water. After walking for around 7 hours we reached the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail...there is a big private farm house...it seemed exotic.
First few miles were again in the rocky section but then we got on to a trail with firm ground...believe me it felt so good after those long walks on sand, rocks and pebbles. It was like walking in a grassland, with higher up on your left are the small hills of red wood trees and on the right you have the vast blue Pacific. It was a long walk, which occasionally trailed in the sand but always came back to the firm ground.
We took a few breaks at the creeks, it was heavenly to take off your hiking shoes and soak your feet in the running cold water. After walking for around 7 hours we reached the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail...there is a big private farm house...it seemed exotic.
The trail head of the Rattlesnake Ridge Trail marks the start of Big Flat...which is quite famous for surfing...we didn't see any surfers, never the less we decided to strip down and dive into the Pacific. The huge waves struck us hard and they were sheer cold and salty...believe me now I understood that 10 mins in this ocean without a body suite would really kill you.
We camped at the Big Flat...it was so windy that we were not able put up our small tent...so we all got into the big one. We were tired and wanted to sleep...at night two raccoons attacked our camp and we could hear them scratching our backpacks outside our tent...thankfully we had kept all our food at some distance in bear canisters and they didn't cause much damage. Day 2 ended with an eventful night, no one slept properly and we had another long day ahead of us.
We camped at the Big Flat...it was so windy that we were not able put up our small tent...so we all got into the big one. We were tired and wanted to sleep...at night two raccoons attacked our camp and we could hear them scratching our backpacks outside our tent...thankfully we had kept all our food at some distance in bear canisters and they didn't cause much damage. Day 2 ended with an eventful night, no one slept properly and we had another long day ahead of us.Day 3: Big Flat -> Black Sands Beach -> Shelter Cove -> San Francisco
We woke up to see a dense foggy morning and were ready to go after a quick breakfast, anxious to get over with the hiking and get back to San Fran.
We started at around 9 AM on a trail with firm ground, which soon became scattered with rocks and pebbles and later on turned into the Black Sands beach. It was again a slow long walk along the ocean...the fog in the trees above you gave a very dreamy and lost effect to the entire surrounding...very surreal. The cool weather made it better and we made quite a headway.
In between we left our backpacks and decided to take a side trail up a hill filled with green trees, bushes and flowers. We took some long breaks and spent time admiring some interesting shaped driftwood, ship wreckage and carcasses of sea lions we found on our way...finally reaching the Black Sands beach near Shelter Cove.
It is one of most beautiful, pristine and untouched beach I have ever seen. As the name says, it has black sand which if you look closely is like the perfect replica of grain sized beautiful, shiny pebbles. As if the Pacific has been crushing these pebbles into fine grains... very serene and beautiful. Well the hike ended when we reached Shelter Cove at around 4 PM. We rested a while, took our cars and then left for San Francisco. In between we stopped at Ukiah Brewing Company for dinner, which was a fitting end to this long trek.
We started at around 9 AM on a trail with firm ground, which soon became scattered with rocks and pebbles and later on turned into the Black Sands beach. It was again a slow long walk along the ocean...the fog in the trees above you gave a very dreamy and lost effect to the entire surrounding...very surreal. The cool weather made it better and we made quite a headway.
In between we left our backpacks and decided to take a side trail up a hill filled with green trees, bushes and flowers. We took some long breaks and spent time admiring some interesting shaped driftwood, ship wreckage and carcasses of sea lions we found on our way...finally reaching the Black Sands beach near Shelter Cove.
It is one of most beautiful, pristine and untouched beach I have ever seen. As the name says, it has black sand which if you look closely is like the perfect replica of grain sized beautiful, shiny pebbles. As if the Pacific has been crushing these pebbles into fine grains... very serene and beautiful. Well the hike ended when we reached Shelter Cove at around 4 PM. We rested a while, took our cars and then left for San Francisco. In between we stopped at Ukiah Brewing Company for dinner, which was a fitting end to this long trek.
Lost Coast is certainly not a pleasurable and relaxed hike but it has an experience of its own...it is a long weary walk, probably the best way to build a closeness to the Pacific and experience the lost landscapes around it. I can still hear the sound of the waves crashing against the coast. While I was there, I could feel that my mind was wide awake but still lost in witnessing the vividness of the Pacific and the landscape of the lost coast. It was a nice trip.
Summary & References
Hiking the Lost Coast in Northern California
Dates: 3 July 2010 - 5 July 2010 (3 days)
Start: Mattole -> End: Shelter Cove (24.8 miles)
Team of six: Abhay Sukumaran, Ajay Joshi, Ashok Kumar Meena, Nishant Joshi, Ritvik Mayank and Sumit Saluja
Map of Lost Coast -> This is probably the best map of King Range that I could find on the web
King Range Website -> This website has host of information about the trails, maps, weather, tide charts, etc.
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