Bull Frog Toes - Adventures and Stories: Part 18 - The Lost Coast Trail - Day 4

Start Here - Part 1 - The Lost Coast Trail

Continued from Part 17 - Buck Creek Trail

There was a good bit of excitement by the gang upon reaching the beach. There was a nice cool creek - Buck Creek - flowing into the Pacific that had delicious cold water. Lots of shade too. We also ran into two other hikers at the bottom. These were the first people we had seen since Kim and Theresa on day 1. They were having trouble with their water filter so Whitey, ever resourceful, provided them with Iodine tablets they could use to clean up the water. Their destination was Miller Flat/Big Flat for the night.

Buck Creek enters Pacific

Trail approach to Buck Creek - from below

Flyrod filling water

I gave Flyrod his 1/2 of the Gatorade powder we agreed on from our earlier drug transaction up on the trail. It was interesting to note the value of things increase the more you need them. A great example of microeconomics pricing using the supply and demand model.

Up ahead were the last 5 miles to Shelter Cove and the car - and cold beer, and pizza, and showers... So we ate our lunch - stocked up on water - and headed out. It quickly became apparent that we had forgotten how hard it is to walk on soft sand and wet rocks. There were a few funny tumbles.

This stretch of beach seems to have the most wildlife we had seen. We encountered several seals and sea-lions content with laying on the hard rocks and sunning themselves. There was one monstrous sea lion that was sitting up and looked like a large log that had washed in. Then he took off into the surf - they are surprisingly fast and agile.

The seals expect you to move around them - like a lazy dog blocking the entrance to a country store.

We got to work and started bridging the miles to Shelter Cove. Flyrod put on his headphones and said he was jamming to Lady GaGa - he was moving fast now with his Poker Face.

Whitey and I plugged along trying to find the sweet spot where the sand is firm enough to walk without sinking. We ran into some surfers that had left Shelter Cove to camp at Miller Flat/Big Flat. There is a good surf break out there and I recall the large waves before we turned inland to Kings Peak.

The heat was really picking up at this point. I was lost in thought listening to the grass-hoppers that sounded like a lawn sprinkler when they flew - sheee....sheee.....sheee - tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat, tat....sheee....sheee....sheee. Ok getting crazy from the heat. We stormed ahead to the only shade on the beach. A huge rock that must have fallen down from the cliff above.

Flyrod under the influence of Lady GaGa

We tried the snake routine again with drift wood. Not bad.

With a little over a mile to go - we grabbed the packs and headed to Shelter Cove. The beach became free of all large rocks and took on an even darker shade of black than before. It was soft and seemed volcanic. It was gorgeous and we had made it.