Since I moved to California, I had heard about Lost Coast only once from an ex-colleague. Since then I have wanted to pay a visit but wants and wishes are limitless and this want kept getting pushed back. One fine Saturday morning in the first week of July 2013, we decided to embark on the 5 hours journey to Shelter Cove, Humboldt in CA. It was the best decision we made for that week.
Here is a map of our route:
View Larger Map
We drove up north through Santa Rosa, Mendocino, Red woods on highway 101 N until we took an exit and descended straight down to the coast in Shelter Cove.
It was close to 1:00 PM and the only sound you could hear was that of the waves racing against each other. Since we reached 2 hours before our check-in time, we went down the cliffs to the water. The beach was strewn with dead starfishes, sea cucumbers, crabs and blue shells. We climbed the stairs to the Light House on one of the cliffs. Wild flowers abounded in different colors all over.
By the time we left the lighthouse, a small party had gathered for a wedding in the area. Then Abhi started following 2 bald eagles to capture them for life in his camera. He drove, ran and walked until he got a good shot of the pair. It was time for check-in, so we headed to our abode for the night -“Inn of Lost Coast”. We had one of the best rooms with the perfect ocean views. For dinner, we ate pizza from the next door restaurant. They also had the best fudge brownies.
Afterwards, we drove to the trailhead of the Lost Coast trail- North. Black sand beach separates the ocean from the cliffs and mountains. The trail leads to a 24.6 mile hike along the curves and narrows of the coast. It is one of the best trails I have ever seen. After getting a glimpse of the Little Black Sand beach, we headed back to the Inn to bid adieu to the Sun. We were audience to the color play of the cosmic lights for the evening. That night we kept the patio door open to sleep in sync with the rise and fall of the waves.
There was a heavy fog that didn’t clear up until 9:30 AM, so our ambitious plan of hiking a portion of the lost coast starting 7:00 am did not materialize. Instead we started at 10:00 AM. Mesmerizing views awaited us. A mom and her son were getting soaked in the first rays of the sun by the coast. We walked for 5 miles and saw few backpackers on the way either coming back or walking in our direction. The beauty of lost coast is divine. We saw a deer and many migratory birds of different colors and shapes. When we started our hike, we were walking away from the ocean on the dry sand and it slowed us down. However, by the time we headed back, we realized why hikers on their way back were walking so close to the ocean on the wet, sparkling black sand.
We left with a desire to come back for the longer hike.
Map of the area:
http://www.sheltercove-ca.gov/maps/seaparkmap1c.jpg
http://www.sheltercove-ca.gov/maps/seaparkmap1a.jpg
More Info about the trails:
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/kingrange/krncatrails.html
Where we stayed:
