Spent a whole day trying to find the right creek crossing on the Lost Coast

I was hiking the northern section of the Lost Coast Trail in California last month and hit a spot where the map showed a simple ford. The tide was coming in faster than I expected, and the main channel looked too deep and rough. I spent maybe two hours scouting up and down the beach looking for a safer spot, climbing over slippery rocks the whole time. I finally found a place about a quarter mile upstream where the water braided out and was only knee deep, but by then I'd lost a ton of daylight. The whole detour and search took close to four hours, which really threw off my camp plans for that night. I guess I learned to check tide charts more carefully for that specific area, not just general forecasts. Has anyone else had a crossing on that trail turn into a much bigger deal than it looked on paper?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin36525d ago

Spot how that happens with so many simple plans. You can have all the right gear and a good map, but the real world just adds a bunch of tiny, annoying problems that eat up your whole afternoon. It's like when you try to fix a leaky faucet and end up needing three trips to the hardware store.

reese_rodriguez8625d ago

Sounds like you made the right call to me.

claire_grant3426d ago

Yeah, that stretch is no joke. I always pack a pair of cheap water shoes for scouting, saves your boots and your feet on those rocks. The tide charts for Shelter Cove are way more specific than the general ones.