Lost Coast Headland - Guthrie Creek Watershed

Lost Coast Headlands, a place where beautiful coastal bluffs sharply give way to the turbulent ocean below.  The switchbacking trail leading to the beach was probably better maintained than the road winding from Ferndale, CA to the Guthrie Creek trailhead.  This is one reason government officials are hesitant giving the Headlands national monument status.  Another hesitancy is derived from concern by local citizens that their BLM grazing rights would be adversely affected.  Monument or not, the Headlands are an amazing place to explore.  Tectonic process have dramatically lifted the sandy/silty/clay seafloor up 500-1000 feet above sea level.  This has resulted in a very unstable landscape, with the forces of water combined with frequent earthquakes aiding in massive landslides.  No earthquakes were experienced during my trip, but landslide evidence was everywhere...this is not a place where I want to be during the "Big One."

Massive scar from a landslide.