I entered the King Range National Conservation Area on Saturday February 11th, and hiked 2-3 miles of the Lost Coast Trail. This region of beach and headlands is one of the last wild coastlines in the lower 48, starting southwest of Petrolia, CA...and ending some 50 miles to the southeast. The only civilization is a short 4 mile jaunt through Shelter Cove. Wildlife abounds along the trail; black bears, eagles, rattlesnakes, seals, and whales swimming by offshore. The land is rugged, swift creeks cascade down tall bluffs, cutting deep canyons down to the edge of the sandy beaches. Sea cliffs also rise 1000 feet straight out of the water, which causes many sections of the trail to be cut off during high tide. My hike ended at one of these sections, waves were crashing onto the base of steep cliffs and my journey south came to an end. In addition, this area is the most tectonically active in California; my fingers were crossed that I would get the opportunity to feel an earthquake generated near the Mendocino Triple Junction...no luck today, the only vibrations I felt were ocean waves crashing ashore.
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| Deep erosion occurring through a sandy beach. |
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| Steep bluffs and canyon towering above the Lost Coast Trail. |
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| A stream choked full of ocean debris. |
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| Another coastal cliff rising 1000 feet above the beach. |
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| The end of my hike-an impassable section of beach due to high tide crashing against a coastal cliff. |
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