My plan to run through the Lost Coast without stopping hadn't worked out, I was too tired and it seemed too early to push myself to the limit without risking injury. The morning brought more fern and moss covered hills. I was happy to be within a day's walk of the town of Shelter Cove. There were wild blueberries in the final trail segment and I tasted a few. The trail signs near the end were confusing and I took what I thought was the Lost Coast at the final turn, only to reach a campground on the alternate route. Since I was on the official alternate route I kept moving forward, had I ended up off trail I would have backtracked.
Next was a long road segment into town. I was relieved to arrive at the Shelter Cove General Store and grabbed some groceries while I charged my devices with the solar charger outside. There were no outlets, neither was there Internet, they said to go to the Deli in town. Before leaving I picked up a map that included details for the Lost Coast Trail, in case I was without my phone. The map turned out to be useful for pinpointing campsites, landmarks, and areas impassable at high tide. I was able to save some phone battery too, by relying on it instead of my phone.
I had thought the clerk's directions to the Deli matched the directions in the book, but when I neared the town I realized they differed. I took the route from the book, dismayed that I might have to walk a mile extra to get to the Deli, but to my delight, the Deli was right on the route! A radio was playing The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'," the second time I had walked in on that song on this trip. It was The Grateful Dead hour on the radio station.
I had grabbed three bags of macadamia nuts for the road at the General Store and bought two coffees and a few more snacks at the Deli, taking another break while my phone charged in the outlet and looking at the course ahead with my phone.
"You know the kids are all talking about you," said a woman sitting at a table nearby. I guess I had made an impression on the kids in the town at the General Store... I had asked if there was trail mix available at the Deli, and one of the local children had interrupted the clerk -- who told me there probably wouldn't be any -- to tell me that indeed there would be! And he was right. The Deli had plenty of snacks, including trail mix. Thank you again to the kid who answered my question!
As the sun began to set I knew I must head out. Stopping by the Deli had added a couple of extra miles, it was directly on the alternate route, but a runner who only needed a stop at the General Store (and no Wi-Fi) could save miles by not stopping at the Deli. Locals tried to convince me to get a room at the Inn but I wanted to run. I did see a shooting star with them though, and another on my own. In the dark I saw three bobcats and a number of deer as I made my way through the city, to the beach. The wildlife was thick, this scared me a little for the trail up ahead.
I made it nearly to the beach and found a sign announcing a trailhead and bathrooms down the street. A large painted sign for the trailhead hung on the embankment supporting the restroom. The restroom was there, but no trailhead, all I could see that looked like a trail was a large unmarked metal gate. I followed it down to a creek and crossed, stepping on rocks, trying not to get my shoes wet. And then the trail disappeared. I backtracked, tried other paths, crossed back and forth across the stream, an hour must have gone by. I started to cry, where was the trail?! Maybe I should have stayed in Shelter Cove for the night. I went back up the stairs etched into the hillside, out of the metal gate, and back to the street, pausing on the sidewalk to cry some more and eat a packet of Mike and Ikes. A man looked out over his balcony at me and I decided I should probably leave before he called the police.
There was a small dead end street nearby on the map (not in the direction of the sign announcing the trailhead), I thought I would try it. A couple, Lindsay and Keegan, were relaxing in their hatchback. I asked them if they knew if there was a trailhead nearby. They were super friendly. Keegan said there was an entrance to the beach at the end of the parking lot and that it should be the start of the Lost Coast. Amazing! "Do you want a beer?" Keegan asked. Even more amazing! Then he offered me a tortilla with peanut butter and Nutella. Couldn't get any more amazing. I told them about my journey and about how I had gone looking for the trail and couldn't find it. It turned out that both of them worked in the outdoor industry in Wyoming. They were currently on a road trip. Keegan said that I should yell "Hey Bear!" every so often as I walked. Noted.
Finally I was heading out into the second half of the Lost Coast. This part was supposed to be mainly beach. Multiple people had warned me, and I could see on the map I had purchased, sections that were impassable above certain tide levels and dangerous to get trapped in. The trail alternatives were long detours, so if I ran into a high tide section it would make more sense to wait it out. Tonight there was a low tide and I was hoping to make it to the end of the first low tide only segment. Unfortunately my headlamp battery began to blink, warning me it was about to die. I began looking for a place to camp. Navigating at night was difficult on this beach, it was wide and hard to walk on the packed sand near the water while also keeping track of the geography to my right. My headlamp couldn't reach far enough to help me see whether there were cliffs or valleys next to me. It was also misty, which decreased visibility even more and made me scared to go farther. I relied on my phone's GPS to find my location with respect to named streams. I spotted a group of bear canisters, people must be camping nearby. Sure enough, my headlamp had begun dying just next to a camp. It was on the map but the canisters helped me pinpoint it. There were three tents scattered back in the dried up stream bed. Huge logs of driftwood separated tiers of land. I walked up the stream bed, behind the other campers, and laid out my bivy in my own driftwood cordoned nook. My headlamp died just before I got in the bag.
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