This morning I posted:
I woke up early relative to the schedule I had been keeping, then started making calls to see about the possibility of a boat shuttle across the Klamath River. Taking the highway detour would add at least ten miles and my parents were waiting. The shuttle service the two women who hiked the trail last year appeared to have taken (it involves a cruise tour of the river) was closed only one day of the week -- Mondays, and today was a Monday. I tried the Requa Inn, where it looked like from the maps, the boat was supposed to drop you off. The woman who answered knew of four or five different boating operations and gave me their phone numbers. She said to try Kenton first. I got Kenton's voicemail, which said to call Oceana. Oceana answered and said that they might be able to take me but first needed to know where I wanted to be picked up, I told her I could text her a photo of the map and she said she could let me know. I sent over the photo and went down the list trying to secure something. Nobody else was willing to commit to a potential nighttime departure. One guy sounded like he would do it, but not after dark, "and you shouldn't be out after dark either," he said. I explained why I had to be. He recommended going to the mouth of the river and asking people parked there if they could give me a ride, someone would do it, he said. Time was ticking by, I decided that I would try his tactic, and if no one was there when I arrived I would take the highway detour through Klamath and try to stay at a hotel. -- Future hikers should be able to find a boat service of some kind, the company that doesn't operate on Mondays seems to take people any other day. And Oceana and Kenton were available on Mondays, call the Gold River Lodge. I didn't know until we had already crossed the river that they wouldn't charge me. I had expected to pay them and am planning to send them a donation. The Requa Inn had a long list of boat shuttle services.
I stopped at the convenience store one more time to get a large coffee and more snacks for the road, then headed up the highway. Not long after was a five or so mile segment through the woods, it looked like pictures I had seen of Oregon: redwoods, moss, mushrooms, ferns. I was in a good mood again, making notes about my love for coffee. The trail emptied out at the beach and the CCT went along the shore, then a parallel dirt road, which eventually ended at another trailhead. I chatted with a forest service worker who said there were trees down on the trail ahead (the woman at the convenience store the day before had also warned about trees blocking trails in the area), and recommended a more southern trail instead of the CCT's Flint Ridge Trail to cut over to the highway for the detour. I planned to follow his advice but decided to make up my mind for sure when I got to the juncture.
I followed the CCT through the forest, it alternated between grassy meadows with ocean views and shady forest paths. A few miles down it crossed a stream fed by a high waterfall. At the juncture for the trail the forest worker had mentioned I debated, going forward on the CCT, then after the trail disappeared in high grass that looked like the only trails through it had been made by elk, which the forest worker had told me were aggressive right now, I decided I should follow his advice and take the other trail. I tried to backtrack to the place where the other trail had met the CCT, but I couldn't find it. There had been a CCT sign, but I wasn't seeing it. I walked back and forth a couple of times, and gave up, my only option now was to follow the CCT, since I couldn't find the other trail. I had lost the trail that had been cutting through the grass but I knew the CCT followed the ocean, maybe this was the place where it went back to the beach, it was supposed to be somewhere around here. I headed for the sand and walked north. Up ahead were the boulders the guidebook had described.
The sun was setting and the tide appeared to be coming in. The beach was a bit narrow, and I jogged, trying to get past this section while I could still see the landscape, stopping only to take a few rushed photos of the once-in-a-lifetime sunset and to get my headlamp ready. Just as it got dark I made it to a wider tract of beach. I had found the stream on the map, but where was the trail? I spent twenty minutes combing the line of forest that met the beach, looking for it. I was completely alone out here, probably no one would hear me if I called for help, I had no cell reception, no solar charger. I had really wanted to make it to Klamath to get a hotel, before it got too late. Exasperated tears again. But I kept searching in the dark, what else could I do? And eventually I found the trail. It led up through the hills to what looked like a road on the map. It was an asphalt road for maybe a mile, then became a broken-up overgrown road, then a trail. After a few miles there was a sign on a trail off to the right prohibiting cameras on jail property, a little spooky. It also reminded me of the Barkley Marathons, set on the former grounds of the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, where James Earl Ray made it only eight miles in 54 hours after his escape. This terrain was exponentially easier, at least!
Finally, I arrived at a sign, "Mouth of the Klamath River, 2mi." I sat down to see whether I might happen to have a phone signal, I was now on a real road again, I had seen a car drive by a few minutes ago. Miraculously, I did have reception, and a text came in from eight hours ago, it was Oceana asking what time I wanted to be picked up. I messaged back that I was about a half hour away from the river and asked if they could still shuttle me across at 10:30pm, I would understand completely if it was too late. She replied that she and her fiance, Kenton, could get me!
They said not to take the Flint Ridge Trail to the other possible meeting point on the map. I saw as I passed by that the Flint Ridge Trail was closed, the bridge was out. The forest workers had made a joke about taking all of the bridges, maybe this is what they meant. The Flint Ridge Trail is 4.3 miles long with nearly 1,000 feet of climbing. Had the trail not been closed it would have taken me much longer to reach the river. As it was, I only had a two mile downhill jog on a paved road. I asked Oceana if they could meet me at the river in half an hour since I wasn't sure my phone would have service there to call them when I arrived.
I ran on, passing a small cemetery and soon arrived at the beach. There was no cell service, the spot by the sign must have been an island of reception. Oceana and Kenton were there with perfect timing. I was so happy to see them. They tried a few times to pull the boat in close to the shore so I wouldn't have to get my feet wet. The third time worked and I jumped in. It was a short ride to the hotel and boat tour establishment they managed, the Gold River Lodge, which sat right under the inn I had seen on the map as the drop off point for the CCT.
They said that the trip was free, they were inspired by what I was doing, and invited me to stay in their stand alone bare bones cabin, which was the only vacancy for the night. I had been counting on paying them and will send them a donation. I think they would be open to taking future hikers for a price too.
I was so energized by the boat trip I said that I thought I wanted to run on, Oceana offered to grab some food for my journey. She returned with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, baby carrots, seaweed snacks, and string cheese! And Kenton got me a bottle of water. Though he asked if I was really sure I didn't want to spend the night, his expression made it look like he didn't think hiking on those trails that night was the best idea. It was getting cold, the low that day was 34. I asked if the cabin had an outlet? Keaton said no, but that he could get an extension cord. If I could charge my phone while sleeping then I could avoid having to stop in Crescent City to charge it for hours. And if I could sleep tonight, I could run through the night tomorrow for the finish. Keaton said I really should stay, I could get up early -- he was getting up at 4:30 to lead a boat trip, so I decided to stay.
Trail Notes
Flint Ridge Trail closed near Klamath River, bridge out, couldn't do that section so took boat from west side of the river instead of east side.
Gold River Lodge offers water taxi service, great place to stay, amazing owners.
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