Today we would cross our first impassable zone, a four mile stretch between Sea Lion Gulch and Randall Creek that is passable when the tide is under 2.5 feet. Normally we like to be up early and hit the trail at a good time, but we couldn’t do that today. Our window to hike this zone was approximately 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm, so it was a very leisurely morning in camp waiting for the tide to go out. I had read that the first part of this zone is not as narrow and there was some wiggle room in the tide height, so we started a little early and were fine. We also knew the trail would detour up to the bluffs about a half mile from Sea Lion Gulch and the tides wouldn’t matter for that section of the trail.

We again had fog in the morning (it had rolled in the evening before) and everything was damp - probably the only negative to this hike. Fortunately by the time we were ready to hike most of the fog had burned off and it was a beautiful day. I was a little nervous about these impassable zones - there are a lot of warnings about beach safety, sneaker waves, and hiking through these zones - but I found this part of the hike to be okay. Despite the rocky sections that could be a hassle, we weren’t slowed down that much by the terrain. I was slowed down by stopping to take pictures and admire the wild beauty of the coast. I think what makes these zones impassable is also what makes them beautiful - the steep cliffs right at the ocean’s edge with a narrow, rugged beach that emerges at low tide. And especially beguiling when its beauty is slowly revealed by dissipating fog. This section was simply wild and gorgeous.

We reached the end of the impassable zone at Randall Creek in decent time and decided to continue two miles further to Spanish Creek. We ended up stopping at Spanish Flat when we came across a choice campsite with oceanfront views backed by the pine covered hills of the King Range. We saw so many denuded sea urchins on the beach and it seemed we were in the middle of an urchin graveyard. Later I learned the purple sea urchins have had a population explosion that has decimated 95 percent of California’s coastal kelp. Yikes. So I guess it wasn’t surprising to see sea urchins littering the beach during our hike. We had a really lovely evening at Spanish Flat. We saw another otter, soaked in the scenery during the golden hour, and watched the moon rise as the blazing ball of sun sunk into the ocean. We felt completely immersed in the Lost Coast and could feel its remoteness and wild nature. Perfection!