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strider
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Joined: 24 Aug 2002
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Location: Silverdale
strider
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PostMon Sep 22, 2003 7:57 am 
Took a short trip to Shi Shi beach this last weekend, first time I have been there. I'd day hiked into the middle of Point of Arches from the South in the past, but never been on Shi Shi itself before. Headed out onto the Peninsula about 2 in the afternoon, stopped and picked up my friend Annie in Pt Gamble, and cruised out to Neah Bay. Had chow in Clallam Bay as we passed through, got the $7 Makah Recreation permit in Neah Bay, and arrived at the new Makah trailhead about six. Finished filling the packs at the trailhead, and took the truck back to the 'enclosed parking' in a local's yard. $5 bucks a night for peace of mind, 10 minute walk back to the trailhead, and away we went. The new trail is very nice. Cedar rails containing a gravel walkway, interspersed with split cedar plank boardwalks. It's about 2 miles to the park boundary. The trail crosses the old road, wanders across a pretty nice footbridge, and loops back to the road after about a mile of wandering through the woods. From that point, the old road is the trail. Muddy in the low spots, but the mud is only a couple inches deep and it's hard gravel underneath, so no problem. At the park boundary, the trail leaves the old road and descends to the beach, dropping 100 feet or perhaps a bit more. Easy descent, although it would be a slippery scramble in wet conditions. Nice campsite at the bottom of the hill, which we passed by. Headed out to the surf. We hit the beach about 20 minutes before susnset. Perfect. Shi Shi is sand, endless sand. The beach must be close to 2 miles long and it's barefoot city. As we moved south, we passed 4 or 5 small groups camped on the sand. The tides were mild (lows around 4 foot, highs around 6 foot) so there was between 50 and 100 yards of exposed beach above the surf line. It would be fantastic to see in the winter, the surf would be all the way to the woods at high tide, but in summer the beach is a hard packed, easy walk. Saw a doe and fawn on the beach, a gazillion birds (but no eagles for some reason), and not as many people as the 10 or so cars in the protected parking would have suggested. The church group (2 adults, 8 teenagers) unloading from the small bus as I parked the truck must have camped in the site at the very North end of the beach, because we didn't see them come down the beach at all. We walked the mile plus down to Petrolium Creek in about 40 minutes or so, taking our time to enjoy the world. For a quarter mile or so at the creek, there were campsites in the woods every 50 yeards or so. Amazingly, all the people we saw had set up camp out on the beach itself, among the driftlogs. Too bad for their tents. Sand... they make sandpaper out of that, don't they? Not under my tent.... so we found a small campsite in the woods right by the creek and had just enough light left to pitch the houses. Hung food, and headed back to the beach. A few beach fires winked out at the world but people were spread out nicely, not crowded at all. Stars. Endless stars. No wind. Warm. New moon, but not until early in the morning, so no light pollution detracted from the show overhead. Strolled down to the point and back, met some neighbors out on the beach, and sat by their fire for a while. Sipped some whiskey, told stories, then headed off to bed about midnight. Up at daylight, perked coffee and french toast for breakfast. Wade in the surf. Cook second breakfast after Annie woke up around 9 or so. Clouds from the forest side, but they burned off by midmorning. Play on the beach. Ham & cheese sammies and beer for lunch. Jump in the ocean, come nose to nose (well, maybe 30 feet apart) with a seal. Dry off in the sun, watch the little boy in the next campsite South play with his kite. Walk down and explore Point of Arches, can't dayhike farther South because the low tide wasn't very low. Explore the tide pools. Explore campsites as we walk back North, discover the privy - 3 sided privacy walls, open topside, facing the ocean, ocean views through the trees, not malodorous, very nice. Beach fire. Steak and coal baked onions for dinner. Hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps with sunset. A whole sky full of stars. Warm, no wind at all. Phosphorous footprints at the waterline, and the farthest out line of breakers glowed faintly as well. Absolutely perfect. Slept with the noise of the surf for company. Sunday, leftover steak and eggs for breakfast, with (surprise from Annie) a bloody mary. Leisurely breakdown of camp. Walk back to the point one last time, then back to camp for a lite lunch, snack stuff. Annie's not packed up yet, but I'm antsy to move so I lift the pack and stroll north for awhile. I put most of the beach behind me, dropped the pack, and dunked the sweat away. Get drifty and nap for a while, which provides the perfect opportunity to turn Saturday afternoon's tinge of sunburn into a nice shade of strawberry (Sunscreen? Nah, won't need that...). Fortunately, I had put the shorts back on before the eyelids got heavy. Shoulders and tops of feet are the sore spots. Met up with Annie, and put the boots back on. Into the woods, up the hill, and out - walking the old road the entire way rather than meandering back the last part of the walk on the new trail. Cruised on home, chow in PA on the way. Weekend gets an A minus, due to sunburn. Shi Shi Beach gets an A plus.

strider I've never been lost, but I'm frequently uncertain where my destination might be in relation to where I am at the moment....
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Damian
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Damian
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PostThu Sep 25, 2003 8:53 pm 
Excellent report S. Here's a secret about the first campsite at the bottom... There's a sweet clear water spring a dozen yards south in the woods near the cliff. Don't tell anyone.
Shi Shi
Shi Shi

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