[RodF]

[Damian]

This thread has dredged up some hardened veterans of winter hikes on the Wa coast. (what a bunch of odd balls ) I find it easy to get caught up in helping others plan ocean hikes, particularly in the winter. But looking back I have to side with Strider, Quark, and Rod. The Wa coast is no place for a beginner solo hike in the winter. I've hiked the coast extensively for 25 years and still have the occasional brush with fate. I would recommend finding a partner and take a few jabs at it from Shi Shi Beach, Rialto, 2nd or 3rd Beach or head N from the Hoh. Get a little experience and do it right. With a bit of homework and experience you'll be all set to take on the entire stretch. None of us here want to read about another hiking casualty.

[strider]

Quark - gloves are indeed a good idea for the ladders - and also for gathering firewood. It's no fun, digging a 2 inch long splinter out of a palm.... donno how I forgot to put that one on the list. Hard sided food storage - at the ocean, the danger is raccoons, not bearz. A hard plastic bucket (think Home Depot's "Homer Bucket") is adequate, and if that's larger than needed, there's smaller versions in stores - just empty out the dry laundry soap or the cat litter and you're in business. I usually hang my bucket as well - force of habit, I suppose.... Maybe I better go look at that list again - I wonder what else I forgot. Geez.... how did I miss this one???: Never, EVER put your tent on sand. Always pitch above the drift logs, in the forest if possible - shelter from both wind and waves. Every winter high tide has the potential to cover the entire beach and move all those logs around, very violently. Even on a "low" hi tide, enuf wind and the ocean WILL come. Everything that goes into stufsacks (bed, clothes, etc.) - line the sack with a garbage bag first, then tuck the end down the inside of the sack after it's stuffed. Damian - it's almost certain that we have met out there, or at least said hello in passing. My first winter beach hike was probably around 1980 or so...

[WildCelticRose]

Hi Kathryn, I backpack the coast a lot and LOVE it there. The two things that I'd be concerned with (as in paying attention to, not in not going) are creek crossings and logs/trees. Winter storms can make the creek crossings extremely treacherous. You'll need tide charts and patience. Sometimes, it's just best to wait for another day to cross. The other situation one can encounter in the winter is when a storm comes in with high tides and high winds. Those big logs you see on the beach get tossed around iike toothpicks and can be dangerous. Falling trees in the woods can be dangerous as well, so it's important to be aware of the weather and choose campsites wisely. The desents down the headland trails can be steep and muddy. It's easy to break a leg (a girl broke her leg and pelvis on a day hike a year or two ago on a day hike and no one knew where to look for her. She laid there for three days before someone found her; she's lucky to be alive. It's important for someone to know where you will be and when in case someone needs to look for you. I can be the difference between life and death.

[kathryn]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. This has been really eye-opening for me, and so I'm scaling back some of my more ambitious plans a bit. I'll be home in Tacoma for a little over three weeks from mid-December to early January, so I'm thinking I'm going to shoot for three trips out to the coast, each with a partner. Hopefully breaking the trip up into three shorter legs will make it safer and a little more manageable. You guys are awesome — I never expected such a response. I'll be back with more questions as specifics pop up! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the help. Kathryn

[Damian]

[jsaskey]

I know some experienced hikers who hiked this route in spring a few years ago. The conditions they endured included: - 60 MPH winds - Saturated gear - Collapsed shelters - Slippery and loose ladders climbing headwalls - (Fortunately) Mild hypothermia in one individual One of the my friends, Gary, who is in his late 50's and is a very experienced backpacker has called this the hardest trip he ever did. He also characterized it as less of a "hike" than a scramble around and over slick driftwood and boulders for 30-odd miles. This sounds like a great, challenging summer trip. I might choose to characterize it as a survival epic in the winter.

[tenaya123]

Ditto to all of the above, plus, 1) It's not just the wind that produces the storm surge. As the air pressure falls, the ocean rises. As I recall, for every inch (33 millibars) the barometer falls below 29.5 inches (1000 mb), the ocean will rise over a foot. That may not sound like much, but on a shallow beach, it could make a big difference. 2) If you do a bunch of short trips and don't see anything scary, don't get fooled into thinking that we are exaggerating. We aren't. I had been going to the ocean beaches for almost twenty years before I saw what happens when you mix a winter storm with a real high tide. It was just like the books say -- the waves were coming up the beach and the logs were all moving around. The scariest part was that the water was going up past the beach and into the woods. Way into the woods. Luckily for me, I was at La Push, so I could get in my car and drive home. But if I'd been out on the trail, it would have been a different story. Even so, it was worth the drive (and the wet feet). And for me, that's the bottom line: There is nothing like the ocean beaches in the winter, so definitely, go see them. Just be careful.

[greg]

Don't let them scare you off and shatter your dream. Sure, if you get a big storm you'll need to get the hell out of there. But I've backpacked stretches of this coast in January, February (three times), May and October, and dayhiked it maybe a dozen times in January, February, March and November, and every one was a great trip. It is rugged and tough. But if you take your time, hike by the tides, are prepared for rain and wind and your gear is in proper order for winter backpacking, you'll be just fine.

[Quark]

where are good bailpoints? I've only done 3rd beach to Toleak, and as far as I know there aren't any. I've heard there's one near Falls Creek (I think) but it's not on a map and wouldn't be obvious to Kathryn or anyone else, while researching a trip. That WildCeltic says makes a lot of sense, too - sometimes you just have to wait a day or so. Damian and Larry and I were coming out of Toleak when last December's wind storm hit. If alone, I would have started out as we did - it was pretty windy at that time, but not a deal-breaker. By the time the storm was well underway, I would have had trouble getting back to camp to wait it out - though it was low tide, the waves were crashing against the slope, and the wind was howling at 60 mph. It came on pretty quick. I suppose I would have clambered up slope, but that's not possible in some places there - it's a soggy clay cliff that's sloughing onto the beach, and wouldn't support a person's weight, not even Kathryn's 105 pounds. But we were there to experience a stormy coast (that's why we go), and were prepared for it. Damian's an old hand at it; Larry even more so - I had plenty of experience helping me along. But if I were solo, I may have got into trouble, not having anyone around to bounce my thoughts off of or follow a lead. On the other hand, if I were solo and unsure, I probably would have found a way up a slope at some point and waited it out amongst the alders and whatnot. No where to pitch a camp, and I may have suffered from the cold, but my skillenton wouldn't have been swept out to sea.

[greg]

Quark, there is a vast network of logging roads just east of the coast, in some places less than a quarter-mile. The Goodman Mainline runs between the Quillayute and Hoh rivers and is just to the east of Toleak Point. I've bushwacked it twice to the coast and back, although ONP frowns on the practice. Many ways to escape.

[Quark]

I'm still not convinced that someone with moderate backpacking experience like Kathryn (or me, for that matter) should do the entire trip in winter. I'm not good at bushwhacking, though I'd able to hack through thick brush if I need to get away from a storm. If the storm is that bad, though, bushwhacking through old growth could open a whole new can of worms. I guess there's a stop-gap in everthing if I look hard enough - and a storm can overtake someone on an overnighter as well as on a multi-day trip. But I just don't think a prolonged trip on the coast in winter is an optimum choice for a moderate backpacker and first timer on the coast. The chances of something going wrong are greater on the coast in winter. Add limited experience, and the chances rise. Kathryn can see plenty of geology in multiple short trips. The geologic process is the same on the whole stretch. But I admit part of my fear is my own issues with solo trips on the coast - part of the reason is the multiple factors involved with storms, tides, slick headlands, etc. I like to have someone along to discuss issues - sorta to help coach the decision and confirm it's a good one, or to tell me that I'm a dumbass for even thinking about it. The other is the mental fear of the remoter, lonelier aspect of it; much more lonely than in the mountains. Kathryn may not have any of these wierdoisms within her.

[greg]

I'm just saying that the trip is entirely possible in winter and if she's prepared she should be fine.

[greg]

I hate spilling too many beans here, but actually, you can get free maps from the state of those roads (at least they used to be free) and as for the route from the mainline to Goodman Creek, I've done it, it was a breeze, the forest was pretty open and I never once grabbed a devil's club.

[greg]

Yep, we just disagree.