We woke to sun and clear skies on our second morning. Though we had 10 miles to go there was not a rushed feeling. None of the 10 miles were in a tide zone so we didn't have a tidal schedule to keep. Some of us slept in, others just took their time packing up. It was a nice relaxing morning. It helped that we had very little dew during the night and our equipment was dry as we packed up. Gav and I both had a breakfast of what we believe to be the finest freeze-dried breakfast meal on the market: Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy. At $6 it is one of the cheapest freeze-dried meals on the market and you can't beat the taste and the pleasantly full feeling you are left with after devouring such a treat on the trail. I am not a big breakfast eater on the trail -- typically I eat a handful of granola and dried fruit, at the most a Cliff or ProBar -- but I do save time during one morning for this special breakfast. As it turned out, I would be thankful for the extra boost of energy it gave me on the trail that day.
Back on the trail. We have 10 miles to go to our next campsite at Big Flat Creek.
For the most part we could find somewhat hard ground, though it slipped into soft sand or rock from time to time.
A quick break a half-mile in.
As we hiked we were constantly moving up and down the beach looking for that sweet spot of hard sand.
At times the trail moved off the beach onto the higher ground of the bluffs above. The switch wasn't always noticeable and you really had to keep your eyes peeled for trail junctions.
On the tip of Spanish Flat.
Lunch break at Oak Creek.
Near the southern edge of Spanish Flat. This trail takes us back to the beach for another stint on the sand. The cabin ahead looked lived in and would have been a nice get-away from everything.
A dead starfish with a semi-live sea slug.
The southern tip of Spanish Flat. Around the bend ahead we would begin a short climb up and over a few hills then down to Big Flat.
A dead seagull.
The remains of a fire that had burned through a few years before.
A message for my wife.
This section sucked, but it got worse a mile south.
Just before we reached the northern tip of Big Flat the trail took us high onto a ridge above the beach. We found these guys foraging in the bushes.
This guy couldn't decide which side of the trail he wanted to be on. Finally he jumped behind the bush on the left and made his way up the hill.
After what seemed a very long walk we came out of the hills and onto the bluff known as Big Flat.
Big Flat. Our next campsite is around the bend.
This section of the Lost Coast Trail is actually an airstrip, notice the orange air sock on the left. A nice house sits to the left of the trail and the owners will fly people in to this stretch for a nice chunk of cash.
The marker I have been looking for over the last 2 miles. This tells me our campsite, and the end of our day, is less than half a mile away.
Right around the corner is the start of the campsites surrounding Big Flat Creek.
Big Flat Creek. Just over 10 miles from where we started that morning. That leaves only 4 and half miles to go tomorrow.
My campsite for the night.
Morning, Friday, July 8. We had spent the previous day wishing for fog so we had a chance to get out of the sun. Today our wish was granted.
Packing up. Today we had 4.5 miles to go, almost all through a tidal zone. Luckily, we were starting an hour before low tide and had more than enough time to complete our hiking for the day.
Emily, one of our two girl Ventures on the trip, packs up for the next leg.
Evan, the oldest on the trip, and usually the last to wake up, starts to take down his tent.
With only 4.5 miles to go there was a kind of excitement in the camp, but no rush to pack up.
Dean Mar takes down the tent while his son Tyler watches.
Gavin packed up and ready to move out. He was as excited as the rest of us to see the fog come in.
We say goodbye to Big Flat Creek and head out for our next and last campsite, Gitchell Creek.
