There is a stretch of coast in Northern California where Highway 1 cuts inland because the terrain was too rugged to build a road along the water. This area, called the Lost Coast, is difficult to get to and some of the most scenic and wild terrain in California. This weekend I headed up there with a bunch of friends to backpack along this coast.
The group was planning on a 25 mile trek from the Mattole Beach access point to Shelter Cove (Black Sands Beach). I was only able to join for Friday and Saturday night, so I met some of the group in Shelter Cove on Friday afternoon. We car camped and the rest of the group arrived on Saturday morning and we shuttled up to Mattole. Although Mattole Beach is only 25 miles up the coast it is about a two hour drive to get there, including a long and steep stretch on Kings Peak Road, a beautiful 4WD road through the Kings Range. After the shuttle we had lunch at the trailhead and then started the hike south to Punta Gorda Lighthouse, where we spent the night in a rather fancy driftwood wind shelter.
On Sunday morning the group prepared to continue their southbound hike and I turned around and headed back to the trailhead. I made it around Punta Gorda with plenty of time to spare before high tide and was back at the car a little after 10 am. The drive out along Mattole Road to 101 was incredible – amazing scenery, structures, and eventually through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. I stopped to hike a while in the redwoods and was even able to watch a bear forage for lunch about 100 ft from me.
As always with the Northern California hikers, it was a fun weekend in amazing terrain with great company. Thanks for the fun!
Oh, the trail tacos were a success! The meat and beans rehydrated perfectly and they hit the spot with some cheddar and tortillas. I’m looking forward to trying out some new dehydrator recipes soon.
