May 24, 2007

Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Moderate. Wind Direction: N.

Kayaking: 2.

Two newborn seal pups spotted in Well's Cove (not my mile, but notable). Bird numbers seemed within normal limits from past trips with the exception of not spotting pelicans. I don't have enough experience to know if they would be around at this time, though I believe that I have always seen some on the rocks at the end of the cape. Murre nesting seemed robust which surprised me given some recent bad years. Lots of cormorants and gulls, as usual and a few oystercatchers. I saw a very fast falcon-shaped bird fly towards the tip of the cape on over my mile. A friend who hang-glides here tells me that peregrine falcons nest on the north side.

They would have to float to see any here.

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Landslides/major boulder falls. I noted a shallow landslide on the cape near the beach on the south side. It was perhaps 100 feet wide. Also, about mid-cape, south-side is a new, small rockfall are where basalt columns fell from the top of the cliff.

There is no collection zone for flotsam on my mile and no beach given the unbroken cliffs perhaps 300 ft. high. The bird-life seemed well as did the tidal life. This has got to be one of the least visited spots on the coast. If it weren't for the ATV’s screaming in the distance (3+ miles away), it would seem wild here.Last fall I noted a dramatic increase in bull kelp and spotted an otter. At this time the kelp is back to the levels I have seen previously, with no otter spotted. Perhaps fall is a time when kelp reach their highest numbers before the winter storms arrive to cull the number back.This was a pretty rough paddle. My friend was unable to make it back around the cape given the wind, current and rebounding waves. He fell out of his boat, but was able to remount without too much adventure. We ended up running down wind to Sand Lake and had to hitch a ride back to the north-side parking. Camp Merriweather would be a perfect launch with very little risk in North winds/swell. Does anyone have any connections with this Boy Scout group?On a side note: I'm going to have knee surgery in a month or so followed by months of rehab. I may not be able to visit here before the winter storms lock me out.