Mile 305 - Oswald West SP, Cape Falcon N - September 3, 2011

Report Details

This was an interesting trip. Knowing that tides would prevent me from accessing any but just the first cove, I went there to retrieve my floats. Big surprise! Floats all gone!! Someone will make a haul somewhere. I had threaded all of the colorful cork floats, more than 20, into one long single batch, and put them where I thought ocean waters could not reach them. However, I'd also hauled a large quantity of crab pot rope, and it was still there. I walked the first cove as far as possible, which wasn't much, then returned to the access point with the rope, untangled it, and used it to provide additional handholds and security in the access area. Virtually all of the existing ropes appear to have been gathered from the sea, and a couple are looking iffy, so it is good to have better security out there. This is my last report for the year, as there are no more decent daylight minus tides until 2012.

Conditions

Temperature: 50 F. Cloud Cover: Cloudy. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: W. Tide Level: 2.2 feet.

Human Activities

As usual, just me.

Concerns

Apparent violations: none.

Notable Wildlife

none

Beached Birds

none

Stranded Marine Mammals

none

Dead Fish or Invertebrates

none

Driftline Content

none

Man-made Modifications

none

Natural Changes

More natural landsliding

Actions & Comments

The landslides, while natural, are certainly changed by the forces of nature. Obviously the stuff starts at the top and falls to the bottom. Wind and waves take it away or reshape it in interesting patterns, but like the sea rearranging the sand, with the next landslide or storm, it can be substantially different. It's very helpful, when hiking near cliffs, to note areas where the large rocks tend to fall, wear a hardhat, and stay in those areas for as little time as possible!