August 11, 2007

Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: W.

Continued to see lots of dead mussels

Seaweeds and seagrass. small bits -- lots of them

Landslides/major boulder falls. Rocks fail w/o warning - natural process. Hikers note: round smooth black/gray rocks at your feet are from the sea. Brown and jagged rocks fell from above. WEAR A HARD HAT - LISTEN AT ALL TIMES for the sound of landslides or falling rocks!!!

This page supplements my CoastWatch report for August 11, 2007. It will probably be my last report at least until April 2008.The purpose of this hike was to retrieve the last of the trash that washed up, and to tie up any loose ends.I arrived at the area about 5am and had to wait for daylight. When twilight broke, I descended to sea level, arriving about 5:30, then hiked all eight coves south, returning about 6:30 with less than a half bag of trash. The ascent took over an hour, as I brought up 3 full bags of trash, a one-cubic-foot standard black plastic dairy crate, and the white barrel I found in Cove 4 a few months ago and recently dug out of the log and rocks in that cove.I packed everything in my car and drove to Cart 'M in Manzanita -- when it opened, I recycled what I could, and paid a $7 dumping fee for the "unrecyclables."There continue to be an atypical amount of dead mussels, both singles and clumps. The two dead birds I saw last time were in the same places this time -- no additional birds were seen. No seals were seen, either ashore or asea -- however, the body drag marks in Cove 6 are always there, so this must be where they come to rest. I am always glad to see the marks -- it means my presence has not caused them to have to look elsewhere for a place to hang out.All that is left is the crab trap frame -- very heavy and probably impossible to get up the cliff face as it is. There continues to be a buried pot (judging by the visible ropes) in Cove 7, but even if it was dug out, moving it would be impossible. There continue to be two buoys visible, one 200 feet away from the north rocks of Cove 1, and another surrounded by rocks in a "pond" closer in -- these probably indicate derelict crab pots, but I have no way to deal with them.I am pleased to report such a thorough cleaning of the beach in my area -- even though the final ascent was so difficult and laborious (and dirty!). It is great to look down where 40+ bags of trash had been assembled, and to see nothing except the old crab pot frame.Tide-wise, it continues to be the case that one should not attempt to slip around the south end of Cove 1 without a tide of at least a -1.0. I have noticed that the height and frequency of swells and the prevailing wind can affect the tide by as much as a foot -- it is not a big deal when walking a sandy beach, but when covehopping, a foot of water in this area makes the difference between dry feet and wet feet, or between being able to make it, and having to swim for it. There are also landslides that bring down rocks quite fast and unexpectedly, and several have landed near me, but none hit me, fortunately. It's a great place to visit -- but caution has to be taken every step of the way.