July 4, 2008

Cloud Cover: Rain. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: SW.

Number of people: 10. Other Activities: 10 hiking. 10 people on mile, is a record!!3 cars at end of Elk Flats Road - transportation for the hikers I encountered.

Total stranded mammals: 1. Probably seal pup -- only skull and spine were left.

Seaweeds and seagrass. ... less than usual

Natural re-arrangement of cove floors by ocean.

minor boulder falls

On Friday, July 4, I arrived at the end of Elk Flats Road and made an uneventful descent to sea level via the usual western route. Someone had picked through my litterbags and had taken a few items. I re-secured the bags and set off to the south. Wave action was almost nil, making it easy to slip around the various headlands, which was very nice.I managed to hike through all 10 coves due to extremely low tides. At the end of Cove 10, I changed into diving booties and waded through waist-deep tidal pools in order to round the corner to see what was there. At that point, it appears that the coves end and that there is a true headland -- I could see and hear breaking waves on the other side, and the grooves in the rock underfoot became long and deep.This is a hazardous area for several reasons. One, it is totally covered with broad-fronded kelp, making footing treacherous. Two, it is striped with long grooves of varying depths, all filled with water. Three, except for the horizon, there are no straight lines, and all of the surrounding area begins to look the same. It would be easy to fall into a groove and find yourself unable to get back out. These aren't ultra-deep, but between the extremely soft sand in the grooves and the seaweed-covered rocks, climbing vertically is just about impossible, even for a few feet. I was extremely slow and careful in my movements.On my way back, I actually lost my way and had to fight a bit of a panic attack. But I did keep a careful eye on my watch and the waves, and I had enough time to find the proper return route and the least dangerous path back through the caves and caverns. I changed back into my shoes and got out of there just minutes before the tide turned.To my complete surprise, upon reaching Cove 4, I ran into 10 people from Seattle and Portland, hiking as a single group. Some of them had plastic trash bags and were wearing yellow rubber gloves. I told them there was no more trash south of our meeting point and showed them the stuff I'd stashed above the tide line from my previous visit. They hiked to some of the southern coves without me, then turned around and brought some sacks of my litter with them when they returned. I waited for them at Cove 1 right at the hoisting point for trash, and we stuffed the bags next to boulders and placed heavy rocks on them.There are still several objects that need to be retrieved from Cove 4. These include one large bag of trash, a small crab pot frame, and a five-gallon red plastic bucket with a lid. I also remember some ropes that have washed in, as well as a few buoys attached to them and with luck, I will be able to retrieve everything that remains on July 6 and get it over to the lift-out point.This was a great trip, despite the rain. Getting to the extreme southern points was fun, and having the people help carry bag of trash was even better. I really think I can finish the retrieval on my next trip, and that everything can be hoisted before autumn arrives.