It all started on a whim!
After nearly 2 years of the pandemic, my friend and I recently caught up in person. He shared his newly found love for backpacking and the sheer bliss and solitude from his journeys.
When he said, “I am doing the Lost Coast Trail in 3 days", I asked him, "Hey, can I join you?".
While I had done a lot of day hikes and pitched tents for overnight camping, I had zero experience in backpacking and had no idea of what it entailed and the preparation needed.
This was absolutely crazy, bordering on stupidity!
He took one look at me, figured that I may be able to pull it off, and said, "Sure! I have extra backpacking gear and luckily, we have a permit.”
The Lost Coast Trail offers one of the few coastal wilderness hiking experiences in the United States.
The trail is completely isolated and not accessible by road, except at the start and end points. Mattole Beach, one of the starting points, is 250 miles north of San Francisco.
We did a one-way hike from Mattole Beach to Shelter Cove for a total of 25.3 miles, mostly along the shore on the beaches and not much elevation (max -1,578 feet).
But this hike offers different challenges and requires a lot of planning due to “impassable zones”.
From the Shelter Cove parking lot where we left our car, one of the two authorized charter bus companies transported us on a winding, rustic road to Mattole Campground, the starting point for our hike.
Right at the start, in front of us, was an undisturbed coastline with an expansive ocean. Wow!
And, we were off!
Here I was, lugging a 30 lb backpack and trudging along with trekking poles through deep, grainy black and brown sand beach and over large rocks and pebbles. I knew that for three exciting days and two nights, I would be in a lot of pain, and my tenacity would be the key to my survival.
On the first day, we crossed the first impassable zone with no hiccups.
We pitched our tent on a flat area on a hill, very close to a high cliff. The evening sun and the 180-degree view of the ocean was spectacular! We were sleeping under the stars!
All night, elephant seals gathered on the beach below the vertical cliffs and treated us to musical notes with their loud, vibrating barks.
Dinner was simple and nutritious - all we had to do was heat water on a pint-sized stove and add it to our ready-to-eat vegetarian meal packs, which were homemade and from grocery stores.
Pooping was another story! It required digging a small hole in the ground with a small camping shovel. When our job was done, we covered it with mud.
This is bear country. All food, medicines, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc. must be stowed away a few feet from the tent in a bear canister.
Ethical camping practice requires adhering to a “leave no trace” policy. We are required to carry with us all used tissues and our trash in garbage bags. There are no trash bins on the trail!
We planned the 2nd day's hike, keeping in mind the favorable 4-hour interval to cross the second impassable zone.
But we ended up leaving an hour late. We were to learn soon that this was going to be incredibly impactful.
It was a never-ending, unforgiving stretch of boulders that were bigger and deeper sand, where our foot sometimes sank nearly 6 inches for each step. It was slow going!
We were nearing the final hours of the interval to cross the impassable zone. The waves were getting close to 3 feet in height and reaching the cliff walls, which put us at risk.
On the final stretch towards the end of the impassible zone section, we had to go around the edge of a cliff that was very close to the ocean and the beach was very narrow.
We waited for an opportunity to cross in the brief interval between two waves - one receding and the next ferocious one kicking in.
We barely managed to go past the edge of the cliff to the other side. I caught the tail end of a huge wave and managed to hold my footing on the sand as it receded. Fortunately, I dug my hiking poles into the sand to get a stronger foot hold.
Without this quick reaction, I was probably a goner!
Day 3 was more boulders and longer stretches of deep sand beaches. Without much drama, we crossed the third impassable zone to reach Shelter Cove, our final destination.
Only after we had completed our journey did I learn that this was a not recommended hike for beginner backpackers.
Our three-day adventure reinforced in me many life-leadership lessons - having a child-like curiosity and impulse, the importance of taking a risk, a desire to seek adventure to the unknown, testing my tenacity, adapting on the fly, contributing to synergies with a team member and presence of mind to be unnerved in a crisis.
It all started with saying “why not!” and going after the adventure!
I am grateful to my friend for taking a tremendous risk with a novice like me, guiding me with the planning, and inspiring me throughout the journey.
I invite you to experience his magic with the camera and enjoy the stunning photos and 4K videos - 30 secs, 10 mins, 35 mins long, best viewed on big screen TV.
I am truly blessed to be alive and share our journey with you!
