Our trip was supposed to start off nice and easy. Drop the beloved cat off at his loving grandma and grandpa's (they were oh so thrilled to have him for three weeks), visit friends outside of Seattle and do a quick and painless overnight backpacking trip to get us warmed up and ready for Canada.
The drop off and visiting off wonderful friends went as planned. The backpack along the Olympic Coast, not quite so much. You see, someone who planned the trip didn't read the tide chart and we found ourselves beginning the hike two hours before high tide. This wouldn't have been a problem if there hadn't been a long stretch that required a low tide to cross. Being the determined (or maybe foolish) couple that we are, we started the hike anyway.
Not too sure on her feet, this hiker was not excited to be rushed along these boulders- especially when the guidebook described them as "it is the rare hiker who manages to get through here without slipping at least once." This hiker was not rare.
After scrambling for a mere one mile with the tide rushing in, we ran into a couple who informed us we would not be going any further until the tide went down. So we waited...............for SIX hours. So we waiting in this little nook with our new friends.
When the tide was at a manageable level, we continued on towards this:
That would be a sand ladder. As yes that is what we climbed up, but no worries it was simply " a ladder that hangs from the cliffs above and is made of solid wooden rungs between two parallel metal cables. A rope hangs down the middle for hikers to pull themselves up- it is functional but quite strenuous for the typical hiker." Good thing we're not the typical hiker....
Atop the headland (and excited to not have fallen) we skirted along a cliff edge.
A few hours later and we would find ourselves putting up our tent. In the dark. Only to get up at 6 am the next morning and hike back out to avoid the high tide once again. The rope ladder was even more fun trying to go down- especially when you factor in all the slimy mud on the rope. And thus concludes our first adventure.
Seattle and Jake's battle with the seagulls...
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