Hike Coordinator: Lane Harris
Narration by Lane Harris
The week leading up to this hike had been packed full of cold, rainy days, and the forecast had called for even worse weather on the other side of Saturday. As each day passed, I held my breath waiting to see if the very slim window of nice weather that was being reserved for Saturday’s hike by the weatherman was going to hold. By Friday night, I was pleased to see that the hike at Baker Beach was destined to be, at the very least, dry, and quite possibly, very sunny. Thank you, weatherman!
Ten of us hikers arrived at the trailhead at Dune Lake, which is near Alder Lake, both of which are near Alder Dune Campground… ok, is anyone else confused?… Anyway, before we set out, Bob noticed that Michael had a semi-flat tire on his vehicle. At which point, Michael asked, “What would Bob do?” After a few amusing remarks from the crowd, Michael decided that he would chance it and deal with the tire issue upon his return. (I really don’t remember what Bob’s advice was, as I was sidetracked by the whole WWBD: What Would Bob Do thing…)
We then hit the trail, everyone staying together in a group, as the trail has quite a few places where one could meander off onto false ghost-trails. We had barely gone half a mile when I was told that Michael had decided to turn around and go back. This is the part where he would prematurely “deal with the tire issue upon his return”. Apparently, he was calculating that his tire wouldn’t hold enough air for the duration of the hike.
As we trudged through more sand, I received a text message from Diana. She said she had camped at Alder Dune Campground, and was waiting to start the hike… at Baker Beach. I just shook my head and replied back that we had actually started where she camped at Alder Dune, and that we were heading her way to Baker Beach, just as it was listed on the hike description. After a few more texts back and forth, I ended up just calling her to say that yes, she started in the wrong place, and that no, do not go back to the beginning where we had started, as she would never catch up. After she spouted a few choice blasphemous words indicating her apparent self-disgust in herself for not paying full attention to the fine details of the hike itinerary, I told her that we were just a mile out and we would meet her at the Baker Beach Campground, to just wait there. Funny thing, we never heard from her again…
Just kidding. About a half mile later, Diane was spotted sulking down the trail towards us. She had decided to not wait for us, but rather opted to get some steps in. Her mood immediately improved though as we greeted her and she joined our merry little congo line heading back in the direction from which she had come from. Read the fine details, kids, it may save you some awkwardness later on.
We soon reached Baker Beach Campground and continued across the road on the trail known as the Lily Lake Loop, which loops down and around to Lily Lake at the most northern part of our hike. At Berry Creek, the trail basically does an about-face and heads south again across a high grass-covered dune, offering a nice photo-op of the land between us and the ocean.
As the trail continued back toward Baker Beach Campground, we had to skirt around several areas of the trail which were flooded with recent rain water. There’s wasn’t much to see along this part of the trail, but that’s sometimes typical during hikes. We soon arrived back to the campground and hooked a hard right toward the ocean.
The path that leads from the campground to the beach can be busy at times, both with humans and their equine companions. We would encounter both today, but it seemed much busier the day that I had pre-hiked this hike back on a blue-sky December day. The trail leads up and over a large dune, which wins the award for the greatest leg-burning hill of the day! Once at the top, we were rewarded with a fantastic view of our lunch destination, the beach! That glee soon dissipates heading down the other side, as you realize you will have to climb back up this side on the return leg! Ouch, don’t say leg!
Everyone pulled up a log and proceeded to chow down on a well-deserved lunch, as we watched distant ships float against a dark gray sky far to the west. This was the weather system that would move in later, long after we were done with our hike. But for now, we enjoyed the waves crashing against the sandy shores, along with horseback riders trotting up the beach. We watched with envy as the horses easily sauntered up the soft, sandy hillside that we had just come down. Unfortunately, us humans would have to traverse that quad-killing hill sometime after we finished our meat sticks and sandwiches.
While the rest of the group decided to beeline it back to the campground and chill, myself, Richard, John, Penny and Patty elected to be a bit adventurous and search for an impromptu alternative route to avoid the leg-busting sandy hill. Ok, so it was my idea, as I always have the best ones, and they always go as planned.
After hitting a dead-end near Berry Creek, I had a change of plans. We turned around and found a somewhat obtainable route to a dune that lay above us. I went first, having to crawl a bit on my hands and knees, tentatively negotiating the unstable sand-filled hillside, but was successful at the attempt. Looking back down on the doubtful-looking group, I could sense their excitement of the challenge the lay ahead of them. Richard grudgingly made his way up, then Penny, and then Patti. John hesitantly brought up the rear, and we were on our way. I then unashamedly announced to my exploratory hiking pals that they could now thank me for bringing back their own childhood memories of cheerfully playing in a sandbox. I valued what I assumed was their silent approval, as they solemnly brushed off sand from every part of their clothing, quietly mumbling to themselves. In this moment, I realized how much I was truly adored and appreciated whenever I lead hikes.
The five of us made it back to the campground and joined up with the others to make the 2-mile trek back to Alder Dune. By this time, the warmest part of the day, we were grateful for the pleasant weather and the warm sun on our faces. The air was cool, but not cold. The sand was… well, the sand was still sand, and it felt even harder to walk in on the return trip. What ended up being over 6 miles felt like at least 10 miles.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, Michael did make it to Florence and was able to get his tire fixed. He even stated he went to go check out Sweet Creek Falls near Mapleton while we were still hiking. That’s fine and all, but I feel it was a missed opportunity on my part to bring back precious sandbox memories to another appreciative hiker. Maybe next time.
Read about this hike on Richard O’Neill’s Blog
More pictures on Lane Harris’ Flickr page and Richard O’Neill’s Flickr page
Pictures below by Lane Harris and Richard O’Neill
