Cape Alava Loop (Ozette Triangle) — Saturday, Jul. 18, 2009

God, I love this state. Sure, California's got miles and miles of coastline, which is great in the case you'd like to share it with the teeming masses. Oregon's rugged coastline is great for driving alongside, but with a freeway lining nearly the whole thing, solitude is short. So what better place to enjoy the Pacific coastline than Washington? Even though we'd done this trip before, we still managed to get lost driving there (the GPS wanted to send us through miles of abandoned forest roads...ended up using a map and getting there just fine after that), meaning we didn't reach the trailhead until 3pm. The parking lot was packed and after being admonished for not having a reservation by the ranger, we were given a camp zone South of Sand Point - which is fine by me, as it is easily the prettiest stretch of beach on the entire loop. This hike gives you almost everything. Boardwalk covered swampland, sun drenched prairie, razor sharp rocks, and finally, beautiful, sandy beach. We reached our camping area at about 5pm, the hike giving me the most exposed low tide I'd ever seen out here. It made for a smelly, dangerous hike amongst the rocks, but added to the sense of adventure. The weather was warm and although no campfires are allowed, the weekend was filled with a lot of laughter and talk and stargazing, a great introduction to the wonders of Washington's coast for a couple of first-time backpacking friends. Its small wonder I always come back - the coast never disappoints. The creeks running into the ocean have not yet dried out, so that made things much happier for us. The only "downer" I guess was the plethora of rangers. We ran into no less than 5 rangers, which would have been fine had not 3 of them ask us for our trip details, warn us about racoons, and ask to see our pass/bear canisters. One of them was even armed and gave the women with us the creeps. Never thought I'd complain about too many rangers! More details and photos at http://www.seattlecasbah.com/seattlecasbahcom/2009/07/south-sandpoint-ozette-triangle.html