Saturday, August 24, 2013

backpacking | where the mountains meet the sea.

Being back in Washington has had its challenges. Jackson was so...convenient. Grand Teton National Park was minutes away, floating creeks ran through my backyard, and snowboarding was a five minute bus ride away. Not to say the mountains aren't close here as it only takes a 40 minute drive from Seattle to be at Snoqualmie Pass, but my schedule as of late hasn't really been conducive to the adventures that make me satisfied in life. Finally, a weekend with no weddings or editing came along and I knew I had to get outside. With a deep desire to do something that I couldn't have done in Wyoming, I convinced David that a four hour drive plus ferry ride up to the Peninsula and hiking six miles to camp on the westernmost point in the contiguous United States, then a hike back out and the four hour drive plus ferry ride all over again -- all done in the course of two days -- would be a good idea. Our time frame wasn't ideal, but this trip was definitely worth it. The Washington Coast has a very alluring quality to me. It takes so long to get there from Seattle, and it just rains...all the time. The idea I had in my mind was a mystical, chilly beach lined by rainforest dotted with tide pools filled with life. Sea stacks rise from the water as waves crash and seals play among the ocean mist. The smell -- it is almost as if the smell of the sea was what was drawing me there, as the land-locked state of Wyoming has nothing of the sort. Smell is one of the strongest memory triggers for some people and I spent many of my summer days as a child playing on the beaches of Florida and California while my family escaped the Arizona heat. I just wanted to be near the sea. So, we did it. Following are the photos that tell the story of this very special Pacific Northwest experience on Cape Alava.









































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