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.
