• Home
  • Round The World Trip
  • Hiking
    • John Muir Trail
    • West Coast Trail
    • New Zealand’s Great Walks
    • Waitukubuli National Trail
    • Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
    • Torres del Paine W-Circuit
  • About
    • Map Of Places I Have Been
    • About Me
    • Contact Me

Kevin's Travel Blog

  • Home
  • Round The World Trip
  • Hiking
    • John Muir Trail
    • West Coast Trail
    • New Zealand’s Great Walks
    • Waitukubuli National Trail
    • Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
    • Torres del Paine W-Circuit
  • About
    • Map Of Places I Have Been
    • About Me
    • Contact Me
December 31, 2010May 19, 2017

Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike – Day 2: Ozette River Crossing to Shi Shi Beach

Part of the Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike Journal and Pacific Northwest Trip Journal
Previous entry: Day 1 – Lake Ozette to Ozette River Crossing

Journal entry for August 6, 2010
Approximate distance hiked: 8.1 miles, 13.0 km

I woke up a bit before 9am, after almost 11 hours of sleep. The outside of the tent was very wet. The fog was very thick and because of this, there was a very light but constant drizzle. I did the usual morning camp chores and went to get some water from Ozette River. The ocean tide was high and it looked like it was pushing the river water inland. It was impossible to scoop water without me actually getting into the water. I felt lazy and gave up, deciding to get some more water down the road. This proved to be a mistake.

I broke camp at 10:30am. The first section was mostly sand beaches and what seemed to be a thick layer of dried seaweed.

Dried ocean algae?
Dried ocean algae?
Dried ocean algae?
Dried ocean algae?

I soon reached tree huge fallen trees.

Fallen trees
Fallen trees

The terrain then got much rougher. Way more than I expected. Lots of boulder hopping required.

Boulder hopping
Boulder hopping
Boulder hopping
Boulder hopping

I met a father and his three kids in this section. They were a little bit ahead of me when I got careless and made a long jump and landed on a big slippery and uneven rock. I slipped and my right shin drove right into the sharp edge of another rock. The pain was excruciating and at first, I thought I had broken bones. After I was able to sit down and examine the wound, I realized that it was just a very deep scrape (I still got a large visible scar four months later). After a few minutes, the father of the kids came back to check on me. That was a very nice gesture. Luckily I was fine, and after cleaning and patching up the wound, I was good to go.

I reached, a bit too early, a point where a tide of 4 feet or lower was required to pass. The high tide had been at 10:30am and it was still going down. I could either walk through 2 feet of water for a very short section, or climb up a huge rock and make a long jump that, just minutes after my slip, seemed like a dangerously horrible idea. As I was trying to decide what to do, I looked around me and realized that I was surrounded by tide pools full of starfish. I had seen pictures of starfish on Shi Shi Beach, but this was the first time I saw them on the hike. I stayed there for over an hour checking them out and snapping pictures.

The elusive purple starfish. I only saw one of them.
The elusive purple starfish. I only saw one of them.
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish
Starfish
Olympic Coast
Olympic Coast

Some more rough terrain followed before hitting one of two impassable headlands. For each of them, there are trails inland that can only be reached by climbing very steep hills. Luckily, they are have ropes installed.

Olympic coast
Olympic coast
Impassable headland
Impassable headland

The two trails are short and go through some very wet forest. At same points, the trail is hard to follow, but there are red fluorescent markers on the trees to guide you to the right direction. There are a few lookouts with spectacular views.

Trail markers
Trail markers
Olympic coast
Olympic coast

After I descended by rope from the second trail I was, without knowing at first, already at Shi Shi Beach.

Point of the Arches
Point of the Arches
Point of the Arches
Point of the Arches
Shi Shi Beach
Shi Shi Beach
Shi Shi Beach
Shi Shi Beach

At 2.3 miles, it is a very long beach. There were already a good number of tents set up. I finally found a stream of water from which to get water from. I hadn’t found any water source since Ozette River in the morning. I’ve only had about 10 oz (300 cc) of water all day, which was what I had leftover from the previous night. I walked down the beach to get closer to the trail head so that I wouldn’t have to walk as much the following morning. I set up camp about 100 yards from a large group of campers and ate dinner. For about 1 1/2 hour, I tried to start a fire but failed miserably. I’m sure the constant light drizzle was a factor, but I never really learned how to property start a fire. I vowed to do some internet research before the West Coat Trail the following week. This could one day be a life or death situation during an emergency.

It got dark, and with no fire, I decided to get into my tent. I soon as I get into my sleeping bag, I hear a female voice outside: “Hello? Hello?”. It was a girl from the group about 100 yards away. She asked me if I needed help starting a fire. I thanked her, but it was already 9pm and I think I was ready for bed. She told me that if I needed anything I could go to them. You meet the nicest people on the trail.

Next entry: Day 3 – Shi Shi Beach and Hitchhiking to Port Angeles
Part of the Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike Journal and Pacific Northwest Trip Journal

Posted in Travel, Hiking, Photography, Americas, Olympic National Park, United States
Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Post navigation

   Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike – Day 1: Lake Ozette to Ozette River Crossing
Lake Ozette to Shi Shi Beach Hike – Day 3: Shi Shi Beach and Hitchhiking to Port Angeles   

You may also like

Western USA Road Trip: Zion National Park

Continue Reading
Looking back at Wheeler Peak

Western USA Road Trip: Great Basin National Park

Continue Reading

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Subscribe


 

Categories

  • Travel (354)
    • Round The World Trip (242)
      • Pre-Trip (20)
    • Americas (176)
      • Argentina (24)
      • Bolivia (12)
      • Brazil (20)
      • Canada (12)
      • Chile (12)
      • Colombia (9)
      • Mexico (9)
      • Peru (21)
      • United States (71)
      • Uruguay (3)
      • Venezuela (8)
    • Africa (13)
      • Djibouti (2)
      • Eritrea (6)
      • Somalia (6)
    • Asia (46)
      • Cambodia (4)
      • China (1)
      • Hong Kong (1)
      • Japan (15)
      • Macau (1)
      • Malaysia (2)
      • Mongolia (1)
      • Myanmar (10)
      • Singapore (2)
      • Taiwan (8)
      • Thailand (4)
    • Caribbean (14)
      • Dominica (14)
    • Europe (1)
      • Russia (1)
    • Middle East (26)
      • Iran (13)
      • Jordan (1)
      • Kuwait (3)
      • Oman (7)
      • Qatar (3)
      • United Arab Emirates (4)
    • Oceania (50)
      • Australia (8)
      • New Zealand (42)
  • Hiking (149)
    • John Muir Trail (31)
    • West Coast Trail (10)
    • Olympic National Park (7)
    • Yosemite National Park (10)
    • Sequoia National Park (6)
    • Angeles National Forest (2)
    • Ansel Adams Wilderness (5)
    • Bryce Canyon National Park (1)
    • Chapada Diamantina (1)
    • Death Valley National Park (1)
    • King's Canyon National Park (8)
    • Mount Roraima (3)
    • New Zealand Great Walks (33)
    • Salkantay To Machu Picchu (9)
    • Torres del Paine (6)
    • Waitukubuli National Trail (11)
    • Zion National Park (2)
  • Motorcycle (12)
  • Photography (286)
  • Train Rides (14)
  • Life (15)
  • Other Stuff (2)

Archives

  • 2020 (2)
    • April (2)
  • 2019 (5)
    • July (2)
    • June (3)
  • 2018 (10)
    • May (2)
    • March (4)
    • February (1)
    • January (3)
  • 2017 (34)
    • December (1)
    • September (1)
    • May (1)
    • April (4)
    • March (12)
    • February (10)
    • January (5)
  • 2016 (47)
    • November (1)
    • October (4)
    • September (6)
    • August (4)
    • July (2)
    • May (2)
    • April (8)
    • March (11)
    • February (3)
    • January (6)
  • 2015 (75)
    • December (1)
    • October (6)
    • September (2)
    • August (5)
    • July (8)
    • June (7)
    • May (9)
    • April (13)
    • March (13)
    • February (6)
    • January (5)
  • 2014 (80)
    • December (2)
    • November (5)
    • October (6)
    • September (9)
    • August (7)
    • July (6)
    • June (10)
    • May (17)
    • April (5)
    • March (4)
    • February (4)
    • January (5)
  • 2013 (27)
    • December (4)
    • November (2)
    • October (6)
    • September (2)
    • June (1)
    • May (5)
    • April (3)
    • March (2)
    • January (2)
  • 2012 (14)
    • December (3)
    • November (5)
    • September (1)
    • August (2)
    • June (1)
    • March (1)
    • February (1)
  • 2011 (18)
    • December (1)
    • November (2)
    • October (2)
    • September (2)
    • August (1)
    • July (1)
    • May (1)
    • April (6)
    • March (1)
    • January (1)
  • 2010 (28)
    • December (4)
    • October (2)
    • September (1)
    • August (3)
    • July (7)
    • May (3)
    • April (2)
    • March (3)
    • January (3)
  • 2009 (22)
    • December (6)
    • November (3)
    • October (1)
    • September (5)
    • August (2)
    • July (2)
    • June (1)
    • March (1)
    • January (1)
  • 2008 (4)
    • November (2)
    • May (1)
    • March (1)
  • 2006 (4)
    • November (1)
    • February (1)
    • January (2)

kevinstravel

Rough race and not the result I was looking for. W Rough race and not the result I was looking for. Was targeting a sub 2:55 but finished in 3:31. It felt hard from the start and had stomach issues later on. Still proud of the effort and finish.
2 more days 2 more days
Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018. Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018.
Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018. Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018.
Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018. Tiruchirappalli, India. January 2018.
Kerala, India. January 2018. Kerala, India. January 2018.
Load More Follow on Instagram

996 Days Traveled
33 Countries Visited
290 Beds Slept In
79 Flights Taken
180 Buses Long Distance
93 Trains Long Distance
48 Boats Survived

© 2006-2023 Kevin's Travel Blog. All Rights Reserved.