Seems like E and I have been trying to get to the Redwoods for forever :) Years ago, a doomed trip had to be abandoned (due to emergency surgery - how many times can a guy need crazy surgeries before 40?!?! He just had another one last week....) So we were beyond thrilled to finally make it, and with the kid to boot!
But things didn't start out as dreamy as we'd hoped that day. The child hadn't slept enough the night before and was very tired. He was therefore feeling a bit obstinate about the whole "hiking" business. Beach was what he wanted. Trees, shmees ;)
I'd been smacked over the head, just a few days before, with the universal reminder to go with the flow (after oh so not flowing en route to the lighthouse ;), so I was determined to stay centered (at least kinda ;) So we focused on finding a solution that would meet all of our needs... and boy did we!!!!
Driving out of the park, around to the coast, back into the park and up a dusty dirt road at 5 miles per hour (for an hour or so) landed us exactly where we needed to be. There was a beautiful, forlorn looking beach (with sea lions and crab shells and fog) and a gorgeously green hike (with canyon walls and streams for jumping.) The kid was happy. We were happy.
A swamp sat between us and the beach. Logs were strewn over the small streams, serving as passages. This made a small child very, very happy :)
Huge dunes, between the swamp and the ocean.
When we got to the beach, the child saw... crab shells. Happyhappyjoyjoy! He had been a bit morose, ever since the collecting beach in Oregon. He'd have happily lived his life right there, and our passing south to less collectable sands seemed less than ideal to some...
Playing with his favorite crab...
We lolled about the windy beach until the child had his crab-finding-fill and then headed inland for our hike. It followed a fern-walled ravine, right up a creek bed, switching back and forth over the water. The anti-hiking child was more than happy to leap back and forth over the stream and balance on beams in the dark ravine, despite his earlier promises to the contrary. Phew ;)
P, giddily disappearing into the shadows.
Balance beam hiking.
Honestly, I can't even imagine the upkeep on a trail like this. The "boardwalks" must float away every season when it rains. The logs are alllll over the place. The child took a chunk out of his head, attempting to pass under one at a high speed. (We, left behind in his dust, didn't see it happen. So, a few minutes later he says, "I got a bonk, there might be blood." Pulls off his hat - HUGE gash! He decided to just leave his hat on for a bit, "To catch the blood." Oy:)
P, showing "crabbie" the trees.
Where our trail started to disappear... Here, we met up with two other hikers, also looking for the "correct" trail... We all eventually discovered a strange dead end, despite trail markings... So, P, E and I decided to loop back around and retrace our footsteps for an easy, fern filled finish. Our new friends chose to follow the third trail blaze. Of course, hiking with a child takes time. So, by the time we were just reaching the trail head, they had already tried the new path, looped back around and overtaken us, telling us their crazy reason for repeating their steps. The third blaze had been marked with a "caution" sign that stated: "Danger: Possible Death ahead." Ummm?
P's make-shift boat certainly kept our pace leisurely. He set Crabbie sail downstream and dodged and jumped behind, "saving" the crab when it sunk.
On a bridge at the top of the river. P was tickled.
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