Lost Coast- Shelter Cove, CA

 We headed to the Lost Coast area of Northern California. Apparently, the hills in the area were too difficult to construct Highway 1 through so they just skipped an entire section leaving a a huge area of untouched land along the Pacific Coast. We went in March. This was definitely the wrong time to visit if you don't like rain. It basically rained the entire time which made fire starting rather difficult. We parked at a free parking site on the water just above the trail head on the north side of town. The hike can be as long as you would like as you can hike North up to the next town about 10-12 miles away. Don't be fooled, hiking on a beach is very different exhausting your body much quicker. You also have to cross small streams throughout your hike. Be ready to take your shoes off. Time your crossing right because you could be hit by an incoming wave. If you do plan to hike through, make sure you know the tides. A section in the middle of the hike is not crossable during high tide. People have been swept out to sea and even died on this part of the hike. About two miles in, you will find a nice little camp site where logs are piled up for shelter from the wind. Since we didn't come prepared for the tides, we decided to stop here for the night. Even in the summer, you can get rained on so come prepared and come with a lot of rain gear and fire starting material if you plan to camp.