This past
weekend a group of backpackers on the Lost Coast were rescued by the Coast
Guard.
Read about the incident here:
Be sure to
also read the comment by one of the individuals who was involved with the
incident which goes into more detail about exactly what happened.
Let me
reiterate that conditions on the Lost Coast are challenging and change rapidly.
Be prepared for all weather conditions.
Watch this
video I took during a storm back in the winter of 2010
This is
near Black Sands Beach – an area that is NOT identified as “impassable at high
tide.” When I took this video I was standing on a narrow shelf – about 3-5 feet
wide – with the cliffs behind me.
Also, this
was only taken about 45 minutes after low tide.
What is
happening here? Large waves with lots of energy were sending massive amounts of
water rushing up the beach – towards the cliffs.
Winter weather conditions and hazardous marine conditions
can make travel on the Lost Coast Trail much MUCH more difficult.
Often I am
asked, “at what tide level do the impassable zones become impassable/passable.”
Generally,
GENERALLY, during calm ocean/weather conditions the impassable zones become
impassable at about 3-3.5 feet. BUT, as in the above examples, this isn’t
necessarily always the case. This number can be much lower during stormy or
hazardous marine conditions when the swell/periods increase.
Just
because it is low tide does not
necessarily mean that you will be able to cross through the impassable at high
tide sections of trail safely.
Also, it is
in your best interest to start your travel through these sections well before
(several hours is ideal) low tide – NOT on an incoming tide.
You will
need to LOOK, SEE, and OBSERVE what the ocean is doing for yourself, when you
are out there.
Don’t take
my word for it – don’t take anyone’s word for it. There are no guarantees in
the Wilderness.
Check these
two sources before your trip:
As of today
(9-26-13) this is the NOAA Marine Zone Forecast for the Lost Coast Area:
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING......
Synopsis...NORTH WINDS AND SHORT PERIOD SEAS WILL REMAIN MODERATELY HIGH THROUGH THIS EVENING. NORTH WINDS AND SHORT PERIOD SEAS WILL DIMINISH FRI AND REMAIN RELATIVELY LOW THROUGH SAT. A NEW STORM WILL APPROACH ON SUN AND GENERATE MODERATELY STRONG SOUTH WINDS. THIS STORM WILL ALSO PRODUCE LARGE SEAS THAT WILL PERSIST ON MON.
Tonight: N winds 15 to 25 kt...easing to 10 to 15 kt. Gusts up to 35 kt this evening. Waves NW 11 ft at 9 seconds.
Fri: NW winds 5 to 15 kt. Waves NW 6 ft at 8 seconds.
Fri Night: N winds 5 to 15 kt. Waves NW 5 ft at 8 seconds.
Sat: NW winds 5 kt. Waves NW 5 ft at 11 seconds.
Sat Night: S winds up to 5 kt. Waves NW 5 ft at 13 seconds.
Sun: S winds 10 to 20 kt. Waves NW 15 ft at 14 seconds.
Mon: NW winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves NW 14 ft at 14 seconds.
Tue: NW winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves NW 9 ft at 13 seconds.
Now, check
the tide levels for this weekend and you’ll see that the afternoon lows are not
very low at all (about 3 feet). This combined with the 15 ft swell @ 14 seconds (BIG/lots of energy!) will make the “impassable zones” even more challenging to get through.
Here are
some explanations I found to help you figure out what these numbers mean:
Swellinfo.com:
“What this means to you... The longer the
period, the more potential for a larger wave.
A swell with 5ft @ 7 (swell A) seconds and a
swell with 5ft @ 12 (swell B) seconds can be much different.
What happens is the wave rolls through in the
open ocean... when it approaches shallow waters is starts to feel the ocean
bottom. As it does this, the wave becomes bigger and bigger before it topples
over and breaks. The longer the wavelength (or period), the more chance for the
wave to build up before it topples over.”
Use caution
when traveling on the Lost Coast. The best tools you have are your senses and
your mind. If you have to wait it out – wait it out. If you have to turn back –
turn back. Are you prepared for this? Are you prepared to spend another day or
more if you have to? How important are goals and planned schedules to maintain
when you could be putting yourself or others in the way of harm?
To me, the
wilderness is a place to test your skills, to test yourself and your ability of
self-reliance. Make your decisions wisely and as if there will never be anyone
to rescue you. Are you willing to put other people’s lives at risk (rescuers
have died during rescue operations)? Can you wait out your situation? IS there
any possible way to rescue yourself?
Be safe out there,
Your Wilderness Ranger,
Paul Sever
lostcoastranger@gmail.com
707-986-5405 (my desk phone
707-986-5400 (main phone/front desk)
