Shushartie Bay to Skinner Beach
Distance: 8.5km
Time: 4.5 hours
Weather: Sunny and warm
Trail: Steep, long climb followed by scrambling and boardwalks
Photos: My Northcoast Trail Flickr Set
After a miscommunication with our water taxi driver we ended up arriving at the trail head at Shushartie Bay at the late hour of 12 noon. Right off the bat we were faced with a steep, long climb with a fair bit of rope work up to the highest elevation point on the trail.
Eventually the trail leveled out to a series of boardwalks traversing marshy areas divided by short stretches of scrambling through forest. This first day is is basically a long stretch of in-land trail and I was glad when we finally reached Skinner Beach in the late afternoon.
Skinner Beach is a beautiful stretch of sand divided at one end by a cobble creek. The beach was such a welcome site, especially under a clear blue sky in the golden, late-summer sun, that we decided to set up camp rather than pressing onto Nahwitti as we had originally planned. When we hiked through Nahwitti the next day, I felt we'd made the right decision as Skinner is definitely the choicer spot to camp. That said, it meant the next day would be a ball-buster of a day - a grueling 16 km hike including the three most technically difficult sections of the trail...but why care about that when you're sitting on a warm beach, watching the sun set with a yummy meal in your belly.
2 comments:
Hey Joycey!
This sounded both awesome and hellish! Once I get my wonky legs back under me, I'd love to try it myself. I can convince Mindy easily, given she has all the equipment for this kind of insanity. But how to get the dogs out there ...
More later, miss you guys! D
That is a very accurate description. It's the longest, roughest and most rewarding hike I've ever done. Breathtakingly beautiful shoreline, fabulous campsites and not a soul in sight. Unforgettable! I would LOVE to do it again with you and Mindy and the dogs. Anytime!
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