Mrs. Peabody had recently lamented summer is at an end and she’d like to go to the coast while the weather was still pleasant. With that to go on, I did some research and we decided on a hike along Netarts Spit.
We drove to Cape Lookout State park on Saturday, weather reports showed 70 and sunny with light winds and that’s exactly what we got. We parked in the day use parking lot ($5 fee) just past the campground. It was just past noon, an hour before high tide. We hadn’t hiked here before and thought it better to start the hike while the tide was at its peak. We didn’t want to get caught stranded somewhere by a rising tide.
The sign posted before reaching the beach warned of this desperado.
Not sure if this guy is responsible for the recent rash of car break-ins or some other crime. He looked dangerous and we hoped we didn’t run into him. I for one was glad to see that law enforcement was taking a no nonsense approach to this criminal. Unfortunately, after reading the sign, the Bon Jovi song “Wanted Dead not Alive” played in my head for most of the day…..grrrrrr.
There were about 50 people on the beach enjoying the day but after about a mile or so we had the beach mostly to ourselves.
As we walked, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a wave receding and something struggling near the surf. I ran over and stared straight into the face of this fellow.
I tried not to panic while I desperately attempted to determine if this was the same crab “Wanted Dead not Alive”. Was it wearing mittens or gloves? Its life depended on my accurate assessment. If it was the afore mentioned crab, there was no way I could dispatch it in front of Mrs. Peabody especially after she yelled out “Don’t kill it!” immediately after I started heading in its direction. So I decided to take a blurry picture instead. A split second after the picture was snapped, the next wave came taking him back out to sea and leaving me with soaked shoes. I knew I would somehow end up with soaked shoes on this hike. I was just surprised at how quickly it happened. We were just 1.2 miles from the parking lot.
The next 4 miles were easy going…..like a walk on the beach…..squish, squish, squish.
We saw a tree and its prey, very cool.
After hiking 5.3 miles we reached the end of the Netarts Spit. There is a nice view of Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge and the town of Netarts.
We decided to continue to follow the beach as far as possible around the point. Walking along the Netarts Bay side we saw a harem of seals sunning themselves on a sand bar. They were too far away to get a great picture. We had binoculars and used those to watch them. At this time the tide was going out and one by one the seals left the sand bar and floated out to sea. Why swim when you can float out on the tide.
Portions of the beach disappear on this side at high tide, so plan accordingly.
We continued to walk along the beach for about 1.5 miles until it ended.
At this point we could have turned around and gone back the way we came or continue heading towards Cape Lookout though the grass along the bay side of the spit and then ‘shwack across the spit back to the ocean side. We chose the latter determining it would be more interesting. (Full disclosure: It’s my job to create and execute the plan. It’s Mrs. Peabody’s job to approve the plan and critique its execution. – just sayin’). We picked this spot to begin our trek to the ocean.
We weaved our way west following the path of least resistance using game trails when we could. Some areas had trees and sandy soil (high and dry) and other areas with lots of tall grass (lower & wetter). We worked our way along the imaginary shore of these tall grassy areas. It was mostly dry but it hadn’t rained in awhile. I would never attempt this route other than at the end of the summer after a long dry spell. I imagine it would be a wet and miserable affair if attempted at any other time.
The pines grew denser and tougher near the shore. It took us a couple of attempts to find a way through them to the shore dune. Once we reached the dune I peered over the edge and determined it was a little too tall to climb down. I spotted a lower stretch of dune further to the south and we headed that way. When we arrived I had Mrs. Peabody lay flat on the ground and peer over the edge. I was so relieved when she said “Oh I can do that!” I told her to “Swing your legs over the edge and I’ll lower you down.” We were finally back on the beach and had an easy 4 miles to the car.
On the return, a wind surfer ran up to us asking if we’ve seen his board. He had lost his and was looking for it. We said we’d keep a lookout for it. Mrs. Peabody said, "Write your phone number in the sand, I will take a picture of it with my phone and call you if we find it". It was a $900 board. Unfortunately, we never saw it. Ouch.
After stopping to investigate intact sand dollars and seashells we arrived back at the car ½ hour before sunset. It wouldn't be a long wait so we decided to stay for the show.
It was a great hike and a fantastic day. On the way home we stopped at the Rodeo Steak House & Grill in Tillamook. We both ordered burgers and a beer. It was a great place to have a post hike meal. I’d highly recommended it.
12.6 miles and 175 ft elevation. That’s less than 14 ft per mile!
