So it has been a few days since last I wrote, but I did have good cause for the delay. Dave and I spent the last few days celebrating our third anniversary. And for this super special celebration, we did something I have been wanting to do since the fall after I met Dave. We backpacked on the Lost Coast in Northern California.

Dave went backpacking there sometime in the summer/fall of 2000 and he came back with stories of its splendor and solitude. I have wanted to go ever since. We even attempted it once several years back, but the weather (soupy California fog) was so dreadful and cold that we packed up and went to a BnB instead. Not a bad alternative, but still…. I had to get to the Lost Coast. In fact, I placed this trip as one of my goals during our retreat. Hooray! Goal achieved.

And we couldn’t have asked for a better week away. This time the weather was perfect. Clear, beautiful, sunny, warm days with a nice cool breeze off the ocean. And amazingly clear nights with so many stars that it looked completely unreal. I think we saw between 6-10 people each day and only had to share our little spot of heaven with another group of campers one evening. Even then, the foursome was on the other side of our watering hole – we could barely seem them and couldn’t hear them at all.

Many people hike further in or complete the full 25 miles of beach trail. This may be a future goal, but for us the trip was about getting away from civilization for a few days and relaxing. We spent each morning walking on the beach, collecting shells; in the afternoons, we read and enjoyed the view.

The last morning, we had mist on the coast. What a magical walk it was back to the car!