Conquer the Upper North Coast Route

I will start by saying that this hike is not to be taken lightly, especially in bad weather.  It requires an understanding of tides, river fording, climbing headlands with rope, limited fresh water access and a lot of waterproof gear.  Beach hiking takes almost twice as long as trail hiking, and much of this is on slippery rocks the size of a small car.  This hike can be done as a through hike (15 miles) from Ozette to Shi Shi or vice versa, but this requires an hour and a half shuttle in each direction.  We opted to do an out and back (~28 miles) to cut out the shuttle and spend more time hiking.  Permits are required May-September and are limited.  You can apply for permits online and have to pick them up at a ranger station in Olympic National Park.  Bear canisters are also required in ONP.  We completed this trip in 4 days, 3 nights.  There's no way to summarize this trip without a full trip report.  So here is a report on the most wild backpacking trip I've ever been on:  

DAY 1: 

5 of us piled in my rig and caught the 7:10 ferry at Edmonds and were at the Port Angeles ranger station by about 9:15.  Stopped for lunch and a couple last minute supplies.  By about noon, we were at the Ozette trailhead and beginning our hike.  It was overcast and breezy, but not wet yet.  We set up camp at Cape Alava (~3.5 miles) and relaxed under our tarp by the fire as the rain began.  The other two who had to work Friday in Seattle met us at our campsite at about 9:00pm.  We went to sleep to the sound of seals slapping around in the water, eager for the next days adventure…

DAY 2:  

The rain began to dump overnight.  In the morning, we packed up and began our 10-mile hike up to the south end of Shi Shi Beach by about 10:00am.  The rain intensity steadily increased.  After about a mile and a half, we did our first rope climb.  These are giant ropes placed on steep bluffs that allow you to pass over when the tide is high enough where you cannot walk around that section of beach.  Another half mile later, we came to the Ozette River.  Sadly, one of our group members who was feeling sick decided he felt too bad to keep going.  Another group member had to drive him home as we did not have enough seats in my SUV for 6 people coming back.  We were sad to see them go, but it was a darn good decision.  We had no idea what was in store for us the rest of the day (25mph winds and almost 1" of rain).  We eyed the river and decided on a section to cross.  Do not attempt to cross the river at anything but +/- an hour or so of low tide.  We crossed at a -.1 tide and it was up to our lower knees.  There is a lot of debate about where exactly to cross; we chose a spot about 50 yards from the mouth because it appeared to be shallower.  After to the other side, we found a spot up the beach slightly protected from the rain to put our socks and boots back on.  We continued hiking north on the beach and after about 3 miles we hit Seafield, a tiny community of about 6-12 cabins that were enveloped by the national park.  I've heard there's a guy named Ken that lives out here full time and keeps an eye on the cabins.  With the tide still coming up, we thought for a moment about setting up camp, but there is only one site and it was completely muddy from the rain.  Us hammock campers would have been fine, but the tent guys couldn’t have set up.  We decided to stick to the plan and make the push to Shi Shi.  After another couple miles of sand/small rock hiking, the real fun began.  We ran into two rangers who assured us we didn't have long to go... we only had about 4 miles left.  Shortly after, we ran into a group of 4 guys that said it took them 4 hours to get from Shi Shi to here.  The section between the Father and Son rock formation and Shi Shi is absolutely brutal.  It consists of 4 overland climbs and the trail is often hard to follow.  One of the climbs was particularly difficult, about 400 feet or so up and down.  Because this section is so infrequently passed, much of the "trail" is overgrown and you are bushwhacking.  There was one section that split in two directions and we took the wrong one.  Stay on the side closest to the ocean.  By now it was about 3:30 and we were worried the high tide would pin us up on a bluff before we could make it to Shi Shi (we met a couple the next day who had to do this).  We came down the last rope climb and saw the Point of Arches on the south end of Shi Shi.  We put our heads down and hiked as fast as we could to round the last section of headland between us and Shi Shi.  Finally, we rounded the last headland at the Point of Arches with the waves about to make that section impassable.  At this point, the rain stopped and we saw for the first time the sandy beach of Shi Shi and what many Washingtonians regard as the most beautiful beach in the state.  In all, hiking only 10 miles took us a little over 6 hours.  We all had waterproof boots and rain pants and rain jackets, but as we learned, “waterproof” only lasts so long.  This is the wettest place in the contiguous US and we got to experience it in full as we got pelted with nearly an inch of rain.  For most of the day, our boots were soaked through and our hands and feet were swollen and puffy from all the moisture.  After finding a spot to set up camp, we made dinner and were treated to a famous Shi Shi sunset.  We all stayed barefoot to dry out our feet.  I was able to take some photos when we arrived, but could not take any all day because my camera would have been ruined.  The clear skies on the horizon gave us hope that the next day would be better, considering we had to do the same hike all over again heading south. 

DAY 3: 

We woke up and were ecstatic to see partially blue skies.  We all laid out our boots and clothes on the beach in hopes they would dry for the hike back.  We waited a couple hours and with our stuff mostly dried, we headed back south.  What a difference a day can make.  The skies broke open and we were treated to the most gorgeous day you could ask for on the Washington Coast.  The same hike in the opposite direction took us a little under 4 hours going back, shaving over two hours.  The slippery rocks that were so difficult to walk/climb on became a fun playground.  The muddy and wet rope climbs were now fun obstacle courses.  We laughed at how miserable the previous day was and enjoyed getting sunburnt.  We went back to our campsite from the first night and set up.  We lounged in the sun all day and smiled at the orange glowing sunset, reflecting on the craziness of the weekend.  We polished off our last meals and I climbed into my hammock to sleep on the beach, dozing off to crashing waves for the 3rd and final night. 

Day 4:

We got an early start and made the hike out to the car (3.5 miles) in a little over an hour.  The section from Ozette Trailhead to Alava is mostly nice board walks.  You can fly on this section.  With the sun still shining, we hopped in the car and made the journey back to Seattle.

Reflecting:

We wanted an adventure and that is undeniably what we got.  Accompanied by dozens of bald eagles, deer, seals, and even a river otter, the upper section of the North Coast Route lived up to the hype and then some.  This coast is truly wild, and commands respect.  In good weather, this hike is difficult but awesome.  In bad weather, it is pretty miserable.  I wish I had photos to document how wet day 2 was.  The headland climbs with a 30 lb. pack proved to be a full body workout.  Racing the tides can be stressful, so make sure you time your hike properly and allow more time than you think.  There is limited water between Ozette River and Shi Shi (refill at Seafield Creek) so make sure you don't underestimate how long the hike will take and how much water you will need.  While we didn’t encounter any bears, they are common.  The bear canisters will protect your food from them, but more importantly will protect it from the massive raccoons that are much more likely to roam your campground.  This hike is truly something special.  Being on this section of untouched coast makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time.  Go prepared with the right (rain) gear and if Mother Nature is nice to you, you may just get to experience one of the best adventures of your life.  

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