Remember how I described all my previous trails being muddy and a little slushy ? Well, guess what, I was clearly ignorant. A novice hiker so to say. This particular trail was all about the mud and the distance.
I was driving to this one. So all senses were on high alert from the word go. Driving west on US-26 is a pleasure. And if good weather were to accompany, nothing like it ! It took us about 85 mins to get to Tillamook Head Trailhead in Seaside. A beautiful house faced a not so full parking lot. Alas ! no restrooms. The next 25 minutes were spent in finding a public restroom in a near ghost town and then we began our modest hike.
I was driving to this one. So all senses were on high alert from the word go. Driving west on US-26 is a pleasure. And if good weather were to accompany, nothing like it ! It took us about 85 mins to get to Tillamook Head Trailhead in Seaside. A beautiful house faced a not so full parking lot. Alas ! no restrooms. The next 25 minutes were spent in finding a public restroom in a near ghost town and then we began our modest hike.
The trail goes through dense forest with fresh greenery. It had rained a while ago and things were nature-fresh ! Our finger tips reminded us that the temperature was slightly on the lower side, but the ascent compensated it. Belonging to the less confident hiker class, we watched our every step, protecting us and the shoes. At times, your feet would easily dive 2 inches inside the mud. Pieces of wood were a double edged sword, useful but slippery. At certain locations, you could easily spot a small detour trail created by fellow hikers that avoided the original muddy trail.
All of a sudden technique became important. Trust thy step and don't be afraid of the mud were my new slogans. At times, one would need to run/jog, the foot landing with the toe pointing inwards pushing the mud behind you. If you slow down, the foot starts sinking. Too fast and you may not be best prepared for the next step. Support on some bushes and plants came with thorns. Hard solid wood was the best bet, but not as easy to find.
The trail climbed a modest 1350 ft to reach the highest point. Pacific waves dashing the rocky terrain hundreds of feet below was nothing short of amazing. Water always calms me down, it's a relaxant ! Walking further, we became a little unsure of the trail. When will we see the Hiker's camp ? Where are the bunkers ? Is there an Indian beach trail head on the other side ? Walking another 1-2 miles was the only solution.
We met fellow hikers at the camp which had wooden enclosures to spend the night. They gave us a copy of the trail map and things were now clear.
The trail was about 5.5 miles from the Tillamook trail head to the Indian Beach trail head. And you gain and descend 1350 feet in one direction. Yippee ! it was going to be my longest hike so far. Descending about 1.4 miles we reached the windy Indian beach trail head. The ocean was beautiful. It was not an ideal day at the beach. Apart from a few surfers we were the only ones there that day.
After filling our stomach and re-hydrating the body, we began our return journey at around 230pm. We had started the hike at 10.30am. Yes, we are slow and take too many pictures ! The return path however seemed quite easy to begin. All the while i was thinking about what added to the difficulty initially ? It was surely the unstable ground below me. But after about 4 miles, my knees began to do some weird things. They were refusing to co-operate for the last mile. I tried stretching a little, took a few breaks and earned the 'slowest member of the group' title. I had to drive back, so let me take it a little easy i thought.
We came to the car at 5pm. A banana awaited us. We were all tired, drained, our bodies sore. The hike strengthened my confidence in me. I realized proper shoes are what i need to ease things on my knees. After the hike, my agenda for the next week is to buy a pair of nice hiking shoes.
We met fellow hikers at the camp which had wooden enclosures to spend the night. They gave us a copy of the trail map and things were now clear.
The trail was about 5.5 miles from the Tillamook trail head to the Indian Beach trail head. And you gain and descend 1350 feet in one direction. Yippee ! it was going to be my longest hike so far. Descending about 1.4 miles we reached the windy Indian beach trail head. The ocean was beautiful. It was not an ideal day at the beach. Apart from a few surfers we were the only ones there that day.
After filling our stomach and re-hydrating the body, we began our return journey at around 230pm. We had started the hike at 10.30am. Yes, we are slow and take too many pictures ! The return path however seemed quite easy to begin. All the while i was thinking about what added to the difficulty initially ? It was surely the unstable ground below me. But after about 4 miles, my knees began to do some weird things. They were refusing to co-operate for the last mile. I tried stretching a little, took a few breaks and earned the 'slowest member of the group' title. I had to drive back, so let me take it a little easy i thought.
We came to the car at 5pm. A banana awaited us. We were all tired, drained, our bodies sore. The hike strengthened my confidence in me. I realized proper shoes are what i need to ease things on my knees. After the hike, my agenda for the next week is to buy a pair of nice hiking shoes.
Awesome Mr. Rao..
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