Our first planned stop of the day was False Klamath Cove, a beach about ten miles from our hotel. As we were driving there, we noticed a large number of cars stopped on the sides of the highway. As we drove through, we discovered the reason for all the cars.
A gang of elk were grazing near the highway. There was one bull, several cows, and a number of young elk. They appeared to be oblivious to the people watching them.
It was an interesting drive to False Klamath Cove. We were frequently driving in and out of fog. Here is one of the more interesting photos of the fog we encountered.
After a short drive, we arrived at False Klamath Cove. The waves were crashing of the rocks and the sand.
The surf was loud and the spray was damp. We were glad for the clear view of the ocean as we watched the tide coming in.
As we prepared to hike the trail toward Hidden Beach, we took another look at the incoming waves near the beach.
About thirty minutes later, the fog had rolled in again. This is not a black and white photo as the small amount of blue sky will confirm. It was just the thick fog coming over the scene yet again.
The ocean and the rocks take on a totally different feel when there is fog.
Our hike gradually took us to higher elevations. We could still see the ocean at times. The coast has huge boulders almost everywhere.
At times we walked through dense foliage of intertwined branches. The sudden darkness and the cool breeze from the foggy morning created an eerie feeling in those dark arbors.
As we approached Hidden Beach, we were disappointed to see that it was so foggy.
To our surprise and enjoyment, the fog lifted in the 15 minutes it took us to actually reach Hidden Beach. This large black volcanic looking rock dominated the beach.
The steep rise of the land near the beach left no doubt why this place is called Hidden Beach.
The surf was even more active here than at False Klamath Cove.
The waves were sometimes between six and ten feet high.
We stayed on the beach for about twenty minutes. When the fog began to return, we decided it was time to depart.
Our decision was based in part on the challenging climb we faced when we left the beach. First, we had to scramble over some larger rocks. Then we had large driftwood to get over. That was not the biggest hurdle however.
The ascent from the beach was very steep. The path also went through one of the numerous dark passages before it leveled off. It was not something we wanted to attempt in thick fog.
Here is what we saw again when we reached the top of the path. The fog was definitely rolling in. We have seen thick fog in the past. What was unusual to us was the repeated pattern of fog then clearing and then fog again in the same location.
On our return hike, the fog finally began to clear for the day.
We still saw some fog, but not as thick as it had been.
We only had one hike left at Redwood National Forest. We had missed this hike on the first day because we arrived later than expected, and because it was very cloudy on our initial arrival. We had planned a sunset hike to Endert’s Beach.
The weather tonight was great for the hike. We began as the sun was preparing to set.
With the sun so low in the sky, it reflected on the surface of the ocean.
Even though the sun was low in the sky, the trail was quite clear. The colors seemed more vivid as the sun was setting.
We arrived at Endert’s Beach at just the right time. The shadows were growing, but the light was still strong.
As the sun set behind some low lying clouds, the sky began to change colors.
As the sun disappeared behind the clouds we decided to start the hike back.
We had a few dark places to walk through, but the hike was still enjoyable.
We again got to see many lovely flowers that obviously enjoy the damp air they live in.
Our sunset hike was a great ending to our visit to Redwood National Park.