I'm Moving to a New Blog!

The new blog site for the Wilderness Ranger of the Lost Coast is Lostcoastranger.blogspot.com starting today, April 18 2011. The reason I have created a new blog is because the last one (the one you are currently at) was created by the previous Wilderness Ranger, DC. A mishap with passwords left me with only the ability to make posts and unable to change anything else on the site. After much failed attempts to get the password situation sorted out I decided to just create a new but similar site. I encourage you to check out this blog if you have not been here before. It is now an archive full of tons of useful information about the Lost Coast and the King Range.

Come visit me and read about my adventures on the Lost Coast in the King Range National Conservation Area: Lostcoastranger.blogspot.com

Your Wilderness Ranger,

Paul

Campfires, Creeks and Plenty of Pictures

I was out on the Lost Coast Trail March 29-31 last week and the weather was great. Here is what I have to report back to you concerning campfires, creek crossings and snow: We are not currently in campfire restrictions in the King Range. However, if you do decide to have a campfire there are some very important things you should know. Leave No Trace, the center for outdoor ethics, states that, “The most important consideration to be made when deciding to use a fire is the potential damage to the backcountry.” PLEASE use existing fire rings to reduce impacts to the land and setting. It can be unpleasant for other campers to have 2 or 3 campfire rings scattered about their camping area. And, of course, having less campfire rings would reduce the area of environmental impact. If you must build a campfire ring make it small and do not dig into the ground. I found this unsightly scene at Sea Lion Gulch:

This is 100% unnecessary. How long will it take for the land to recover from this? You can also see that there is some trash left behind which brings me to my second point.

PLEASE only burn things that burn completely in one sitting (paper and wood) and pack out all other trash. Many packages, such as instant backcountry food like Mountain House, are lined with foil. These do not burn well and leave behind many little (or large) pieces of foil.

Aluminum cans don’t burn well either and will remain in the campfire for a very, very long time. If you packed in a full can I would imagine that an empty one would be much easier to pack out considering it would be a fraction of the weight and can be crushed down.

Many of us that enjoy the outdoors may not be well versed in low impact camping techniques and Leave No Trace (LNT). So, I ask you to consider what impacts your actions have on the land and on the experience of others. If you thinnk your action might cause harm then don't do it. Remember, you are not the only one out there. There were people before you and there will be people after you. If you have a few extra moments visit http://www.lnt.org/programs/principles.php for an overview of the 7 LNT principles. This is a great website and is very informative.

To wrap up my spiel on campfires, always put out your fires using the soak and stir method. Soak with lots of water and stir with a stick, or other utensil of your choice, to ensure that it is completely out. You should be able to safely touch the remains of your fire with the backside of your hand once it is out (please don’t burn yourself doing this though). If you can’t do this you should continue soaking and stirring. Sand is not an efficient or reliable way to put out campfires for 2 reasons. First, it doesn’t completely put out the fire and it remains hot under the sand. When or if the wind comes up it can blow the sand off and start the fire back again. Second, it fills up the campfire ring creating a need for people to create new rings.

Next, the moment you've all been waiting for, the news on creek crossings: All creeks were passable and were about knee high at the deepest. At the deeper creeks, such as Big Flat Creek, it can help to cross towards the mouth where the creek tends to widen and became shallower. Of course, you will need to watch and see what the waves are doing if you cross closer to the ocean.

This is Big Flat Creek a considerable distance up from the mouth which was swift and deep.

A bit down stream closer to the mouth was safer to cross but still deep in many spots.

Randall Creek was about knee deep.

Cooskie Creek was also knee deep

Lastly, note that you may run into snow during the next few weeks on the upland trails. Here is King Peak from Big Flat on March 30.

If you have any questions don't hesitate to drop me a line

Your Wilderness Ranger,

Paul

Lostcoastranger@gmail.com

A Jaunt Up The Beach: Trail Conditions Continued

Tuesday and Wednesday (March 22 and 23) I went up the beach to Shipman Creek from Black Sands Beach. Tuesday brought me surprisingly good weather and I was able to reach my camping area and set up my tent before the rain hit. Just as predicted it dumped on me all night and the wind nearly blew my tent away (or so it seemed).

You can see in the picture that Shipman Creek is running pretty high and swift (taken Wednesday morning). It is hard to tell but this is at least mid thigh in most sections and finding a safe place to cross will be increasingly difficult as the rains continue the next several days. Also, consider this:

This Afternoon: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce small hail. High near 53. South southwest wind around 16 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Wind waves 7 to 9 ft...subsiding to 3 to 5 ft in the afternoon. W swell 8 to 10 ft at 12 seconds

Tonight: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce small hail and heavy rain. Low around 45. South southwest wind between 9 and 17 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 15 to 17 ft at 14 seconds.

Friday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Southwest wind between 8 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 14 to 16 ft at 14 seconds

Friday Night: Rain. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 47. South wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 11 f

Saturday: Rain. High near 56. Southwest wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.Wind waves 1 to 3 ft. W swell 12 to 14 ft.

As mentioned in the previous post, you may want to reconsider any plans you made to visit the lost coast this week. Unless, or course, you enjoy being wet and cold for multiple days at a time in hazardous weather. In which case, read my last few posts about saftey considerations when hiking the LCT during winter. Hopefully Conditions will improve in the next week or two.

Your Wilderness Ranger,

Paul

Heavy Rain Expected This Week

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Northwest California. Heavy rain is expected tonight (March 22) through Sunday (March 27):

...RIVERS AND CREEKS TO RISE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...

RAIN WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH RAPID RISES ON THE MAIN STEM RIVERS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING ON CREEKS AND SMALL RIVERS TWO STRONG SYSTEMS WILL BRING RAIN AND SNOW TO NORTHWESTCALIFORNIA. THE FIRST SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTOMENDOCINO COUNTY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND SPREAD NORTH TONIGHT.THE NEXT SYSTEM WILL FOLLOW QUICKLY...MOVING INTO THE REGIONWEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. THE SNOW LEVEL WITH BOTH SYSTEMS WILL BE NEAR 3000 FEET.

If you were planning a backpacking trip to the Lost Coast this week you may want to reconsider. Over 5 inches of rain is expected to fall over the next 5 days. If you have not already, read my last blog post in which I talk about creek crossings on the Lost Coast during periods of heavy rainfall. I will be out in the field possibly today and tomorrow and will return with pictures. In the meantime, enjoy the graphic above from NOAA that displays the 5 day precipitation forecast.

Spring Break Preview

It is spring break season for many schools in the state which means backpacking and the outdoors for many of you. If you are thinking about making your destination the Lost Coast this week or next you should know that the conditions are wet, cold and rainy with possible hazardous seas. If this doesn’t sound like miserable conditions and I haven’t discouraged you then read on.

If you hike the Lost Coast in the current conditions BE PREPARED:

1. Be prepared to wait if you can’t continue due to high wave activity that blocks the trail. This Friday, March 18th, has a forecast for a 17 foot swell (this is huge). Wikipedia defines swell as the, “average height of the largest 33% of waves in a set, measured from the highest point of a wave to the lowest point.” You need to be aware that there are 2 sections along the trail that are impassable at high tide and with a large swell these areas may be difficult to pass at a low tide as well. The rest of the trail (which is supposedly passable at any tide level) can be difficult to pass at or near a high tide with a large swell as well. Click this link to watch a 15 second video I took near Black Sands Beach on Monday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWyPfc1xSSs This is about an hour and a half after peak high tide with a large swell. Note that this area is not marked on the map as, “trail impassable at high tide.”

2. Be prepared to wait due to high rain activity that may make creeks impassable. With heavy rains the creeks along the Lost Coast trail can rise rapidly. I touched on this a bit in my last blog post but, in general, you should not attempt a creek crossing that is over knee high. Use your best judgment: If you can’t cross and the rains continue you may want to consider going back or taking an upland trail.

The good news is that we have AM minus tides for Monday March 21 through Friday March 25.

Starting on Monday, the morning low tides are as follows:

Date Time Tide
21 7:41 -0.8
22 8:33 -0.9
23 9:26 -0.8
24 10:23 -0.5
25 11:26 -0.1

The ideal travel times are within a few hours before and not more than a few hours after the peak low tide, especially in the sections of trail that are impassable at high tide. Use caution traveling after peak low tide because the tide will be on the rise.

Don’t let me discourage you from visiting the Lost Coast for your break. But, use your best judgment/senses and be prepared. Check local weather and ocean forecasts before your trip (conditions could change for better or worse from what I have posted here). http://www.noaa.gov/ and www.weather.gov/eureka Call me or send me an e-mail if you have any questions. My personal line is 707-986-5405. If I'm not in you can call our front desk at 707-986-5400.

Your Wilderness Ranger,

Paul

lostcoastranger@gmail.com

New Ranger and Winter Conditions

Hi fellow hikers,
I am the new Wilderness Ranger for the King Range. Well, not completely new - I have worked 2 consecutive summers as a ranger here in 2009 and 2010. This has given me the opportunity to backpack the Lost Coast Trail more than 20 times and know it pretty well. So, let’s jump right in:
What are the current conditions?
When you backpack the King Range in the winter plan for extreme conditions. With heavy rain and snow fall we are again reminded that it is winter in the King Range. This means lots of trees and limbs on the trails as well as much more water in the creeks. What may be a small creek crossing can easily turn impassible within a day or even hours due to heavy rains. If you find yourself in this situation you may need to either wait until the water level drops or consider taking a route into the upland trails (which would add considerable mileage). The general rule is that if the water is higher than your knee you should not attempt to cross.

The second thing you need to be aware of is large waves. When I was on the LCT in early February many sections of the trail were impassable and very dangerous. I came across a couple that had an encounter with a wave and all they could do was grab onto the rocks and hold on. They were lucky that all they lost was an IPOD and a sleeping bag. During the summer I can hike with ease up to about a +3 foot tide, but in the winter the rules of the game change completely. Always travel on a receding tide but be advised that even on a low tide enormous waves can make traveling on the coast very difficult.

If you do plan to hike the LCT during the winter check local weather conditions and tide charts. Stay alert and always have a back-up plan. To check wave size (swell) go to www.weather.gov/eureka and click just left of shlter cove on the map (the ocean). For tidal information look under miscellaneous on the left hand side of the page, click on tides and currents, and then click on Shelter Cove.

Call me here at the office if you have any questions or drop me an e-mail.

Your Wilderness Ranger,

Paul

707-986-5405 lostcoastranger@gmail.com

A note about food storage and bears

All overnight visitors must store all of their food, toiletries and scented items (Including trash) in a hard-sided bear-proof container approved by the Sierra Interagency Black Bear Group (SIBBG). Hanging your food is not an option in the King Range and on the Lost Coast Trail. Often people that have neglected to get a bear can tell me that they plan to hang their food because they have done a lot of backpacking in the Sierras and they are experienced with this. Well, that is great except that there is a serious lack of sufficient trees for hanging food on the LCT. Requirements for hanging food vary from place to place but generally 10’ high and 4’ from the base of the tree would be sufficient. You are not going to be able to achieve this on the LCT. The Picture above is a “bear hang” that I came across at Buck Creek. Their food was less than 5’ off the ground because this was the best tree they could find. This is one sad sight indeed.

Why do I need a bear can and what is it for?
People have told me that they aren’t worried if a bear gets their food, they will just cut their trip early. Besides, it will be exciting and adventurous to see a bear, they say. Well, the bear can is for protecting the bear from your food and not so much for protecting your food from the bear (although it is effective at this as well). You will notice on top of the Garcia Backpackers’ Cache it says, “Save the bears." So, what does this mean? When a bear starts to eat human food and learns that humans can be associated with an easy meal they will lose their fear of humans, come around campsites more often, and become increasingly aggressive. This is what you would call a “habituated” or “food conditioned” bear and they could eventually need to be put down if the aggression gets out of hand.

We are really lucky here at the King Range that we don’t have any habituated bears. In large part because we initiated the bear can requirement early enough and people have been abiding by the regulation; Last year our bear can compliance rate was 93%. Can we get it to 100%? I hope so.

So, what is a bear can?
There are several different makes and models of the bear can that are approved by the SIBBG which include the Bear Vault, the Barrikade, and the Garcia Backpackers’ Cache. The Ursack is Not approved, even with the aluminum insert. Do an internet search of any of these and you will get a good idea of what they look like. The Garcia is 8.8” in diameter, 12” long and cylindrical in shape. True, some say it is a bit heavy but keep in mind you can also use it as a chair and I have even seen them used as great percussion instruments.

Where can I get a bear can?
We rent out the Garcia bear can here at the BLM Project Office in Whitethorn for $5 for your entire journey. You will need a credit card and a drivers licensed (if you don’t return the bear can you will buy it). We are open Monday-Friday 8-4:30. If your trip ends after our closing hours you can drop your can off in the afterhours bear can return box next to our building. Keep in mind that our front gate will be closed but you can still walk in.
You can also rent from the BLM Field Office in Arcata which has the same hours as the Project office here in Whitethorn: Monday-Friday 8-4:30.
If you are starting your trip from the north you can rent your can from the Petrolia General Store for $5 as well. Their hours are Monday-Saturday 9-5:30 and Sunday from 11-5:00. Their number is 707-629-3455 if you want to verify the hours or have other questions.

REI also rents bear cans but the pricing varies from store to store so I won’t list it here. They did tell me that it is substantially less expensive for members, however.
If you plan on doing more trips in your life time it could be beneficial to just go ahead and purchase a can from one of the outdoor equipment suppliers.

Now I have a bear can what do I put in it?
Bears have an extremely heightened sense of smell. I have heard all kinds of statistics about this but just know that it is darn good and a whole lot better than yours. You want to store all of your food including cans and freeze dried foods. You also want to store all of your toiletries such as toothpaste, chapstick and sunscreen. Your trash still has scent so put that back in the can too (the cans we rent come with a small trash bag to help you with this).
I highly recommend that you check to make sure all of your food and other scented items fit into the can before you get to the trail head. It may require some creative packing to get everything to fit. Check out this link for more information about packing your bear can, they have some pretty good tips: http://sierrawild.gov/bears/how-pack-bear-can.

Lastly…
Bears are very real here in the King Range. People are often surprised that bears will come all the way down to the beach. But indeed, just about every morning on the LCT I see bear tracks in the sand. There is, however, one other animal that the bear can is good for: the raccoon. These little animals are a nuisance as far as your food is concerned. They are very active and will literately tear apart your backpack to get to your food. It is also a potential $150 fine for each member of a party who is not carrying a can or is storing food or scented items outside of one. Do yourself a favor and help protect the animals in the King Range by getting a bear can.

Give us a call here if you have any questions: 707-986-5400

Thanks,

Your Backcountry Ranger
Paul