The plan: Hike the 24.8 miles of the Lost Coast in 5 days. Start at the north and meet Uncle Toshi at the south for a ride back to our car.
Here's a map of our campsites. There are 2 options noted for our first and last camping spots, because I made the map before the trip and wasn't sure how far we could get each day. We had to hike an average of 5 miles/day in order to meet Uncle Toshi on Sunday, but weren't sure how Ivy (or I) would do. Luckily she was mostly happy to be in the backpack and we made it to our ideal spot each day.
After a long drive up north from SF, we got to the Mouth of the Mattole campground at 1 a.m. and set up camp. The next morning (Wednesday) we got up early, loaded up our packs, got our permit at the trailhead, and hit the sand. Hiking in sand is tough, especially with the giant Kelty filled with Ivy, diapers, our clothes, my water & snacks. I had to unload some of the diapers and snacks into Skip's pack after about 10 minutes of walking, and I wasn't even carrying a bear canister or any of the cooking or camping gear.
Now, we knew that high tide was at 2 p.m., that's why we got up so early in the morning. Because just before the creek (our camping destination)
we got to a spot where the tide was coming in and crashing on the rocks, NOT a spot we felt comfortable trying to pass (we ran into the same problem a couple of years before). So we waited for FIVE hours - 2 hours until the 5 ft. high tide, then 2 more for it to go out, then out some more until we felt safe to scramble on the wet rocks. It was a bummer to have to sit & wait so close to our camping goal, but we were being extra cautious with Ivy along, and getting smashed on the rocks and swept out to sea by a big wave would have been much worse than waiting.
Cooksie Creek was a great spot to camp. We were the only ones there when we arrived, and only one other group (a father and son and dog) arrived later in the evening. Quite different than Memorial Day weekend 2 years ago when it was so crowded we had to hike way up the creek to find a spot.
We slept in a 2 person tent with Ivy between us in our sleeping bags zipped together. This worked well, but by next year we might need to find a bigger option! But the major logistical issue of backpacking with a toddler: diapers. Even letting her go diaper free at camp, 5 days & 4 nights of diapers would be a hefty load to carry. We brought Tushies diapers, planning to burn the lining (only cotton & woodpulp, no SAP) after taking off the plastic tabs and outer cover. But unfortunately there was a campfire restriction in effect (in late July). We actually did burn a stash of diapers and compostable wipes on a couple of foggy nights with no other campers around.... but still ended up hiking out with a bunch of stinky, bulky diapers. Hopefully she'll be out of diapers by our next backpacking trip.
Our other campsites were at Spanish Flat, Miller Flat and Gitchell Creek. Skip has backpacked the whole coast a couple of times, and I had hiked to Big Flat from the south and Cooksie Creek from the north, but had never hiked the middle part before. I think Spanish Flat was my favorite camping spot. I love the driftwood shelters, even though I know they're not supposed to be in the wilderness areas. They're like giant forts.
Since we were only hiking around 5 miles each day, we had camp set up in time for lunch (other than our first day with the bad tide timing), so had afternoons to relax and explore. It was so fun to see Ivy in this environment, throwing rocks into the water and playing with the sand & shells. No need for any special toys, just what the beach provided. She really enjoyed playing with the tent stakes, "helping" us set up the tents. The only extra baby gear we brought was her diapers and snack cup (which we almost lost on the first day when she fell asleep and dropped it, but luckily a hiker saw it resting on top of the tall grass, and figured he'd find the owner up ahead. After that we tied it to the pack). Oh, and a bib, she's a messy eater, so that was important!
In addition to our doggie hiking companion, we saw lots of animals. Plenty of sea lions and birds, plus some scary wildlife: we saw bear prints in the sand, and heard a rattlesnake in the grass. Ivy found dried seaweed coiled up on the beach that she called "rattosnakes." And our campsite was stalked by aggressive raccoons at Miller Flat - you'd think Tali would have defended us, but nope, she didn't bark once on the whole trip, and the raccoon attack was no exception.
On the last day we were definitely ready to see Uncle Toshi and eat the delicious lunch he brought. Ivy & I brought up the rear and kept ourselves going by singing, "Ivy Perkins has an uncle, and Toshi is his name-o. T-O-S-H-I, T-O-S-H-I, T-O-S-H-I & Toshi is his name-o." Over and over and over.
Will we do this trip again? Maybe something shorter, because next time she'll be substantially heavier, and I can't carry too much more weight! I'd better start training now. OR, we'll need some additional backpacking companions... anyone?
