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08/09/16 - Dungeness Spit and a New Camera

This is probably the best time of year for hiking on Dungeness Spit. Not only are there lots of good low tides, but there is also lots of sand and a lot fewer rocky stretches. The Dungeness Spit is all beach, except instead of following the shoreline it heads straight out into the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. At high tide there is a narrow margin of sand for walking. At low tide the beach is wide and there is often a stretch of sand just wet enough for easy hiking. Dry sand can be a hard slog just as really wet sand can be.

If you are thinking of heading out, check the tide tables. You’ll want a real low tide, three feet or less, during daylight hours. The ten mile round trip walk takes almost four hours, so plan accordingly. Sunglasses are a good idea too.

We have a new camera, one of those ultrazoom ones. There weren’t any seals or even many birds on the water, but we did take a couple of surprisingly good photos. An ultrazoom camera is basically a telescope without a tripod, so we’re impressed with the automatic image stabilization, though the camera doesn’t do much about the haze.

Sunny at sea, cloudy in the mountains

A sandy, walkable beach

The spit from above

Telephoto shot of the lighthouse, too far for us to walk

One of the ships at sea

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