<< Elwha to Altair

05/14/24 - Second Beach at Low Tide - Part 1

We like to get out to Second Beach when the tide is low, ideally very low, e.g. a negative tide. A low tide means more beach, but, more importantly, it means one can just walk out to one of the sea stacks that is usually inaccessible. On our recent hike, it was accessible. Interestingly the pattern of the sands has shifted, so instead of having to follow the sand from the left, we could head straight out and cross a narrow tidal stream to get there.

The beach is always changing. One nice change, at least for us, was that there was no maze of driftwood between the base of the trail and beach proper. Many years, there's an entire jungle gym of great fallen logs and ocean washed branches to clamber over. We're not very good at clambering, but there are probably people for whom this is the best part.

The other great change is that the starfish are back. There was a period not all that many years ago where they had vanished. Some starfish disease had wiped out most of them. Now they were everywhere, clinging to rocks in stark contrast.


Trilliums in the forest

The slightly misty forest

This was a bumper year for skunk cabbage.

The staircase down to the beach

A view from the trailhead

The sea stack in question

A wader

Starfish and barnicles

A view from the sea stack

A starfish in contrast

An anemone pool

Looking out to sea

A starfish huddle

The base of the sea stack

A big rock on the beach with starfish

Some of those starfish

Starfish and anemones

A look back at the sea stack

More rocks on the beach

Keywords: second beach