Fort Bragg Coastal Trail (Mendocino County, California)

 

I've often reflected on how much I love living in the high mountains of Sierra Nevada. Something in the high elevations among the pine forests and crystal clear lakes speaks to my soul. The only other feature I have encountered that even comes close to inspiring me to a similar level is the great oceans. Since I was going to be in Fort Bragg, along the northern California coast, for a wine festival, it seemed only fitting to get some hiking in along the ocean and as luck would have it, this is the time of year when humpback whales often visit these coastal waters. Perhaps, I'll catch a glimpse of some of the majestic behemoths.

Departing directly from Glass Beach, I made my way north up the well-worn Fort Bragg Coastal Trail, which follows right along the shoreline. The ocean fogs are minimal today, but they offer some great ambiance to the views. Temperatures are pleasant and the cool ocean breeze rolling in is a nice touch.

As I follow the trail around the tiny coves and inlets, it traverses along the top of earthen cliff some distance above the crashing waves. In the distance, I see the occasional whale spout, similar to those I was taught to watch for in Lahaina Harbor in Maui a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, I only see spouts on the way north - no breaches or dives.

It's early and there are a few other people out exploring this crisscross of trails, but I suspect they masses will descend in the hours to come looking for whale sign. The trail continues far beyond where I will turn around, but having only a limited amount of time before the wine begins pouring, I finally decide to turn around and head back. Just as I start thinking about where to turn, I note a large land snail crawling across the trail directly in my path. It's interesting how similar they appear to the banana slugs I saw last weekend. I wish the little guy good travels and turn to head back the way I came, though, I end up taking a slightly different route for part of it. 

On my return to the hotel, I finally see, in the distance, a single humpback leaping out of the water and breaching. It's a magnificent site and I'm thrilled to have been looking at the right place at the right time. As I get close to Glass Beach, I notice a much larger of spectators crowding the shoreline cliffs, just as I suspected. I hope they catch some wonderful views. Upon returning to the beach, I find that I've hiked about 4.9 miles. A pretty good day overall.