Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches — Saturday, Jul. 25, 1998

Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast

A hike to the beach is a perfect antidote for too much time in the mountains. Getting to the Shi Shi trailhead can be troublesome if you do not know the way- we had to ask for directions from Neah Bay three times. A woman up the road from the trailhead will let you park in her yard for a fee, although rumor has it that vandalism has been decreasing. The open stretch of the trail has sun, the covered stretch has huge mud pits. We had one shoe sucked right off in the sandy black goo. The beach was fogged over and had quite an ethereal other-world feel as campers moved in an out of visibility. It was fairly crowded, but the surf, fog and space nearly made us feel alone. The fog departed at night for amazing phosphoresence show in the rip-tide and shooting stars above. The next morning we trekked the low tide to the now visible Point of Arches before heading up and out into the heat.