Tuesday September 10, 12.5mi/20.1km

Third Beach Camp (1193.2/33ft) to Cedar Creek Camp (1205.7/10ft) (WA)

I started walking the latest yet on this trail – 8:30am. The afternoon low tide isn’t until 5pm, and there’s a spot in 10 miles that requires a low tide. So, no hurry at all today! The view leaving camp today was just as spectacular as it was last night.

The PNT immediately went into the forest, on a very manicured trail.

A couple miles later I came out at a road, and walked a mile into La Push, a small village of the Quileute Nation.

I stopped at the general store for a few snack items, for the last two days of this hike. If course, I also grabbed an ice cream bar, a Snapple, and some fresh hot jojos.

I continued down the road to the marina, where I met Gene. He gives hikers a boat ride across the large Quillayute River, as the river has no bridge nearby.

I was at the Rialto Beach parking area, and I walked down the road to the beach. These signs are always amusing to me.

It was now almost noon, and it was high tide. The waves were huge, and very loud.

I walked further, and I kept seeing these huge plants wash up on shore. They look like thick green ropes that are also smooth.

The ocean was still raging.

There is a spot on the beach called “Hole in the wall” and if it’s a very low tide you can walk right thru it.

Usually, though, people walk up and over it, using a series of dirt steps. The view from the top:

And back down the other side, I could approach the hole much more closely.

A couple more miles up the beach, I came upon a plaque commemorating a shipwreck. A Chilean ship had crashed offshore from here in 1920.

It was a hot and sunny day, so I was moving slowly and taking occasional ocean breaks.

I came across this dead sea creature, maybe a sea lion?

There were plenty of sea stacks today too.

I arrived to camp at 5:30pm, and sat and watched the ocean, relaxing on my last night of beach camping.

I was pretty excited about the flavor choices for my final trail dinner!

Tomorrow, there is only eleven miles to hike, to get to the finish at Cape Alava!