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Entry tags:
A beautiful day at the beach, and slimy things found under rocks.
A photopost! We'll start with the collective pack of Kyn and myself, politely sitting until released to play. All four dogs looking in the same direction omg.
By the way, I know that my use of "sessile" wasn't exactly correct in the last post, but it was close enough and I wanted to use it so I did. Sufficiently accurate for poetry?
( dogs who love to visit surf and the things who live there. )
By the way, I know that my use of "sessile" wasn't exactly correct in the last post, but it was close enough and I wanted to use it so I did. Sufficiently accurate for poetry?
( dogs who love to visit surf and the things who live there. )
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Caught between sea and sky
I found a new bit of beach today. I'd not been there yet because it is a bit inaccessible; the trail ends at something of a cliff, which can be gotten down with safety and without damaging any vegetation, but just barely and not without focused concentration.
Worth it, though. And I took a lot of pictures. It was a nice low tide, and this beach had both exposed and protected intertidal areas---so I got to see almost everything that is commonly living out there. Creatures spotted include ochre, bat, leather and sunflower stars, purple urchins, black, lined and gumboot chitons, giant green, aggregating and brooding anemones, purple shore, hermit and rock crabs, tidepool sculpins, red, yellow and purple sponges, spotted and lemon nudibranchs and all manner of mussels and barnacles.
Of these, the black chiton, rock crab and brooding anemone are creatures I've never seen in the wild---lifers, if you're a birdwatching type. This makes me all bouncy in a way that the bird people here should have no problem imagining. Many sightings, particularly the nudibranchs, are creatures that are exciting and rare to see at any time. There were a lot of the spotted nudibranchs, which with their dull yellow coloration and shape are very well camouflaged against the sponges that they eat and resemble amusingly their shorebound banana slug cousins. I may see more of them now that I refreshed my knowledge of their habits by reading through my tidepool books again. Nudibranchs in general feed on sponges, and often each sponge has its own little coevolved sluggy predator. So, if you're in search of a predator, find its prey---I'll be extra careful checking over the sponges in the future.
It was an awesome day.
As well, I beg your indulgence.
( treasures to be had between the sea and sky )
Worth it, though. And I took a lot of pictures. It was a nice low tide, and this beach had both exposed and protected intertidal areas---so I got to see almost everything that is commonly living out there. Creatures spotted include ochre, bat, leather and sunflower stars, purple urchins, black, lined and gumboot chitons, giant green, aggregating and brooding anemones, purple shore, hermit and rock crabs, tidepool sculpins, red, yellow and purple sponges, spotted and lemon nudibranchs and all manner of mussels and barnacles.
Of these, the black chiton, rock crab and brooding anemone are creatures I've never seen in the wild---lifers, if you're a birdwatching type. This makes me all bouncy in a way that the bird people here should have no problem imagining. Many sightings, particularly the nudibranchs, are creatures that are exciting and rare to see at any time. There were a lot of the spotted nudibranchs, which with their dull yellow coloration and shape are very well camouflaged against the sponges that they eat and resemble amusingly their shorebound banana slug cousins. I may see more of them now that I refreshed my knowledge of their habits by reading through my tidepool books again. Nudibranchs in general feed on sponges, and often each sponge has its own little coevolved sluggy predator. So, if you're in search of a predator, find its prey---I'll be extra careful checking over the sponges in the future.
It was an awesome day.
As well, I beg your indulgence.
( treasures to be had between the sea and sky )
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Playing in the Tide
I almost didn't go to the beach yesterday; I've been working a lot and out of town a lot, and I have a surfeit of things that need attention at home. But it was a truly beautiful day, and a nice low tide, and I had a fantastic time.
So did Coba. It was his first time at the beach. He knew exactly what to do....take off in an explosion of joy.
( I kill your dialup dead )
So did Coba. It was his first time at the beach. He knew exactly what to do....take off in an explosion of joy.
( I kill your dialup dead )
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More King's Range/Lost Coast pics
These pictures are more scenery and wildlife and a little less of the dogs.
Besides the bear, there was another extremely memorable wildlife encounter. I was at the furthest point of the hike, curled up with my exhausted dogs on the beach, trying to stay out of the wind by being in the leeward side of a big rock. The tide was high and I was eyeing the surf, wondering if I was going to get woken in the night by very cold seawater on my toes, when a sleek animal came up out of the surf right in front of me. Maybe 6-7 feet away. I thought it was a seal at first, a pup because it was too small. Then it came swiftly all the way out with none of the wriggling, difficult effort pinnipeds have when on land and I realized that I was looking at a sea otter.
She had a big silver fish which she subdued and then ate very quickly. She bounced along the shore a bit, satisfied, and groomed the fur on her shoulders, that amazing fur for which they were almost hunted to extinction and which even a few seconds out of water was going fluffy. I've never seen one out of water, even in captivity: she looked just like a river otter, only a lot bigger, with perhaps a wider tail. It was strange, a little disconcerting, to see something that looked so much like a terrestrial, fresh-water beast so comfortable in the ocean.
She groomed herself and then ran along the strand a bit with that lovely, slinky musteline gait, and then with an achingly beautiful ease returned to the waves. I was utterly stunned. These are very rare animals...there are only a few thousand off the whole California coast...and as I understand it is unusual for them to come ashore, since they even sleep and give birth in the sea. I think this one must have driven the fish into the shallows to catch it and then stopped to eat. There really aren't words for the beauty of this playful, graceful...perfect...creature, in her natural home, living her life well.
I took no pictures of the otter; I didn't even try, didn't move, didn't take my eyes from her. I could never forget the sight of such a thing.
I did, however, get some good ones of creatures equally lovely and perfect, but a little more sessile. ;)
( You know the drill, under the cut. A couple of these may have an 'eeww' factor for some people )
Besides the bear, there was another extremely memorable wildlife encounter. I was at the furthest point of the hike, curled up with my exhausted dogs on the beach, trying to stay out of the wind by being in the leeward side of a big rock. The tide was high and I was eyeing the surf, wondering if I was going to get woken in the night by very cold seawater on my toes, when a sleek animal came up out of the surf right in front of me. Maybe 6-7 feet away. I thought it was a seal at first, a pup because it was too small. Then it came swiftly all the way out with none of the wriggling, difficult effort pinnipeds have when on land and I realized that I was looking at a sea otter.
She had a big silver fish which she subdued and then ate very quickly. She bounced along the shore a bit, satisfied, and groomed the fur on her shoulders, that amazing fur for which they were almost hunted to extinction and which even a few seconds out of water was going fluffy. I've never seen one out of water, even in captivity: she looked just like a river otter, only a lot bigger, with perhaps a wider tail. It was strange, a little disconcerting, to see something that looked so much like a terrestrial, fresh-water beast so comfortable in the ocean.
She groomed herself and then ran along the strand a bit with that lovely, slinky musteline gait, and then with an achingly beautiful ease returned to the waves. I was utterly stunned. These are very rare animals...there are only a few thousand off the whole California coast...and as I understand it is unusual for them to come ashore, since they even sleep and give birth in the sea. I think this one must have driven the fish into the shallows to catch it and then stopped to eat. There really aren't words for the beauty of this playful, graceful...perfect...creature, in her natural home, living her life well.
I took no pictures of the otter; I didn't even try, didn't move, didn't take my eyes from her. I could never forget the sight of such a thing.
I did, however, get some good ones of creatures equally lovely and perfect, but a little more sessile. ;)
( You know the drill, under the cut. A couple of these may have an 'eeww' factor for some people )
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Solstice trip 2007: King's Range/Lost Coast Tidepooling!
So, the purpose of my travels north this weekend (other than to re-center and care for myself, and to come to peace with certain painful experiences of the past year) was to find excellent tidepooling and river swimming. Wow, did I find both! I was originally going to the same beach I was at last time, but I happened to pick up a map at a ranger station that showed the road to the trailhead at the northern end of King's Range/Lost Coast. I have backpacked in Sinkyone Wilderness at the southern end a lot, but I'd never been here. So after I investigated the pools where I'd originally planned to go, I checked it out.
It was amazing. Empty, remote wilderness and a trail that is, most of the time, actually on the beach (and passable only at lower tides). So I found myself unexpectedly backpacking...lucky I brought my pack, even if I DID carry food for the dogs because I didn't bring their packs. :P Backpacking and tidepooling *at the same time*! Looking into pools without even having to take the pack off! Jackel heaven!!! I was just incredibly happy.
So I hiked a round trip of maybe 20 miles. Hiking on sand was a little hard, and it was very windy and exposed. But the beauty was stunning. I'll definitely be going back there.
here are the first half of the pictures.
( image-heavy )
It was amazing. Empty, remote wilderness and a trail that is, most of the time, actually on the beach (and passable only at lower tides). So I found myself unexpectedly backpacking...lucky I brought my pack, even if I DID carry food for the dogs because I didn't bring their packs. :P Backpacking and tidepooling *at the same time*! Looking into pools without even having to take the pack off! Jackel heaven!!! I was just incredibly happy.
So I hiked a round trip of maybe 20 miles. Hiking on sand was a little hard, and it was very windy and exposed. But the beauty was stunning. I'll definitely be going back there.
here are the first half of the pictures.
( image-heavy )