Dungeness Spit

When we realized we would be able to visit Sequim again as we travelled around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, Kathy insisted, "We HAVE to hike out the Dungeness Spit!"  So we arranged it.  We're camped at the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, just above the spit.  It was only a 15 minute walk to the trailhead, where we posed for a partial-sign selfie in 44F temperatures:

We had hiked along the bluff from our campsite to the trailhead, and then walked a half mile down an asphalt path to our first view of the Dungeness Spit, which was amply dramatic:

Down on the beach, we got our first view of our destination:  the New Dungeness Lighthouse, 5 miles out the Spit, with Mount Baker in the background, and a random fishing boat plying its trade in Dungeness Bay:

The Spit is long and narrow and the waves roll into it with a sound like rolling thunder, just crashing for a mile or more all at the same time along the rocky margin:

About a mile out, we turned to look back at our trail's beginning on the headland in the foreground, with Hurrican Ridge in the Olympic National Park in the background:

The Spit was decorated with huge driftwood in abstract patterns, with rounded rocks and slippery kelp everywhere:

We saw pieces of crab and clam shells everywhere, but this crab seems to have "survived" his stranding on the beach.  He seems to have expired and is waiting for some hungry gull to find and feast on him:

And gulls there are aplenty:

If you look carefully, you can find other shorebirds, such as plover, plying the margins of the Spit:

We searched for interesting rocks and other souvenirs.  We found plenty of detritus, the two most interesting of which were a bright yellow tennis ball in excellent shape (which we left at the trailhead on our return for some lucky dog), and an empty bottle of Tito Vodka.  We gathered all the flotsam and jetsom into our packs and eventually deposited them in the beach trash cans at the finish of our hike.

The kelp was fascinating.  Most of it is what is known as "bullwhip kelp" because it resembles a bullwhip.  If you want to see it in action, take a look at this video of Kathy snappin' the ole bullwhip kelp.

 Another interesting piece of beach trash was an empty plastic tub for Philadelphia Cream Cheese, which caused a little vibration in our heartstrings, making us think of home:

After a couple miles or hiking, our destination came into view -- the Lighthouse:

What a beautiful setting -- almost Andrew Wyeth in its style, and giving a very "remote" feel to the lighthouse complex:

As we got closer to the Lighthouse, we spotted this signpost which pretty much says it all:

The New Dungeness Light is a functioning aid to navigation on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It has been in continuous operation since 1857, although the current lighthouse tower is 26 feet shorter than when first constructed.  The New Dungeness Light was first lit in 1857 and was the second lighthouse established in the Washington territory, following the Cape Disappointment Light of 1856. Originally, the lighthouse was a 1½-story duplex with a 100-foot tower rising from the roof. Over time, the tower developed structural cracks, most likely from a combination of earthquakes and weather erosion.  In 1927, the cracks in the tower were so severe that the tower was lowered to its current height of 63 feet. The New Dungeness Light Station historic district, an 8 acre area comprising the lighthouse, the keeper's quarters and three other contributing properties was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

In 1994, the Coast Guard withdrew its last Keeper and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Watchstanders, filled in until The New Dungeness Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society was formed and assumed operation and maintenance of the Light Station. Soon thereafter, the chapter would become the New Dungeness Light Station Association (NDLSA), a 501c (3) non-profit organization. Through a renewable license with the U.S. Coast Guard to care for the Station, the Association runs the Keeper Program in which members become Keepers for a week while their fees help to maintain the Light Station. Partners with the Association include the U.S. Coast Guard which maintains the lantern and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which manages the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.

When we arrived, a fellow named Buck came out to greet us.  Buck is with a group from Eugene, Oregon who are members of the Association and are spending this week as keepers of the Light, doing their maintenance chores, greeting visitors and guiding tours of the light.

Buck took us to the top of the lighthouse.  Here, Kathy emerges into the top of the Light where the lens operates:

We got a panoramic, 360-degree view of the area around the Spit.  What most interested us was this view back down the Spit along which we had hiked to get to the Light:

We worked our way back down the lighthouse stairs and, after learning more about the lighthousekeepers, wandered outside to get another view of the Light:

Of course, we had to get our obligatory selfy with the Lighthouse (this being the USA, there were no red chairs to occupy):

We had a relaxing lunch and rested our feet before getting up the gumption to return another 5.5 miles back along the Spit.  We spent most of the return hike walking along the margin of the water, enjoying the lowering tide and tempting the waves to catch us as it flowed up the beach and we ran ahead of it.  The sun was in our eyes and was descending quickly, so we caught this last shot of the beach, the rolling waves and the Olympic Mountains as we worked our way back to our trailhead:

Eleven miles is a demanding hike for us in any event, but this was on soft sand, slanting, with lots of rocks, logs and kelp to clamber over.  So we were very happy to get home, put our feet up, open a beer and think back on all the sights, sounds and aromas of our day on Dungeness Spit.

Never fear -- there are more adventures.  Tomorrow we move to Neah Bay, near the outer point of the Olympic Peninsula.  We're bound to find more seaside adventures there!