On Tuesday, I'd thought that we would spend the day at Calvin Falls, swimming in the surprisingly warm fresh water, looking at the marine life in the tidal pools, and just plain relaxing. Dylan was feeling anxious about the dreaded "headland" section of the trail though, and really wanted us to plough on. So, that's what we did.
The day started with a wade across Calvin Creek. I considered taking the slim log which had bridged the stream the night before, but decided that a spill with a full pack wasn't worth the risk - putting my boots on a few minutes later wouldn't really be that much of an inconvenience.
Part of this leg consisted of densely packed rocks, all about the same size, just under the tide line. Somehow the actions of wind and wave had neatly fit them together. On this section I found that it was easy to walk from rock to rock, keeping a steady rhythm, and picking rocks that didn't make me go up and down all the time. The rocks ranged from perhaps 8 inches in diameter in some sections, to a foot in most places, to a couple of feet along some of the rocky headlands.
Although it looks like Dylan is taking a wee nap, he’s actually climbing over this log. That pack is looking pretty heavy today!
After a while the boulder fields yielded to gravel fields and rocky tidal flats.
From here, we walked for miles on tidal flats rich with marine life. This was probably the most interesting leg of the trip. Dylan kept us up-to-date on the distances remaining to the next stop, using his GPS. This was both entertaining, and a good way to get motivated to keep going!
From here, the going got a bit more rugged, and the marine life a bit richer.
It was early evening by the time we got to Beano Creek. The rocky tidal place had given way to a pebble beach about a kilometer earlier. The pebbles were the size and shape of kidney beans, and almost polished. Our feet would sink in almost to our ankles, making progress with our packs slow.
Normally you need to wade across Beano Creek, in waist deep water. However, during the previous evening, the wind and tide had worked together to create a pebble dam across the creek. This left a fresh water lagoon on one side, and allowed us to pass unimpeded.
It was Dylan's turn to make supper that night.
We camped on the pebbles - a wonderful sleeping surface. It was also a pleasant break not to get sand into everything that night!
I was impressed by Dylan’s stamina while we were walking, but I think he felt his legs burn a bit more than he really let on...
Here you can clearly see the temporary pebble dam across Beano Creek, as the light of another day fades away.
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