Warning! This hike is for very experienced hikers only.
In 2021 my hiking crew did the Lost Coast Trail. This is a 30-mile section of the California coast that is completely undeveloped and almost totally devoid of structures and people. The trail follows the coast and is mostly in the sand or just up on the bluffs.
We started at Mattole, which is at the north end. There is a campground at Mattole but we camped near the exit trailhead to try and reduce the massive car shuttle required. We found the boot on day 1 and then found the other boot 2 days later.
The forest comes right up to the beach and there are bears present. Bear cans are required. We did not see any bears but we did see these tracks.
The Lost Coast is very wild, lots of natural beauty, but there is not a lot of wildlife present. Fewer birds than I had expected. As far as marine life, we did see multiple sea lions or seals in the water and on the beach.
There are multiple places on the trail where high tides come all the way up to the rocks. You have to plan your hiking around the tide schedule. Some of these areas are very rugged and slow-going. The area shown was easy but some stretches were really rough.
Some of the camping is in the woods and some is on the beach. There are ticks everywhere on this trail — I found two on my leg at one time. While we were there a high fire alert was on and no fire was allowed. It was bone dry in the woodsy area.
There are no restrooms along this trail. So where does one shit? Well the rule for the Lost Coast is the same wild rule that Glacier Bay has — you shit on the sand, below the high tide line. That takes everything out to the ocean later. Of course you have to pack out any toilet paper but I am a big fan of the CuloClean portable bidet. It is very small and light, allows total cleanliness, and can be used for a shower in addition to its bidet duties.
If we had known that the first boot was lost for good and that we were going to encounter the second boot too, we would have grabbed the first one. I suspect the owner noticed that the first one was missing and then dropped this one off so whoever recovered the first one would have a pair. These are nice boots but I prefer Altras.
