Rant: My map reading fail on the Lost Coast Trail

Honestly, I thought I could just follow the beach for 25 miles, no big deal. The problem was the tide charts, I totally misread the high tide window. I spent like 4 hours pinned against a cliff with my pack, waiting for the water to go down so I could pass the impassable zone. Tbh, I should have planned that section for a morning low tide instead of an afternoon one. Anyone else have a close call with tides on a coastal hike?

3 comments

3 Comments

jason5241mo ago

Actually, getting pinned by a rising tide is legitimately dangerous, not just boring. That situation can turn real bad real fast if the water comes up faster than expected or the weather changes. Calling it just a planning fail really downplays the real risk of being trapped on that coast.

julia_smith1mo ago

You said you were "pinned against a cliff" but you were just waiting. It sounds uncomfortable, not dangerous. People do that trail all the time and just check the tide chart better next time. A real close call would be getting swept off a rock shelf. This was more of a boring afternoon than a survival story.

wyattcooper1mo ago

Yeah I got stuck for like two hours at Point Lobos once because I misread the tide table... just sat on a wet rock getting cold. The ranger said it happens a few times a week. It feels scary in the moment but you're right, it's mostly just boring and you feel dumb after.