Happy 4th of July everyone, this year leave the BBQ to your neighbors and do the most patriotic thing you can – explore and treasure your protected lands. (Or just combine it all and break out the Dutch Oven BBQ ribs over the campfire).

Lost Coast 4th of July – Black Sands Beach to Mattole River

South to North – 24.4 miles

Day 1 – 8 miles – Black Sands Beach to Big Flat

Day 2 – 6 miles – Big Flat to Oat Creek

Day 3 – 7.2 miles – Oat Creek to Punta Gorda

Day 4 – 3.2 miles – Punta Gorda to Mattole River

More photos after the jump of last years 4th of July backpacking adventure along the northern half of California’s Lost Coast.

As we wind our way up and down bluffs, struggle pushing on soft sand, to breezing along on the wet pacific wave hammered beach; its hard to not reflect on all this that has lead us here.  We are celebrating our nation’s independence by hiking one of its last stretches of uninhabited coastline, Northern California’s Lost Coast.  As we crest another small bluff coming from beach to tall grasses whispering through the stiff coastal breeze, there is that distinct sound that says it doesn’t get better than this. That sound we all escape for, that inkling that all the stresses of our daily lives, of our scurrying existence, can, at last, be at peace for a few days and give way to appreciation for life and our freedom to enjoy it in whatever way that makes us crack a smile.  This is independence, this is freedom, this is ours; take it.

All photos taken with 35mm film.