Island View Beach February 6, 2011

We had a visitor from Taiwan for this outing so we wanted a nice flat surface and a hike that wasn't too terribly long. In that list of must-haves, I should have checked the weather forecast and chosen a place that was not right on the water. We had a great time though because we are always happy to be together and outside for a while.  I kept telling everyone; the ocean mist is good for your skin.

Our wet but happy crew on the Island View beach, minus Mark who took the photo for us. Thanks Mark.

We were also joined for the first time by our friends Marrianne and Al. We couldn't help but tease them about waiting ALL YEAR to hike with us and coming along on such a wet and cold afternoon! This outing was most definitely our coldest and wettest which also made it the most miserable. Marrianne explained to me, a landlocked prairie girl with little experience of the coast, that the ocean mist is so fine it readily penetrates all clothing. I knew this to be true; by the time we left my hiking pants were thoroughly saturated.

I seem much happier than Mark right now...but his Goretex jacket is not holding up to the rain like it should.

Jeremy, Hillary, Jon and Marlen.

The inland depth of these tossed logs indicates the ferocity of the storms here.

We gingerly get ourselves across the wet logs.

A lone hiker on the beach in this weather always seems romantic.