We debated taking off this morning, but decided to stick around and enjoy another day of beauty at La Push. Other than laundry, it was a day to relax. As the ice defrosted from the picnic tables, I took Cali for a stroll around the resort. We met our neighbors and Cali got a butt sniff from their huskies. We hung around the beach as things warmed up eating lunch while watching the breakers roll in.

After a glorious afternoon nap, we set our sights on hiking out to third beach at the far end of La Push. We set a fast pace going up the hill along the asphalt sidewalk. We reached the trailhead for Second Beach where a few cars were parked and continued on past the fire station to where the sidewalk ended and we had to hug the side of the narrow road dodging traffic until we reached the pull out for Third Beach about three miles from our start. From there it was a mile and a half of forest trail out to the beach.

Another amazing, isolated Pacific Northwest beach with nobody on it but us. A large rocky headland guarded the cove to the north and a ring of rock islands rounded out the horseshoe to the south. The requisite pile of driftwood trees greeted us at the mouth of the stream where the trail reached the beach. We beach combed for a short while but we had napped too long and the sunset was going to catch us out on the trail if we tarried longer.

We marched double time back up the trail and then trudged back down the hill to the campground where we freed Cali and walked out onto the rocks of the beach to gaze at the fiery afterglow from tonight’s sunset. It seems here in northern Washington, the sun takes forever to set with colorful lights remaining long after the sun is gone.