Winter Beach Walk -- Post 1

Yesterday I decided to explore the beach. In normal years I like to ski down the beach. In fact it is one of my favorite things to do in the winter. However, this year the lack of snow makes this impossible. There is so little snow that I was able to park in the small lot near First Creek, at the west end of Woodland Park. Since I was planning on walking west down the beach and up the trail at Sable Falls, and then across the fields back to First Creek, I decided to carry my snow shoes. You just never know how much snow there is in the woods and in the fields.  Plus I didn't know if the crampons would be necessary climbing up the falls trail.

In most years the steps are full of snow.  Not this year.

The beach in front of Woodland Park has no snow.  There is shore ice, or "icebergs" as we locals call them.

The shore ice is made up of thousands of frozen ice balls.

The teepee located on the beach between First Creek and Sable River is still standing tall.

The fall storms recontoured the beach and created this six foot high mini bluff.

Because of the lack of snow, there are sections of the beach with rocks.  Yes, you could actually agate hunt, although these sections of rock are few and far between.  Most of the rock is still under the shore ice.

Here are one of the holes in the shore ice.  It is because of these holes that it is not safe to walk on the ice.  Sometimes the holes are covered with a thin layer of ice.