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July Beach Walk - 7/25/04

Longnook to High Head
The plan was to get dropped off at Longnook Beach and get picked up 2.5 hours (5 beach miles) later. Here Arlene heads down the steep descent to the beach. This might be the steepest drop to the beach along the entire outer beach.
This is typical of the first part of the walk headed north from Longnook. The dunes are steep and made mostly of loose sand. There are no paths coming over the top of the dune to the beach.
It was a cloudy day and the temps were in the mid-60's. It is rare that during mid-day in July you would be walking the beach in long sleeve shirts and windbreakers. There is only a small group at Longnook Beach.
This beach cut was not evident a month ago. The face of the beach can change dramatically overnight.
Gulls line the beach and take flight as we approach. I was surprised that during the entire trip I didn't see one seal.
Looking back toward Longnook you can see a steep roadway leading up from the parking lot. I haven't explored where it heads.
The dune has solid sections that hold up as erosion sends sand running down between. It creates these mounds of sand.
Arlene passes the start of a beach sculpture. Most of this section is open to 4-wheelers. It takes away the feeling of remoteness although we were alone for large sections of the walk.
The waves have chopped away at the beach leaving this sharply cut berm.
Some vegetation exists at the base of the dunes.
The lower section of this dune has eroded recently but the upper sections are untouched. This creates a steeper dune prone to sudden collapse.
There was one path along this section that weaved up through a less steep section. Notice the vegetation covers most of the dune.
This shows the variety of plant life.
Another steep section with little plant life. This is a more unstable section.
This is a rare color of sand not usually found along this area. This is remote enough that there are large tracts of driftwood that would have been claimed in more densely travelled areas.
A constant summer visitor - advertising along the beach.
A question mark?
Now we approach an area with more clay. There is a gray tinge that will become more prevalent in the following pictures. Just off-shore is a ships' graveyard where hundreds of schooners met their fate. If a survivor was able to make it to shore they would be confronted with desolation and a virtually insurmountable dune. If the weather was cold and they were unseen by the beach patrols they would surely perish.
Here are signs that civilization is over the top of the dune. Although not visible from the beach - just over the crest is an old military base, the Highland Light, the Highland golf course, the Jenny Lind Tower and radar dome.

This bowl is clay lined.

July continued