Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

alder leaves.
Inland, a side trip led off to the oldest stand of redwoods remaining on this
stretch of coast – Sally Bell Grove, saved from the saw teeth of the Georgia-
Pacific lumber company in 1986 and preserved as a small pocket of almost nevervisited
parkland. In stark contrast to the touristy Avenue of the Giants just over the
mountains, it remains virtually inaccessible, without so much as a trail marker to
indicate its presence, a silent but comforting reminder of the world before we
arrived.
© Aurora Photos | Alamy
trekking the lesser-trodden Lost Coast Trail
Day two began with the trail’s most gruelling climb, from sea level to 1064ft
(324m) in less than a mile, followed by a steep downhill and another ascent. Our
reward? The Lost Coast’s most spectacular viewpoint at Anderson Cliff, reached by
an unmarked side trail around the 3-mile (5km) mark. Perched 650ft (198m) above
the ocean, this sheer-faced promontory affords astonishing bird’s-eye perspectives
stretching 20 miles (32km) north to Shelter Cove, with a half-moon shaped beach
chomping into the otherwise uninterrupted wall of razor-sharp escarpments.