Shifting Sands Loop of Ma-le'l Dunes North

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge

The fact that the National Wildlife Refuge doesn't allow dogs (or horses or bikes or even running) tends to create more possibilities for wildlife encounters. That this particular bit is closed Tuesday to Thursday and sits beside a bit that's closed to all except those who have obtained a permit makes it a little more wild. For one frequent volunteer with the Friends of the Dunes, that meant getting to watch a family of otters diving and chomping away at their catch from the end of one trail. After the regular third Sunday removal of invasive beach grass on the far north end of Ma-le'l South, I headed out to where the otters had been seen, not that I really expected to see them too.

00: birds in flight and a boat on the water — Kayakers on the Mad River Slough send the shorebirds on the nearby island into flight.

The otters were seen a the end of Tsoutsgish Trail, a very flat route following the old railroad grade at the edge of Mad River Slough. It's been a very easy hike with interpretive signs along the edge.

01: flat and wide trail with green stuff on either side, more on the left as the right quickly becomes a bit of bay — Tsoutsgash Trail along the old railroad grade.

02: trees and dunes — Trees draped with lichen with the dunes rising behind.

However, the trail has changed and it isn't flat and easy the whole way anymore. The moving dunes have moved along onto it in one brief section. It's probably the bit with the sign about the moving dunes as I didn't notice that one as I went.

03: sand eating the trail — The dunes have moved onto the trail. Ropes have been installed to help with walking the uneven ground.

04: sand slope — The dunes are much closer here and the trees that couldn't run away have suffocated under it's sides.

After the short sand obstacle that may well grow in both length and stature in time, it was clear and easy walking once more to the end of the trail at the long failed bridge.

05: birds over the water — Another mass of birds moves past over the slough.

06: flat water — The slough is generally beautiful, especially as framed by the trees on their way to falling into it.

07: fallen tree still green over the water — There's a fallen tree now.

08: black and white birds, one just starting a dive — Buffleheads on the water. Well, one is busy diving underwater.

10: two boats on the slough — Hold on, those aren't kayaks. They're peddling! And what are those wheels for? I bet that script on the side says "Hobie", who will claim they are still kayaks. Is Hobie making amphibious craft now? Okay, probably they're just for dragging.

12: trees over the trail — Sometimes the trees lean in instead.

13: birds taking flight — More birds take flight, briefly anyway.

14: trail and sign — A junction ahead with its little area map.

15: blue sky appears — The area fog is clearing.

16: trail raised between flats — Nearing the end, the old rail bed is now basically a levee.

17: bridge remains — The decaying trestle to cross the slough.

Of course the otters weren't there this time. They like to move around and would gather too much of a crowd if they reliably returned somewhere. Meanwhile, I had foolishly left off my hat, quite noticeable as the sun started to heat things up.

19: winding water — A channel through the flats.

There's a bench one might sit upon to wait for the otters to continue to not be there, but the feeling of the IR now getting through the clouds was making the presence of the UV, which doesn't stop much for clouds, become that much more obvious. I decided to head into the forest, so I headed back to that intersection and started upward on the Dap Loop.

20: fluffy little bird — A yellow rumped warbler takes a moment to be a fluff ball.

22: path with steps — No longer on a flat path.

23: trees with a dip below — The forest from higher up with a dip in the land below.

24: little red apple-like fruit — The bearberries, a tiny mat form manzanita, were very much in fruit.

25: tall trees for growing in sand with salt winds likely — The forest with a little light on it.

I like to take the spur trail and it was looking a little less used, so I turned down Vighul Trail. It gives a bit of view of the forest at the edge of the sand dunes before passing a little more of the safe (for now) forest and ending at a water channel.

27: sand and trees — Just a few more dunes behind the trees.

28: wall of sand — A perspective on the wall of sand slowly coming for these trees.

29: water and flats behind a sign — Once more at the endpoint of a trail. The sign points out that things beyond are closed to entry.

30: floating plastic — So what's the bridge for?

31: channel through flats — The tidal channel through the flats.

There were no otters there either. I headed back. One can make a little loop by continuing on the Dap Loop Trail (obviously), but I decided to make it a big loop by crossing the sand to the beach on the Hout Trail instead. A big, sandy loop of shifting sands.

34: sand expanse — The clouds had returned briefly once I got to the top of the dunes. It's a little more climb than it looks since each step drops again at least a little.

37: sign in the sand sheet — Try to spot the red topped posts, this one signed, to follow the trail across the sand sheet.

38: forest and sand — The expanse, at least to north and east, of the edge of the expansive sand sheet.

39: footprints all in a cluster — The clustered footprints in the sand of some large bird. I expect a northern harrier had a meal here.

40: trees and sand — The very same trees that were seen from the Vighul Trail, now from the dunes' perspective.

41: more sand across some gren — More dunes at Lanphere Dunes, where one must get a permit to visit.

42: prints in the sand — These I expect are raccoon prints. There's always lots of prints.

44: lots of people prints — The trail across the sand for the people.

It's not all sand all the way to the beach. There's another band of growth in the foredunes, and here the trail becomes very defined again.

45: bright white bloom — Beach strawberries were frequently in bloom.

46: planks across the marshy growth — Planks to deal with a bit that does get soggy in the winter.

47: water in a low spot — The water table comes up a few feet in winter and the low spots in the foredunes fill for the season.

48: dunes and more dunes — Looking back to what was crossed from the last sand dune before the beach.

The beach was the same in character as it ever was, but it is always different. The tide was leaving plenty of room to walk over to Kimuk Trail to return and finish the loop. It usually leaves plenty of room, but in storms the waves will wash the sandy slopes of the dunes.

50: driftwood on the dune slopes — The driftwood collection thrown by storms (large) and casually left by water rolling in (small) along the beach to north.

52: lots of sand room — Lots of room to walk the beach once turned south.

53: trail up the dunes — Today the trail is signed by a large upright log as well as the permanent "Kimuk Trail" sign above.

55: small and large birds feeding in the retreated wave — There's usually a few birds to watch.

This trail back tends to feel quite long with a lot of uphill. The hill is likely just a bit higher than it would be since it is topped with the invasive European beach grass that crowds out everything around it. It starts with a lot of American beach grass (see it around the signs above) that sits with spaces between for a variety of plants, if they so desire.