Jefferson Cove 8-28-2010

I saw the snow on the ground today and I realized the summer was gone, I was planning on posting this trip report and it seems time slipped away from me. So here goes….

After a great weekend of surfing at La Push the wheels started turning as to where there were other surf spots that had great surf and weren’t busy…well after some research we decided that Jefferson Cove was the place
We started the trip about a mile up where the Hoh River meets the Ocean on the Olympic Peninsula and launched the sea kayaks and strapped our surfboards by the leash to the back of the kayaks. So the plan was to go down river and tow the surfboards behind. It sounds great in theory and it was a good thing I didn’t have much time to think about …because now that I think of it…I should have backed out!

Ok, so we are in the river, things are going great and then we get to the mouth of the river and I see the huge surf coming in....I would say the break was about 5 feet and I am supposed to paddle through this without tipping. Yeah, just keep the kayak pointed straight and don’t let the fact that you are towing a surfboard behind you that is throwing off your balance and making me very nervous. I did it…made it through no problem….now only 2 miles till we get to the cove.

The swell was huge (10 ft) out past the break, rolling, huge and the headwind was pretty bad…but this was an adventure…one hopefully no one has done before, so the adrenaline was pumping and I was ready to get to this cove and relax on the beach.

We made it to the cove no problem…the waves weren’t too bad getting in, and one of us survived without tipping…yes, that was me! We set up camp, set up the hammock, found fresh water, and explored the cove, sunbathed nude on the beach, Oh, and also got some good surfing in. Due to the huge reef and the swell direction we only had 4’ waves to surf but it was fun and I paddled my little arms off to get there, so I was surfing anything! What a fun day!

Got up the next morning and surfed some more, then we waited for the tide and headed out around 1pm. Got out past the break just fine, but the swell was about 15-20 feet high and breaking. We had to pick a line and stick with it, there was no other choice. I just kept the kayak straight and paddled like there was cold beer on the other side of that wave! It was pretty hairy, and towing the surfboard didn’t help, but I guess we made it. We made it back to the break at the mouth of the river and the waves were about 6 feet there, and we waited for a break to paddle in. Well, one of us made it again without tipping…and yes…it was me again! Yes!

Now we just had to paddle a mile back upstream and the adventure was done. We paddled for a bit and then decided that towing the sea kayaks was a bit easier that trying to paddle them up the rapids. We made it back to the car, hungry, tired, and wet. It was a blast, who knows – maybe this will be an annual paddle and surf trip.

Anyway, here are some pictures of the trip.

Ahi's...