Safety & Staying Healthy
Are surge channels a problem?
Surge channels pose the greatest hazard on the WCT. Hikers have drowned after falling into the sea. Take every precaution.
If you are not confident crossing, you can bypass surge channels by staying on the forest trail.
We normally bypass Adrenaline Surge and Dare Surge. At Orientation they will emphasize & explain the danger. In recent years Adrenaline surge has been called impassable though Wardens still sometimes cross.
At other surge channels, large & small, have your most confident hiker(s) cross without packs, to test the footing. It’s often far more difficult — far more slippery — than it looks.
We sometimes use a comfort rope to help balance on slippery sections. It’s called a comfort rope because there is no way you’ll be able to hold on to the rope if you fall in. (Actually, many years ago one of our hikers fell and managed to keep a grip on the rope. The tide surged once & she was, somehow, pulled up to safety. This was a fluke. She was very, very lucky.)
Tides?
You can get caught by the rising tide and end up wading (or swimming!) around a promontory. Reading tide charts is one thing, but if wind and waves are high, you can still get wet.
You’ll undoubtedly climb up on sea stack islands. Don’t get marooned by the rising tide.
Hiker caught by rising tide.
Are rogue waves a hazard? Rip tides?
Of course! Be aware that many hikers have drowned on the west coast. Be cautious, especially when wading or fishing.
If you fall into freezing water on this rugged coast, especially with a pack, there’s a real chance you won’t be able to climb back up on to the slippery rocks.
Don’t stand too close to the water while taking photos.
On Black Sands Beach (Lost Coast Trail in northern California), in March 2000, hiker Barbara Clement was walking 5m inside the wet sand line during a very large incoming tide. She was hit by a wave between her ankle and her knee and knocked down.
Two 17-year-old students, David Elton and Brodie McDonald rushed to help her stand up in shallow water. All 3 were hit by a large wave (not a rogue wave) and were pulled out to sea into the rip.
Another student & a parent chaperone narrowly avoided being drowned while attempting to rescue the first three. They too could not regain the shore, but were saved by the Coast Guard & a fishing boat alerted to the emergency by other students who ran to a beach house to phone for help.
Three hikers drowned. Was this tragedy just a fluke?
About 17 months earlier, a woman walking along Black Sands Beach was swept into the Pacific Ocean by a powerful wave. She too drowned. The rip tide at that spot makes it impossible even for strong swimmers to get back to shore.
A momentary lapse of attention around the ocean can be deadly.
Rogue waves (8-10 feet high) are not common, but they can swell out of nowhere, even on calm days. They sometimes pull in large vehicles and boulders.
Sign posted on the West Coast Trail.
