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Got completely turned around on the Lost Coast Trail last month
I was hiking the northern section near Mattole Beach and the tide tables said I had a 4 hour window. My map showed a clear route over a headland, but a recent slide had wiped out the trail. I spent a full 90 minutes scrambling up loose shale, backtracking, and checking my GPS, totally convinced I was missing something obvious. The clock was ticking and I started to panic about getting cut off by the tide. Finally, I just committed to a sketchy climb over the top, which took another 45 minutes of careful moving. That little detour burned over two hours of my safe time and I had to practically jog the next flat section. Has anyone else hit a surprise trail closure out there and how did you handle it?
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