Cloudy in the morning. Despite of cool weather (mid 60s), I was still drenched in sweat. We were hiking in the misty, with little view. 100% humidity. As soon as I stop, I'd feel cold. Did see some elk briefly, yes they were covered by the clouds soon.Continued up and forward into the woods and to the higher trailhead, with a gate and a clear sign. Saw a group of Nature Conservancy people coming in. It was shortly after 10am. Yes, many cars here. 2 more Nature Conservancy volunteers at the trailhead, both coming from TNC Portland office. We turned left on to the gravel road, walk about 3/4 easy miles. The road is wide enough and the cars are slow enough, that walking here doesn't pose a danger. Next trailhead is clearly marked, full of cars. A couple of cars had to park by the road. More people and dogs.
The trail to Harts Cove goes down, in the thick woods. Other than the first ~10 minutes, it's very gentle. A couple of muddy spots. A bench looking out to the ocean, but the view is mostly blocked by trees. From there, we heard seal calls off and on. Continue for another 10+ minutes, the trail comes to an opening. It's an overgrown meadow. You want long pants and long sleeves here. Thimbleberry and Salah berry were ripening, lots of grass and ferns and wild cucumber. Follow the boot path towards the ocean, and take any side track left to a small clearing under some big trees on the edge of a cliff. You can see the little waterfall and the cove below. A bit anti-climatic for me. We plowed through some thicket of vegetation looking for a lunch spot facing ocean. As soon as we sat down, most of the view was blocked by the tall grass. Two ladies found ants crawling, so all of them moved back to the trees. I finished my lunch alone, only because I already started. Since I was alone, and grass was tall, perfect time for a bio-break. I rejoined my group and passed around watermelon, blueberry and cherries. Sun stated to burn the clouds away, and the color of the water got prettier.
Regroup at the trailhead. I refilled my 1L water bottle, and a couple of others'. I brought a gallon of water for training. Back to Cascade Heads. We sat at the high plateau (a big clearing, nice to spread out) admiring the view, now under blue sky. I think I like it earlier in the season, when the grass is green and more flowers. Most abundant today was Goldenrod. I dumped the rest of the water here. Chatted with one Nature Conservancy gentleman. He was walking between here and the upper trailhead, making sure no one brought their dogs in. He asked me some questions and made some notes. I mentioned my gripe about the lack of carpool options at TNC's outings.The view coming down Cascade Heads is outstanding. This is my 5th time here, and I never got tired of this view. Back to car ~4:30pm. Back home ~7pm.
