The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Disappearing Beach
My husband and I landed jobs at a cattle ranch on Alaska's Kodiak Island. We loved nearby Fossil Beach, which has gray rocks embedded with striking white fossils on ancient marine life. One evening I went to walk there for some time to myself. It could have been for eternity.
I walked along, skipping from rock to rock and admiring the fossils until I came to a narrow sandy beach tucked into the cliffs. I lingered there, lost in my thoughts.
It started getting dark, and I decided to head back. That's when I noticed that the tide had come up and the rocks I'd hiked in on were under the ice-cold water. And no one knew where I was.
I started to climb the cliff, but it was made of crumbling rock with precarious handholds. Then the route came to a dead end, and I had to back down.
The beach had visibly shrunk. I studied the cliff again, spotted a possible route, and somehow made it over the top. I was immensely relieved -- and thoroughly humbled by my lack of foresight.
Ask the Expert
Bill Flower is the Sierra Club's Outings Committee Chair.
"Anna made a number of mistakes that put her in serious danger: She walked into the cove without considering how an incoming tide could trap her, paid no attention to what was happening around her, and didn't tell anyone where she was going. You can save your life in many different situations with three precautions: Think how you might reverse your route, be aware of your surroundings, and always tell someone your plans."
