I had to work through an upset stomach, bear tracks on the boardwalk, a challenging head space, and surprise heat to get there. Gorgeous sunny and surprisingly warm morning! Kelly flagged me down to show me the wet bear paw prints on the boardwalk she snapped 📸 2 minutes prior. Grateful to miss that interaction at a 7:30/mi pace on an a wet n wobbly split cedar boardwalk! Passed 5 hiking groups...tricky on the single track boardwalk. On the descent leading to the beach the overgrown ferns hid the super steep 10' stair case with exposed roots at the base. I had to jump off the trail into the stinging nettles to avoid injury! The tide was waaay out (I think a -2.0). It is so tough to make good time on the rocky, sandy, slippery beach littered with fallen trees to duck under or jump over regardless of the tide. All of this is also what makes this route so sick and challenging! The views of the Pacific ocean and shoreline were stunning today! The signs on the beach for the inland trails are well marked. I had to push the final 3 miles harder than I wanted to but had a blast fighting the pain up the boardwalk to close the triangle!