I planned a camping trip to the remote north coast of Washington state to coincide with the new moon, since the vast expanse of sky visible at the Pacific ocean can make a dramatic backdrop for the young moon when she becomes visible a day or so later. For once the weather more or less cooperated (this part of the coast is subject to frequent, sudden and persistent fog). Sunshine blessed most of my trip and I wore my old dog out traipsing up and down this spectacular beach.

looking north toward Hole in the Wall landmark click to enlarge

Rialto Beach has it all: impressive sea stacks to frame the views, stones of all shapes and sizes to sort through in search of special treasures, enough driftwood for a lifetime of imagining and collecting and wide sandy beaches that go on for days. In fact, it’s the starting point for backpackers who hike north into the wilderness beaches only accessible on foot. No longer being up to that sort of bodily stress, my dog and I camped on the Quillayute River just a mile away. Bliss. Peace. Exultation. I don’t think I could oversell this place.

ghost tree at Rialto Beach, Washington click to enlarge

MEDITATION

Despite the spectacular beauty of the ocean, Rialto Beach is all about trees. Where the forest meets the shore, it is fringed with a row of standing dead Sitka spruce trees. Though these giant ghost trees have stopped growing, they still have a silvery majestic presence. They died because winter tides suffocated them with stones and soaked their roots in saltwater. The trees look like bones stuck into the sand, spines with vertebrae angling toward sea and sky. Though the ocean tosses huge logs against them each year, the logs simply amass at their feet, and their roots stubbornly reach down through sand to cling to earth.

CONTEMPLATIONS

• What relics of past experiences and relationships are still visible in your life?
• What purpose are they serving?
• Is it time to let them fall?

tree souls still standing at Rialto Beach click to enlarge

Eventually, the ghost trees will lean, then fall or perhaps snap off during a violent storm. Then they will add their bodies to the accumulated piles of driftwood that is the hallmark of this beach. Just past the mouth of the Quillayute River, this beach collects all shapes and sizes of logs and root masses, which the sea tumbles and sculpts into sensuous, rounded treasures. As these magical pieces of wood bake in the summer sun, they bleach and dry. Then the higher tides return and they are buffed some more and repositioned farther down the beach. It’s an eternal process that each day creates new wonders to discover.

islands at the mouth of the Quillayute River click to enlarge

Just offshore are James Island and Little James, two rocky sea stacks which are living examples of the never ending cycle of trees. Dropped by birds and breezes, spruce seeds are able to root atop these rocks and withstand the relentless salt winds of the Pacific. A small forest thrives atop the larger island, and two stalwart spruces are pioneering the smaller one. The islands provide a safe haven for shorebirds to nest and a visually stunning backdrop for the ever-crashing waves. They must be very special tree spirits who are able to root there and survive amid such extreme elemental forces.

CONTEMPLATIONS

• What hardships have you overcome?
• How have they made you stronger?
• How will you thrive in spite of them?
• What shape has your life taken as a result?

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