Finding Silence on the Coast
I’m pretty sure I had a post with the same exact title a few months ago or probably almost a year ago. Work has been pretty exhausting so I decided to take advantage of my weekend to head down to the coast.
Work has been a struggle lately so I try to cherish every squeeze of moment spent outdoors. People ask why I travel alone. For me, solitude is a rare commodity but a necessity. Trust me, you’ll always be in great company when you’re with nature.
I knew I wanted to go camp somewhere. I didn’t necessarily want to do a long hike but that’s not out of the question. The options were endless. However, I decided I don’t want to encounter any snow on the way to the destination yet so I opted for the Oregon Coast. It was a quick getaway that was far away enough from Seattle but not crazy far that I couldn’t make it there and back in two days.
I’ve been to Cannon Beach way too many times. Probably more times that I’ve stepped foot at Mount Rainier. But it always requires less planning and for me, I prefer more spontaneous trips and Cannon Beach is always automatically a go-to on my first. I quickly reserved a campsite online at Cape Lookout State Park. In my head, I was like great, I’ve never been here and it’s only about a 4 hour drive from Seattle and then another 17 minutes to Cape Kiwanda. I suppose my goal was to really check out some rocks and how the coast is known for “where the forest meets the sea”.
I booked the site and off I went. I received a few great gifts from my boyfriend last Christmas which included a Yeti Cooler, fire starters, and a Coleman stove. I thought this would be a great opportunity to test them all out. To me, this was definitely defined as a luxurious ‘glamping’. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to lose out the opportunity to start a camp fire. It didn’t work out too well as it was very wet near the coast. My fire, despite testing out the fire starters, lasted for about 20 minutes. But no fears, here comes the handy Coleman stove and I managed to make myself a great dinner.
“To hear ourselves, we sometimes have to flee ourselves, diving into silence until we’re uncomfortable alone with the noise within.”
The overall experience was great but like all trips I take over the weekend, too short. I wish I had the time to drive further down the coastline to see more of the rugged coast with literally trees popping out of these amazing rock formations. And of course, to get away from the noise and stress Seattle has to offer. I’ve learned that even for short trips, they are a necessity. They are necessary because these are the times where I can really think in silence and also reconnect with things that bring me joy.
Until next time, Oregon Coast. I’ll be back.
