Shannon Mason

Shannon Mason

Hike Alpine Trail, Caines Head State Recreation Area

08/22/20

I hiked this trail 8/21/20, and the portion that is just the Alpine Trail--not the "overland trail" between North and South Beach--is too overgrown with salmonberry to be safe or pleasurable to hike alone. The bear trails were more conspicuous than the manmade path. Many parts had little visibility ahead--the ripe berry bushes too tall and thick to scan for wildlife--or below--following the trail meant "feeling by feet" rather than *seeing* where I should place my feet. The trail from North Beach had the best blueberry picking I've ever seen, and the middle part of the Alpine Trail had good salmonberries, but I don't want to be stuck with a bear in berry bushes in a corridor between a rock wall and a cliff, you know? I'd woken up that morning to the sound of a bear being hazed at the campground, as it stared at the occupant in the foodless tent next to me. The cairns and pink tape are long gone, the trail peters out in the alpine area.

2.0