Solitude on 10 Mile Beach
Plus a few of our other favorite places to be still and quiet our minds
Rolling breakers along 10 Mile Beach
The beginning of a new year. It feels momentous. It’s a new beginning, a chance to pause and reflect. Where have we gone, and where shall we go? What thoughts, dreams, goals, plans, and expectations will we be setting for these coming months? Such has been the contemplative tendency of our minds the past couple of days, so this morning we decided to get away from the hurry and bustle of the world and simply be quiet and ponder this new year for a little while.
Quietly soaking in the peaceful morning by the waves.
We drove up to Ward Avenue, just north of MacKerricher State Park, as the early morning sunshine was warming up the air and chasing away the fog. There was only one other car in the parking lot where Ward Avenue dead ends onto the northern end of the Coastal Trail. We got out, stretched our arms up high, and inhaled deeply of the crisp ocean air. Our feet turned toward the water, and soon we were trekking north along the clean sand of 10 Mile Beach.
Snowy plovers skittering across the sand
The low, rolling rumble of the waves was loud in our ears, chasing away conversation and the buzzing cloud of thoughts, worries, and cares that always seems to be clamoring for our attention. We let our minds be filled with the thunder of the surf, the gritty crunch of the wet sand under our feet, the rush of wind in our faces, and the piping call of the diminutive snowy plovers that scuttled and scurried in the foamy wake of each receding breaker in search of food. Our breathing slowed, and our hearts settled into a deeper rhythm than they are often wont to do.
There is an amazingly calming effect from snowy plovers, water, wind, and sky
Besides those snowy plovers skittering across the sands, we were pretty much alone out along those miles and miles of ocean shore. With such solitary freedom, we let our minds wander, hope, reflect, and dream. We may not have figured out all of 2020, but it was still beautiful. It was perfect. It was just what we needed for a quiet moment of New Year’s contemplation.
Ah, so beautiful!
From the Ward Avenue parking lot up to 10 Mile Creek and back is about 7.5 miles. If you go at low tide, you can usually find lots of sand dollars, crab shells, and even barnacles. Take a journal or sketchbook, and definitely some water and snacks – find a comfortable swell of sand to sit and rest for a spell, to simply stare at the waves and be.
The only other footprints besides ours…
A few other places we love to visit to quiet our minds:
Russian Gulch State Park. The North Trail tends to be quieter than the more traveled Fern Canyon Trail, and the upper reaches of the Waterfall Loop can often have beautifully solitary vistas out over the treetops. We’ve paused for many deep breaths in the silence of these woods with eyes closed and head thrown back. Other times, we forget to breathe as we lean down to gaze in wonder at some delicate detail of the natural world around us.
Van Damme State Park. One of our favorite spots to practice Shinrin Yoku, there are some amazing glens just off the trail near the pygmy forest at the top of the park.
Point Cabrillo Light Station. Take the trail that meanders north along the bluff tops from the light house – it’s usually pretty quiet, and you can almost always find a secluded little spot to just sit and be as you stare out at the water.
Big River. Go early in the morning to catch the peaceful glory of a brand-new day waking up around the river’s bends.
Spring Ranch. We usually cross paths with very few other nature-seekers when we go out on this lesser-known trail. There are perfectly placed benches for looking out over the ocean’s swells. And for the more adventurous hearts among us, there are numerous opportunities to clamber down to tiny, secluded rocky coves that feel like they are completely apart from the rest of the world.
Next time you visit Mendocino, take a moment to slow down and be still in one of these spots. Or find your own quiet corner out here to put the normal world aside and let your hurried mind rest. Have you found someplace that’s perfect for contemplative reflection that we don’t know about yet? Tell us all your favorites!
Words and pictures by Laura Hockett