Eel River Mountains to Sea - Day 7

Redwoods and 101

We awoke on Day 7 a bit stiff and sore but excited to see the sun.  Our journey today would take us through some of the largest trees in the world - the coastal redwoods.  The river was still flowing very fast and was in a semi-flooded state.  We enjoyed the current pushing us down river.

Giant redwood stump in the flooded Eel River .

We pulled over to take a hike in one of the groves of Avenue of the Giants.  For our hike, we took off most of our paddling gear but kept our drysuits on.

Hiking up a creek to get into the Avenue of the Giants.

We came upon a local photographer that was hiking in the forest.  He looked at us like we were aliens - guess we looked a bit odd in our drysuits.  We said hi and continued on.  He doubled back and asked us why we were dressed in yellow suits.  We explained that we were on our seventh day of kayaking the Eel River from the mountains to the sea, and we just pulled over for a hike in the redwoods before continuing with our journey.

Hiking among the giant redwood trees of Avenue of the Giants.

He was very interested in our trip and shared that he likes to do multi-day cross country motorcycle camping trips.  We inquired about his photography and found out that he is an amateur photographer that works full time in the lumber mill in Scotia.  After an interesting chat, he wished us well and we continued on our hike.

Photos barely do justice to the grandeur of the redwood forest.

It felt good to stretch our legs, eat some lunch, and of course enjoy the awesomeness of the redwood forest.

An abandoned road in Avenue of the Giants.

Back in the boats, we journeyed along the 101 corridor.  The river is quite wide at this point and moving fast.  At times we still see evidence of the Eel River Railroad.  We also notice that the geology has changed significantly from the jagged, dark sandstone to smoother, lighter colored sandstone.

At the town of Scotia, we landed to stretch our legs.  Jeff decided to jaunt into town and get some tasty beverages for our last night on the river.  Up until this point, we have been totally self sufficient.  We had planned enough food for 10 days and still had plenty, but why not enjoy a comfort of being close to civilization.  As he started to hike up the hill toward town, the local photographer that we met in the redwoods greeted him and gave him a ride into town to the local market.

Landing at Scotia near an old dam.

On down the river we traveled.  Highway 101 crossed over us numerous times and seemed to be ever present.

Highway 101 crossing the Eel River.

We found a campsite on a gravel bar that was on a bend away from the highway and enjoyed our last evening on the river with a nice bottle of wine and another one pot meal.

One pot meals were lightweight but hearty and easy to prepare.

We planned to complete our journey and reach the sea the next day.

Last night camping out of our kayaks on the Eel River.

Day 8 - To the SEA!