I took the northern road to Westport for the Surfrider Summit. Along the way, I stopped in at Rainshadow Coffee in Sequim to pick up some tasty joe for the weekend, then headed out toward La Push. I say “toward La Push” because I only went down as far as the parking area for Third Beach. I took the board off the roof, rigged up a carry strap and hiked out the trail toward the water. (If you’ve never hiked the 1.3 miles out to Third Beach with a 12-foot paddleboard slung across your shoulder, you will have to take it from me: the way out is not easy, but it’s a lot easier than the way back.)

I wanted to catch a few waves but if that had been all I was trying to do, there would have been plenty of other places that would have made more sense. My real reason for choosing this location was that I remembered seeing piles of debris in the little pocket coves just north of the beach, coves that would be impossible to access by land. I figured it was worth a look to go back and if I caught a wave or ten in the process, well, what harm would that do?

As it turned out, the beaches were not nearly as thick with large debris as I remembered them, but there was still enough plastic to make an impact. I collected what I could and brought it back to my starting point through the blown-out surf. (Some of it will go into the trash; the rest will find its way into educational materials that I’m working on for Ikkatsu.) They say it was the last day of summer, or at least the last day that we’re going to get that will still feel like summer. It was a good place to spend it.