By Judah Breitbach
The arrangements had been made. The weather was beautiful. I had planned on going with the college hiking club, walking the Dungeness Spit with the goal of making it to the lighthouse.
Everyone was eagerly anticipating the scenic trek along the beach.
A loud pop confirmed my worst fears. My bicycle tire, which I had used as transportation that day, had sprung a leak; murphy’s law, which says that anything that can go wrong will go wrong and at the worst possible moment, had reared it’s ugly head.
I was, at first, disappointed things might not go as planned. I had wanted to get involved with a few club activities, and had decided on an outing with the hiking club.
The sky was cloudless and the sun was beaming, but prospects seemed dim for a good time because the tentative plans had been compromised.
Not long after the beach was reached, it became clear that a cloudless afternoon and a beaming sun were all that was needed to enjoy the beautiful hike.
Technology would allow for quick contact with the club when the time came after all. So it was decided that the walk should be simply enjoyed in the interim.
The footprints in the sand became fewer and fewer as the hike went on, with the occasional walker being seen and a wave and a hello given each time.
The wildlife was surprisingly scarce along the beach. A few terns along the marshy inlet that marked the beginning
of the hike, a smattering of eagles at the end near the lighthouse and an odd gull hovering over head were all that was seen.
Once the lighthouse was reached, I met that week’s house keepers, Joe and his wife, who didn’t give her name.
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Birds-eye view from Dungeness Lighthouse, on a sunny, Saturday afertoon. – Photo by Judah Breitbach
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The regal Dungeness Lighthouse. – Photo Judah Breitbach
Each week a small group of volunteers stay at the lighthouse to give tours.
The morning of the hike, the new house keepers had arrived at the lighthouse and were eager to show off the grounds.
The lawn and the buildings are beautifully kept, and the husband and wife team of volunteers were cheerful and ready to point out historical details about the lighthouse.
On the way back along the beach, the hiking club still hadn’t been spotted; or at least recognized.
What were the odds; the beach is 40 feet wide, and most passersby made eye contact and waved.
Yet, only a few stragglers were met with then passed for the brunt of the pack.
Nevertheless, the trek had to be made, and with the weather as pristine as mother nature could get it that afternoon, the quip of the day was carpe diem.
One step at a time with the camera always at the ready.
Maybe things didn’t go as planned, but the beauty of the beach was always there.
We didn’t need to plan it. We just had to be willing to take the walk to see it.
An alphabetized list of 13 clubs from Chemistry Club to Welding Club can be found at pencol.edu/ under the tab Student Life.
Associated Student Council-woman and Director of Clubs, Mia Steben, can be reached at the ASC office for more information on getting involved with a club.