Coast Walking

Higgins Beach, Scarborough, Maine, USA ©lifeasjack.com All rights reserved.

When I was a lad, you walked along the shore to explore. To build sand castles with deep moats, gleeful to watch their slow destruction by the unstoppable forces of the incoming tides. You discovered the flotsam and jetsam delivered by the salty waves upon the shore. You searched for treasure.

Block Island, Rhode Island, USA ©lifeasjack.com All rights reserved.

There are some beach hikes that are social in nature, and exercise oriented. Attendees need lots of sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat and bug juice. I’d rather skip these noon day treks. I’m a solo coast walker. I’m still there to explore. If I can locate a wrecked or derelict vessel on the walk all the better. I prefer a cloudy day, when the beaches are empty. In the summer, I’ll walk late in the day when the light is soft and begin to shift it’s color. A long walk with the sun setting over open water is a prized experience one should not take for granted.

Shoreline of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island,USA ©lifeasjack.com All rights reserved.

Maybe I find treasure this day, or perhaps not. The birds begin to say goodnight, nesting in the tall grasses of the marsh. I start away from the beach on the winding path towards home. I’m reminded of a few lines from the shooting script of Cast Away:

“tomorrow the sun will rise, and who knows what the tide will bring in.”― William Broyles Jr.,