Explore wildlife and history on this trek

Just because Sequim lies within the heralded rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains doesn't mean it never rains there. Eight Mountaineers will attest it was raining hard enough that getting out of the car was daunting. Nevertheless, we ventured forth, resolute in our desire to hike to the Dungeness Lighthouse.

The combination of Easter and rain meant we mostly had Dungeness Spit to ourselves. At the trailhead, a volunteer told us to watch for newts crossing the trail. We looked in vain; maybe newts are smarter than hikers.

Dungeness Spit is one of the longest coastal strips in the world. Before the lighthouse was established, ships often ran aground here, with some so damaged they couldn't be repaired. The lighthouse's lamp was first lit in 1857. In 1915, President Woodrow Wilson decreed the spit a wild bird reservation, and today it is the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

		KAREN SYKES
	The giant Pacific chiton also is known as gumshoe chiton.

We arrived a couple of hours before low tide, the best time to begin the hike, and settled into the rhythm of walking in sand and stopping to ponder driftwood and sea-monster-sized tangles of bull kelp.

Kelp can grow to 100 feet in a single season. It is an all-you-can-eat buffet for a variety of creatures. Great blue herons use floating mats of kelp as fishing platforms.

Dungeness Spit is a birders' hot spot, with more than 250 species. We saw juvenile bald eagles, looking like rumpled teenagers, seagulls and ducks. Bring a field guide and/or pick up a wildlife checklist at the trailhead.

On a windy day you might prefer hiking the protected side of the spit, but that is closed to hikers. You still can peek at the sheltered lagoon from the spit, and many birds can be spotted there. Enjoy views from the surf side of the spit to the San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, Whidbey Island, the Cascades and -- looking toward the refuge -- the Olympics. On a rainy day an occasional freighter may be the only discernible marker between sea and sky.

Doing some low-tide exploring, we came across a creature that we couldn't identify when we first spotted it. It resembled a brick but seemed too large for a chiton, though it wore the armored plate of one. We gently turned it over, exposing a soft underside, then righted it again. Field guides enlightened us -- it was a giant Pacific chiton(Cryptochiton stelleri), also called gumshoe chiton.

Chitons can take a day to travel a short distance, and we couldn't say whether it was coming or going. They are 5 to 13 inches long and are found among rocks near low-tide level, feeding mostly on algae.

Shortly after the three-mile marker, the lighthouse came into view. If you get that far, you'll want to keep going. The lighthouse is like a mirage -- it never seems to get any closer until you are practically there. Near the lighthouse we stopped to photograph dilapidated pilings, remnants of an old wharf.

The U.S. Coast Guard withdrew its last keeper in 1994, and the lighthouse is operated and maintained by the New Dungeness Light Station Association. If not for this non-profit association, the lighthouse most likely would have suffered the fate of others -- boarded up and subject to damage by vandals and general deterioration.

When we went inside for the tour, the volunteer keeper said 64 hikers had visited the day before, a sunny Saturday. As the first visitors on this rainy day, we signed the log and read storyboards describing the colorful history of the spit. Graveyard Spit lies within the refuge but is off limits to visitors; it commemorates a grim day in 1868 when S'Klallam Indians massacred several members of the Tsimshians who had camped there.

We climbed the 74-step spiral staircase to the top of the tower, taking them three at a time. It was like climbing inside a moon snail shell. There, another keeper described changes to the spit and lighthouse, such as lowering the tower from 100 feet to 63 feet because of cracks in the tower. The light in the tower originally was powered by lard oil and magnified by a Fresnel lens, but by the mid-'70s the light and fog signals were automated. The light can be seen up to 17 miles out to sea.

The spit "grows" about 20 feet a year and is a half-mile longer than when it was surveyed in the 1850s. During winter storms, parts of the spit sometimes are under water.

From the tower you can view the entire sprawling spit -- it looks like a giant sea serpent resting against the background of sea and sky.

Back on the spit, a sign with the word "Reality" points the way back to the world. Walking in sand is tiring, and by the time we got back to the cars we definitely felt we'd hiked 11 miles.

Of course, just as soon as we drove away, the sun came out and we looked for rainbows as we drove back to "reality."

If you go

Getting there -- From Seattle, drive around the Sound on U.S. Route 101 or catch the Edmonds ferry and follow U.S. 101 to Port Angeles. Bypass Sequim and continue on U.S. 101 about five miles. Turn right onto Kitchen-Dick Road. In about three miles the road bends right, becoming Lotzgesell Road. In about 1/4 mile, turn left on Voice of America Road (signed Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge). Continue 120 feet through a county park and campground to the trailhead and facilities.

Information -- The Dungeness Lighthouse provides picnic tables, restrooms, water and daily tours. For additional information about the lighthouse, including how to donate or volunteer, contact the New Dungeness Light Station Association, a nonprofit group that depends on gifts, guest keepers and memberships to meet its goals ($30 annual membership; newdungenesslighthouse.com).

For additional information on the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, including fishing, horseback riding, boating and other recreational activities, visit dungeness.com/refuge. Pets are not allowed, the spit is closed at sunset, and camping is prohibited. Entrance fees are $3 per family or vehicle; a Refuge Annual Pass, Golden Eagle, Age, and Access Passports or a Federal Duck Stamp also will admit a family.

Trail data

Dungeness Spit

Length: 11 miles, out and back

Elevation gain: 74 steps to the top of the lighthouse

Rating: Moderate

Location: Sequim

Scenery: Excellent (views of San Juan Islands, Cascades, Olympics, wildlife, birds, historical lighthouse)

Trail condition: Fair; sandy beach

Challenges: Watch tides; low-tide hiking advised