December 14
Swell: NW 10’ at 11 sec.
Wind: NE under 20 TO 30 KT.
Air Temp: It’s snowing
Water Temp: See “Air Temp”
For several days the media has been proclaiming that this week will be a repeat of the winter of 1990…A super deep, super cold spell…
Whatever, it’s winter…
Me, I’ve been watching the coastal forecast…They’ve been calling for east winds up to 40 knots…That’s rare…Something I need to see and feel…In the past day or two, they’ve backed it down a bit, but still, strong easterlies…
Last night you would have found my van ready to roll, and that’s where I’ll start…Rolling…
First light on the Frozen Highway…I’m really glad I put the studded tires back on…
The Sprinter is parked, I’ve got on the warm clothes, waterproof boots and an expectation of something epic…This is what I was hoping would be the stuff of dreams…Reality, the wind hadn’t swung around and intensified as “they” said it would…The swell was there, but as you can see, the Jetty was big junk…
On the other side of the Jetty, the swell lines were impressive…You’ve probably already noticed the dusting of snow…Didn’t feel all that cold…
OK, this blew my mind…I’ve been surfing up here since 1990 and I’ve NEVER seen this break…This is no-man’s land…I don’t even think this place has a name…The sign sums up the vibe…
As always, much bigger than it seems…Easily in the 8-12’ range…
The paddle from the protected beach far inside to here would be long and spooky…Big time spooky…I have no idea if the current would draw you to places only seen in nightmares…Add to the fact, no one else around…You get the idea…
Walking on, I’m glad to see this…A spot that rarely breaks peeling nicely…
Down the beach, the snow is flying and a wave is breaking…
Waaaay outside these beasts would unfurl…No one wanted any part of these…Too big, too far…
My attention turned back again to see this rare spot breaking…And here it is at 5-6’…
Apologies for the less than mirror clear picture, it’s snowing…
One last look before I suit up and have this to myself for a couple hours…The wave is fast and kind of gnarly the way it move as sideways as it does…It was a real treat and I appreciated the session as such…It’s good to be surfing again…
Apres surf, the snow has stopped for a moment and the surf has cleaned up…
And as quick as you can say “Endless Summer” another flurry obscures paradise…
I hope you’ve enjoyed this slice of PNW winter, wait, it’s still fall…
Paul
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