Waking to another cloudy, smoke-filled sky set Day 7 of my journey off to a moody start. Lingering on the northern coast of Washington with hopes that the forecast would clear up for some sites I had my heart set on, I piddled around the area. Told of the Dungeness Spit while chatting with a stranger on a trail, I set my sights on what I expected to be a dull park without any significance.
Parking in a nearly empty lot, with rain expected, I geared up and took a trail I hadn’t planned on and encountered something I hadn’t expected. I knew nothing about this place: how long the trail was, where it went, what I’d see… and after walking about a mile or so and coming out of the forest to an overlook, I saw a natural phenomenon: the Dungeness Spit. (Over time, the wave pattern creates a longer coastline, essentially subtly moving the rocky shoreline to create a new land mass.)
It was in that moment that I felt like I was doing exactly what I was suppose to be doing on this trip: putting myself in the way of beauty, seeking it out around every turn and allowing God’s creation to surprise me.
Walking down the trail to the beach, I was so giddy seeing this rad natural wave and rock pattern formed further than my eyes could see. I walked hundreds of meters of this coastline with a smile carved on my face with joy.
I was elated. All because I had created space to experience something unexpected. I had pre-scouted 68 locations along the coastline and drafted a loose itinerary to cover the coastline in 30 days. Walking that coastline, in that moment, photographing the exact movement and groove of the waves, soaking in the full Pacific Northwestern mood… I was captivated with creation and enjoying every moment of this discovery. In my planning, I had planned to be surprised.