Walking Dungeness Spit with Friends!

Last week was stunning on the Peninsula, and I felt a strong urge to get outside with my friend Alex Avila — a fellow NOAA probie who’s always up for a hike. We met at the trailhead for the Dungeness Spit, and I was a bit surprised when she showed up in flip-flops.

She told me she planned to ditch them once we hit the beach and go barefoot. “Singular,” I thought. But after our walk, I did a little research and realized she was onto something: walking barefoot on the beach can boost stress relief in ways a regular hike doesn’t.

The Spit is also a fantastic birding spot — just come with an empty bladder and a sense of wonder.