It was less than two miles along Southbank Road, then on above, past a Family Burial Ground unseen below the edge of the cliff, to reach the Gate on the front face of the southern headland. In all, a short distance for the start of a long journey.

We were late.

Earlier, at Patrick’s Point twenty-five miles south of the Klamath Estuary, after an early camp breakfast, we had packed up our gear to leave for home later, exited the Park, and turned north onto California’s Redwood Highway. We had stopped off to see Prairie Creek’s climax redwoods and native elk herd, funneled on through seven miles of spectacular memorial redwood groves, and emerged from the forest where the Klamath River begins to spread out into estuary. Then we had crossed on the old Douglas Memorial Bridge, in order to purchase “local” salmon-lures and smoked salmon for our lunch at the resort village named Klamath on the other side. Only then did we return and enter Southbank Road.