Series IV, Roll 2, frame 18 (Ilford XP2)
The beach was in an inlet. I headed off to the left where there was a protrusion of land out into the ocean. There was a road that led to the cliff area and it was a short climb down to the bottom where it was rocky. People were fishing down there. I walked along the bottom of the cliffs, past the fishers, out towards the ocean.
Series IV, Roll 2, frame 22 (Ilford XP2)
I guess it was kind of far. Eventually there were no more people fishing. Then I got to a point where I knew there were no more cliffs. The waves were rough and the rocks weren’t as easy to navigate. Crabs scuttled into the shadows as I approached. I thought about the crabs in Japan with carapaces that looked like soldiers’ faces. The ‘Tales of the Heike’.
I reached a point, an end, I knew that I had to go . . . up. I don’t know what I was thinking, I don’t think I was. It didn’t even occur to me to turn and go back the way I came from. It was only moments after I realized I wasn’t going any further that I started climbing upwards.
So once again, I was going up a cliff thinking how stupid I was and how much I didn’t want to be there. Growing up on the East Coast, you feel safe anywhere you go. There was no where in nature to go where you really feel at risk for your life. Going up this cliff, it occurred to me that I was in serious shit. If I slipped and fell, I could very easily be killed. It would not be a matter of rolling and sliding and getting dirty and scratched up. It would be bouncing off sharp rocks, breaking bones, hitting my head, getting washed out to sea. Dramatic!
I kept going up. Going back down was no longer an option. I thought about how looking down would not be a very good idea. When I climbed my way to the top, it was a lonely triumph, but I was defiant looking back down at what I had climbed. I was on top of the ridge that stuck out into the ocean. From there I could see Point San Pedro which I had seen on the map. There was another inlet between that ridge and Point San Pedro called ‘Shelter Cove’.
Series IV, Roll 2, frame 23 (Ilford XP2)
Walking along the ridge back to solid and safe ground wasn’t nearly as harrowing, but still mildly precarious in a few places. There were houses right on the beach in Shelter Cove. It was a private, secluded community. A road came out to them, but it wasn’t passable by car anymore. The road was all overgrown. The walk back on top the ridge wasn’t quite so far. I felt exhilarated.
Series IV, Roll 2, frame 24 (Ilford XP2)
I spoke with one of the fishermen. His name was Tony. He was aged, he might have been Philippino, maybe Pacific Islander. I couldn’t tell much of what he was saying, but he was nice enough. He talked about beating people up in the past. He talked to me before I went down the cliffs and I approached him again when I returned along the top. I didn’t think to ask if I could take his portrait. He had a rugged face with a lot of character.
