10 Reasons Why I Live For Hiking & Fishing Cape Cod’s Beaches

More than 150 years ago, Henry David Thoreau walked for 25 miles, from Nauset Inlet to Provincetown. I would like to do the same thing-but with a fishing rod in hand.

So far this season, I have on numerous occasions, hiked long stretches of sandy beach, meandered through forests of scrub pines, traversed wild cranberry bogs and climbed atop high dunes and vertical cliffs, fishing and capturing the occasional striped bass and bluefish along the way.

My past excursions have not yet surpassed Thoreau's 25 mile trek. In fact, my longest hiking and fishing trip this season has been a mere 6 miles.

I will surely have my work cut out for me when I attempt to hike and fish Thoreau's 25 mile jaunt! Yet I know the effort will not be in vain, and here's why...

1)  The Peace & Quiet

Do me a quick favor and take a look at the below photo.

That photo is of me fishing a beach in Truro with the sun setting behind a dune. Pretty terrific as far as peace and quiet are concerned!

Now do me another favor and take a look at this photo.

I took the above photo during June of 2014 while fishing in a fleet in my boat off Provincetown. That was definitely not a peaceful and quiet fishing trip!

When I hike several miles into Cape Cod's wilderness I find peace and quiet that I can't find when fishing from a boat..

I don't think I have to elaborate much on all the terrific benefits that some peace and quiet can have on the mind, body and soul.

2) The Interesting Animals

Once you "get out there" you will begin to see a variety of animals.

One of the main reasons why I love hiking and fishing Cape Cod's beaches is that I often stumble across deer, coyote, fox, rabbits, toads and oftentimes seals (like the one in the below video).

*You can read the written report for the trip in which I saw this seal by clicking here

Exposed sand flats at low tide are especially rich in life.

Even the smallest tidal pool offers us hikers and fishers a glimpse into a world not noticed by the general population.

Cape Cod is a unique environment, rich in many different forms of life, and teeming with thousands of interesting animals. You will see what I mean once you head out beyond the parking lots and public beaches.

3) The Big Fish

I feel pulled to explore the beach by the lure of a big fish. We all know that 30, 40, 50 pound and larger striped bass roam Cape Cod's beaches.

I enjoy heading out on the sand in search of these big fish, oftentimes with no intel or concrete idea of where the big fish may be.

The wide open beach may be intimidating to some, but I find it exciting.

When fishing on foot I have no fish-finder to reveal where the fish are hiding. I typically have no friends fishing the beach to text me when they've found fish (I sometimes don't even have cell phone reception!).

The big fish are out there, somewhere, and I enjoy the challenge of finding them.

4)  The Spectacular Sunsets And Sunrises

If you've been following the My Fishing Cape Cod Facebook page this season, then you've probably noticed how much I enjoy posting photos of the spectacular sunsets and sunrises I am so fortunate to witness on a regular basis.

There is nothing quite like a sunrise over the ocean...

Sunsets aren't too shabby either...

I also enjoy watching the sun rise or set over estuaries. The green of the eel grass and surrounding forests provide a cool contrast to the warm orange rays of the setting or rising sun.

During May of 2014 at Cuttyhunk Island I had a rare opportunity to film a spectacular sunset using my quadcopter and GoPro camera. The video below does a good job of conveying why sunsets and sunrises are one of the 10 reasons I live for hiking and fishing Cape Cod's beaches.

PS - On October 3-5 I will be taking a small group of MFCC members with me fishing Cuttyhunk Island. If you are interested you can contact me or read this blog post for more information.

5)  The Chance To See Cape Cod "As It Once Was"

Our world is changing so rapidly, that I sometimes find it hard to keep up. Cape Cod is no exception, and in fact the Cape has undergone many changes over the millenia.

For example, during the 1800's, the entire Cape was devoid of trees. The only wood folks had on hand were pieces of driftwood and remnants of shipwrecks.

Once farming became less profitable the Cape's forests began to grow back.

In many places the forests extended right to the shoreline. Estuaries and salt ponds were encapsulated by trees which provided habitat for wildlife.

What's happening right now on Cape Cod is that this habitat is being cut down in many places. Development on Cape often trumps conservation.

Urban sprawl is a big time threat to seeing Cape Cod "as it once was" and I have noticed it takes a lot more effort to see Cape Cod and its many diverse habitats in pristine condition.

Put another way, if you want to see the Cape as it once was, you best be ready to hike out and find it!

6)  The Eeriness Of Being Alone At Night On The Beach

Being alone on a desolate stretch of beach when the rest of Cape Cod is sound asleep can be a very eerie feeling.

I enjoy that eerie feeling very much. It makes me feel alive.

My senses heighten and I hear faint noises I would normally not pick up on. After an hour or so my eyesight adjusts and sometimes I don't even need to turn on my headlamp.

It's all very primal, and speaks to a lower, more instinctual version of myself (contrasted with the Ryan who spends hours behind a laptop, designing websites and updating Facebook statuses!).

In our society we no longer hunt for food.

Hiking and fishing at night, miles away from the nearest artificial light, is the closest I can get to that primal version of myself...without running away to the Amazon Rainforest, Greenland or Australia (which I plan on venturing to in November of 2015!).

7) The Opportunity To Witness Something Amazing

I've watched the jaw drop on people from the Mid-West, when I tell them I have watched humpback whales breaching, all the while stannding with my feet planted firmly on terra-firma.

How amazing it is, to see an 80,000lb animal, which was once hunted to extinction, now feeding and migrating, sometimes a mere 500 yards from the beach!

What a geological gift Cape Cod is, to conveniently wrap like the shape of an arm, out into the mighty North Atlantic ocean, as if on purpose, to provide us humans with an unobstructed view of the ocean, and it's countless amazing creatures!

Could I get any more philosophical in this blog post without freaking out my readers?!

Seriously, any time you venture away from the pavement, out into the Cape's wilderness, the odds of seeing something amazing are quite stellar. Granted of course you keep your eyes on the horizon, and off your iPhone.

The next event I want to observe is a great white shark hunting seals in shallow water off the beach. I know that if I consistently continue to hike and fish Cape Cod's beaches, I will eventually play witness to such an attack.

8) The Chance I'll Have That "Epic Trip" I Will Always Be Able To Talk About

Every fisherman has one or two fishing tales they will tell for the rest of their lives. These are the trips we never forget. These are the trips we live to tell over a beer, or around a campfire, and are the trips we reminisce about during the cold months of January and February.

There is a certain allure that is not present in the stories I tell of great boat fishing trips, or trips to the Canal. Those stories, plain and simple, aren't as romantic as the rare times I have encountered blitzy fishing while hiking and fishing Cape Cod's beaches.

Like that night last season when I stumbled upon a big school of stripers, under the dover of darkness, in just a few feet of water.

I was able to catch 6 fish to 30 pounds that night, from shore, all by myself.

Or when I watched a giant school of stripers charge the Provincetown coastline, until there were hundreds of big bass in literally inches of water, bumping into my shins as they pushed herring right up into the sand.

An epic trip from the boat or from the Canal is terrific. But an epic trip all alone, way out there, in the "wilderness" of Cape Cod, is a story and experience, on a whole new level.

9) The Refreshed And Rejuvenated Feeling And Energy I Bring Back With Me

After returning from a hiking and fishing trip, I feel even-keeled, on top of my game, and ready for whatever. Not much can knock me from feeling good and I don't let the little things get to me.

I feel that doctors ought to write prescriptions that sound like this:

Completely remove yourself from normal routine for a period of 12-24 hours, and spend that time alone on a beach, in the woods, or at some other remote, natural environment-type area.

Trust me, the health benefits are immense! My best business is done during these periods of "removal" when my mind is sharp and crystal clear.

With nowhere else to be but in the moment, good ideas flow like the tide and anxious, stressful sensations are washed away like sand from an outer bar.

Odds are you will feel as if you need to get back to your work, your commitments and your deadlines.

Challenge yourself to stay out a little longer and watch how life continues on just fine, despite the commitments, work and deadlines, that once kept me trapped, and might be trapping you as well.

10) It's What I Feel Most Drawn To Do

No matter what your life may be, meet it and live it with vigor. Do what you feel most drawn to do - there simply is not enough time to do otherwise.

For me that translates into hiking and fishing Cape Cod's beaches. Yet for you it could be climbing mountains, spending time with your kids, or bowling every Tuesday night.

Whatever it is you feel most drawn to do, I encourage you to start doing it, and to start doing it now.

If you want to climb mountains but have never even tried, don't overwhelm yourself by attempting Everest. Climb Mt. Monadnock and go up from there.

A small hill would suffice just as well, as long as you are heading in the direction you feel most drawn to head.

Odds are you may not be ready to hike and fish the 25 mile stretch from Nauset Inlet to Provincetown, like my buddy Henry David Thoreau did 150 years ago, and which I hope to do either this season or the next.

But for many, a simple walk on the beach and a few casts is good enough.

Tight lines and take care,

Ryan

What do you think? Let me know by commenting below!