Treasure quest: A post-storm beach hike in Truro

TRURO — I started thinking about treasure after that wicked windy storm on Monday. The ocean was sloshing all over the place, and I figured a bunch of cool stuff might have washed up on the beach. And with erosion in play, you never know what's going to be unearthed or tumble out of a sand cliff.

Luckily, when it comes to beach treasure, I'm not too demanding. A nice piece of driftwood or a weird rock is fine. Of course, a bunch of doubloons and emeralds would be good, too. Though that kind of discovery might be complicated — I'd probably have to seek the advice of my legal firm, Mone & Squeel.

I consulted my well-worn guidebook, "Grab and Hoard: 5 Selfish Tips for Treasure Hunters," and realized the first step was finding the best treasure beach. To me, that meant a remote spot, where few people go in the offseason.

Less competition could mean more loot for me. I might even have the chance to quote my treasure hunting idol, Daffy Duck, from the classic Looney Tunes cartoon "Ali Baba Bunny": "I'm rich! I'm wealthy! Yahoo! I'm comfortably well off!"

And so, I piloted the trusty Curious Prius to the end of the world: Long Nook Beach in Truro. To me, Long Nook has always seemed like the most remote beach on Cape Cod. It fronts a big chunk of the Cape Cod National Seashore, so there aren't many houses in the area, and it's a long walk in either direction to reach another beach.

Sure enough, when me and the Pri pulled in, the parking lot was empty. I probably should have checked the weather forecast, because a gusty north wind was spraying sand all over the place. This had all the hallmarks of a deeply unpleasant walk: cold, windy and lonely. Just what I was looking for!

I tumbled down the steep path to the beach and decided to walk north. That way, I'd have the wind at my back when I turned around. Right away, I could see I was going to have treasure trouble.

The beach was almost spotless, scoured clean by the recent storm. It also looked like high tide had been traveling right up to the sand cliff. That made me wish I had checked the tide chart.

There's nothing worse than getting marooned way out on the beach by a frisky high tide that blocks your walking route — this has happened to me too many times, yielding wet boots and minor panic.

To cheer myself up, I opened the Random Thoreau Phrase app on my phone. These pithy quotes, culled from his book "Cape Cod," can put a bright spin on somewhat desolate locations.

This random phrase showed up: "Creeping along the endless beach amid the sun-squall and the foam, it occurs to us that we, too, are the product of sea-slime." Thanks for nothing, Henry!

But I did feel a bit like sea slime as I scuttled up the beach. The wind was blowing me all over the place and my glasses were speckled with salt spray. Waves were pounding and the tide was pushing uncomfortably close to the dune. And the treasure thing was turning out to be a bust.

I found some cool driftwood and a big chunk of concrete that had fallen down the dune. I saw a weird buoy splashing around in the surf. I interrogated a bunch of seagulls, asking them where they had hidden the good stuff. But those birds weren't talking.

Sulking seemed like my best option. But then the sun broke through the clouds and started dancing on the waves. I began to enjoy being a castaway, flung into sandy solitude by the vagaries of fate and half-baked schemes.

Maybe next time I'll find some real treasure. Or maybe, just being out on the big beach in the winter is the real reward.

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod hiking: Seeking treasure after the storm in Truro