Parked across from Gray Whale Cove Beach, hiked to the top of North Peak, had lunch, and hiked back down. Was significantly easier on both Claire and me than when we did this hike last year. From halfway up the mountain, we could see several very intense bait-balls in the ocean, several hundred yards off-shore. Afterward, explored Gray Whale Cove Beach. Beach had coarse sand, with some rocky areas providing habitat for seaweed and other intertidal species.