Friday June 18, 2021
- Start Point: Cascade Head / North Rainforest Trail
- End Point: Depoe Bay
- Daily Miles: 24.2 miles
- Cumulative OCT miles: 139.8 miles
Last night’s tent spot on the edge of the North Rainforest Trail was fairly noisy thanks to the storm that blew in overnight. It rained on and off, but mostly it was just the constant whoosh-ing noise of the wind blowing through the tall spruce trees overhead.
Luckily, I was so exhausted from the marathon day I’d pulled that I was able to get a few consecutive hours of sleep. I woke up this morning to bright sunshine and what looks to be shaping up to another clear day on the coast.
The first 3.8 miles of my day would be a nice easy downhill on the South Rainforest Trail as it dropped 1,600 feet in elevation through the Siuslaw National Forest. Just what I wanted. An easy way to begin a day while my muscles adjusted to walking with a load once again.
As the trail descended, it started out well-defined and easy to follow. Then it transitioned briefly to some boardwalks and different varieties of plants began to emerge that looked nothing like the trail above. Instead of ferns lining the trail, the plants near the ground now had leaves that were rounder and more tropical looking.
And the further I descended, the more and more difficult it was to navigate the path. It was as if the rainforest was trying to reclaim the trail altogether. Dense foliage on either side of me was growing across (and sometimes completely over) the trail. It was boxing it in so much that dewy brush was constantly touching me and soaking my clothes.
Somewhere off to my left, I could hear the airbrakes of the large diesel trucks on Highway 101, but I wasn’t able to see them through the dense rainforest until I popped out at the trailhead below nearly an hour later.
The trailhead for the South Rainforest Trail was definitely better marked that the North Rainforest Trailhead. I’m fairly certain I wouldn’t have missed my turn last night if I’d seen something as defined as this giant wooden USFS signs sitting there.
Back out on Highway 101 now, I had a nearly four-mile walk south to Lincoln City. It was my first road walk of the day, and so far, my ratio of trail to paved road wasn’t looking any more promising than yesterday…
The highway took me over the Salmon River and then alongside some sort of wetland restoration project off to my left. A sign indicated the project was in cooperation with the US Forest Service and two of the local watershed councils.
One thing continually impressing on my in this hike is how much effort the federal, state, and local governments are willing place on natural resource management. From fish hatcheries to wildlife refuges, there was clearly a lot of emphasis on nature.
I wish every state had that sort of dedication. I’m not to say Oregon is achieving perfection, but I at least feel like people are leaning into the need to protect the assets that make the Pacific Northwest so unique.
Off to my left, standing in one of the open fields, I spotted three Roosevelt Elk grazing. Just the sight of these beasts took me back to my first day on the trail – when those young hikers thought the giant elk prints they’d seen on the trail were evidence of moose on the Oregon Coast!
Ha! It still made me smile.
TOWN FOOD
As I made my way past Otis Junction where Highway 18 split off toward Salem, the scenery turned more urban. I was on the outskirts of Lincoln City, nearing the northern end of Devil’s Lake, and my stomach was grumbling.
I could have turned west here and returned to the beach on more rural roads instead of sticking to Highway 101 for the next two miles. But just ahead, on the northern end of Lincoln City, I knew I’d pass the Pig N’Pancake, a local diner on the coast that’s similar to IHOP. And a hot breakfast was calling my name!
Town food is definitely one thing I haven’t felt deprived of at all on this unique thru-hike. Every day, I’ve had the opportunity to go into a coastal town of some sort and fill my belly with something delicious.
- Day 1 – I stopped for lunch at Seaside Brewery
- Day 2 – I got coffee and a scone at a local coffee shop in Cannon Beach
- Day 3 – I had lunch at Pelican Brewing Co. in Tillamook with Keith and Finn
- Day 4 – I grabbed a quick snack in Netarts as I made my way around the bay
- Day 5 – I got coffee and a muffin in Pacific City, plus drank a beer while charging my phone in Newskowin
So all told, I wasn’t really “roughing in” terms of my cuisine. Perhaps I wouldn’t have had quite as many opportunities to grab town food if I hadn’t been averaging 25 miles per day. But, even so, there’s definitely more opportunities to resupply and eat well on the OCT than any trail I’ve ever visited!
After second breakfast at the Pig N’ Pancake, I needed to make one more pit stop. Time to visit the Rite Aid on the opposite side of the highway. I desperately needed some more first aid supplies to deal with the blisters on my feet from my trail shoes.
I’m going to have to think long and hard about whether to swap these shoes for something more cushioned before the end of this hike. Truthfully, I’m not sure the balls of my feet are going to survive many more miles of roadwalking while wearing shoes designed for more rugged terrain.
In addition to more tape and bandaids, I also grabbed some sunscreen at Rite Aid. I hadn’t realized it yesterday, but when I’d pulled my leggings up to my knees to enjoy my coffee break in Pacific City, I’d gotten my shins completely sunburned. That was not a rookie mistake I wanted to repeat out here!
LINCOLN CITY to SILETZ BAY
As I returned to the beach near the Chinook Winds Casino, I suddenly realized how ridiculous windy it had become along the water’s edge. I was forced to immediately pull my leggings down over my calves to protect them from the sandy grit that was being forcefully blown toward them on the beach.
Ahead of me, the sights made up for the wind’s nuisance though. The tide was heading out now, and the boulders along the beach were exposed, leaving small tide pools behind in their wake.
Barnacles shaped like small white flowers clung to the exposed rocks. And people walked up and down the beach looking for starfish and green anemones to show their small children a piece of the ocean left behind.
Up ahead, I kept my eye out for the D River. Prior OCT thru-hikers talked about having to detour into town to get across the river, but when I arrived it was a complete disappointment. Compared to all the other rivers along the route, this was nothing. I’m not quite sure why they made a big deal about it.
The D River wasn’t any worse than so many of the streams that dump out into the ocean, and certainly not anything big like all the bays I’ve been detouring around these past few days! But perhaps it’s a seasonal thing and the river is more substantial on wetter years.
Up ahead, the more exclusive parts of Lincoln City rose above me, with extravagant beach houses perched on the edge of the cliffs. Tall, multi-storied staircases led down to the sand. I couldn’t imagine the chore of lugging a bunch of beach chairs up and down all those flights.
As I hiked south, I was able to spend about five miles on the beach before I got to the next ‘real’ water obstacle impeding my progress – the mouth of Siletz Bay.
I could clearly see the outline of Gleneden Spit on the opposite side of the outlet. But once again, the channel was too deep to ford, and there were no boats anywhere in the vicinity that I might be able to flag down to shuttle me across. So, I had to turn inland once again, following Schooner Creek into the cute town of Taft.
If I’m being completely honest, the transition from the beach back to pavement was actually pleasant one. For one thing, it got me out of the strong wind. Plus, there was a nice large waterfront park on the edge of town.
On either side of this well-maintained park I could see ample seating for beachgoers (and weary OCT hikers) to rest, and a stunning 30-foot mural of a salmon was painted onto the ground. What an absolutely charming spot to stop for my lunch break.
Up next, I had to tackle the 5-mile paved detour around the mudflats of Siletz Bay. It was pretty much like all the other detours on this trail. A busy highway shoulder. Limited scenery. And a few roadside signs scattered here and there to tell me about the history of the area.
Now that I was away from the beach winds though, the air temperature was definitely heating up. It was as if the sun’s rays were reflecting off the black asphalt of the highway, and the mercury magically rose 20 degrees. I kept sipping water, but now wish I would have topped off my water bottles during my lunch break in the park. Before much longer my water bottle would be completely dry.
Luckily, the end of my roadwalk held another reward – Beachcrest Brewing had a brewpub in Salishan, right before I got to the Salishan Golf Course and returned to the beach again. I could rehydrate with water and a cool pint of draft beer!
The microbrewery was nestled into a small shopping center, with plenty outdoor seating so I didn’t feel the least bit self-conscious about how bad I was starting to smell from this hike. I could take a load off in a nice Adirondack chair, enjoy a beer, and come up with a plan for the evening.
By now, I’d hiked 17 miles, and I needed to figure out where I planned to camp tonight so I didn’t paint myself into a corner again like last night!
AN UNEXPECTED SOLUTION
As I sipped my cold beer and looked at my maps, I wasn’t coming up with a whole lot of appealing options for where’s I’d set up camp tonight.
- The next seven miles between Salishan and Depoe Bay would take me past two state recreation sites, one state rec area, and a scenic viewpoint. But none of them allowed overnight camping.
- There might be some beach camping spots along Gleneden Beach, but that was a roll of the dice. Most of the area looked to be right in front of ritzy houses that looked out onto the ocean. So not exactly stealth camping.
- Yet, hiking to the next hiker-biker camp at Beverly Beach State Park wasn’t going to happen either. That was another 15 miles south of here. It was already 3:30 pm, and I wasn’t hiking a 30+ mile day today
I decided to delay my decision about where to camp while I called Keith to see how he and Finn were faring. The two of them were staying down in Newport – surf fishing and trying to catch some crabs – while I was out here hiking the coastline back down toward them.
Keith must have been able to tell from the tone of my voice that I was feeling wiped. He asked where I was heading tonight, and I told him my dilemma. So he volunteered to meet me at Depoe Bay in a few hours and he’d bring me back to Newport to camp with them for the night. It was only a 15 minute drive from where he was already camping, after all.
Well that wasn’t a solution I’d been considering. It wasn’t how I’d planned to hike the OCT, but I couldn’t come up with any better solution. They already had a campsite reserved at South Beach State Park and even had a tent set up. Why not sleep there tonight? It certainly would alleviate the logistics of my current dilemma.
So, I said yes. I’d finish my beer, hike the next seven miles, and meet them at Depoe Bay around dinnertime.
DEPOE BAY
The final few hours were only moderately enjoyable. I returned to the beach just south of the Salishan near high tide. The waves were edging all the way up to the soft sand dunes and completely covering all the nice firm sand as each new once crashed.
And then when the waves temporarily receded, they left behind a slew of box jellyfish that looked like large ice cubes dotting the sand. These two hazards forced me up onto the larger aggregate sand, which was currently the texture of wet kitty litter and a challenge to walk in.
It wasn’t quite as difficult as climbing up and over Cape Kiwanda, but I felt like my pace was equally slow. The sand sloped down at a steep angle above the water, which meant I the only option was to trudge further above the water in even softer kitty litter.
So far, Gleneden Beach has been the most difficult stretch of beach along the OCT to walk, for sure. And I’m coming to the conclusion it probably wouldn’t have been a very good place to stealth camp either. The sand would have been far too soft for my stakes to hold my tent taut in this steady 15 mph wind.
After just a few miles, the beach naturally ended at Fishing Rock. The steep headland protruded out into the ocean blocking the way, so I was forced inland again. At least this would put me back on terra firma.
The route took me along Fogarty Creek State Recreation Area which provided nice reprieve from the sun under a canopy of tall trees. Then I was thrust back out onto Highway 101 for more roadwalking on my way up to Boiler Bay.
The early evening traffic was now picking up considerably, and the curving road seemed even busier than ever, with precious little shoulder to walk on.
Once I got to the top Boiler Bay though, the views were worth it. I was now on top of the cliffs and looking back down toward the ocean crashing into the hidden coves below.
As I made my way toward the last hairpin curve above Government Point, the sun was dropping low in the sky. Tourists in cars and RVs were already lining up in the the scenic viewing area in preparation for the sunset views that would come after dinner. For them, it was just another typical summer day on the Oregon Coast.
Beyond Government Point’s long peninsula, all I had left was to walk south into the town of Depoe Bay. The safety of a sidewalk returned, taking me past the oceanfront condos, liquor stores, and concrete statues of marine life.
I was on the final approach to the whale watching center in the middle of town. This is where Keith and Finn would be waiting for me. I could finally give my weary feet a rest — and not worry about where I’d lay my head tonight.
Highlights
- Walking along Lincoln Beach’s beside the tide pools and rocks covered in barnacles was lovely. I’m starting to realize my favorite time on any beach seems to always coincide with low tide.
- Town food (and beer) – and lots of it!
- Spotting some Roosevelt Elk grazing in a wetland area during my early morning walk into Lincoln City.
Challenges
- The insane wind. Today was, by far, the windiest day I’ve experienced on trail. I feel like my calves have been sandblasted (quite literally).
- The realization that my trail shoes just don’t have enough cushioning. Based on the past few major river outlets, I’m going to have to assume that boat shuttles are not going to be available, and I probably need to find some more suitable shoes for the longer road walks.
- Locating places to camp on the OCT is turning into a far greater challenge than I expected. I think I’m going to take some of the guesswork out it, and utilize the hiker-biker camps for the remaining 2/3 of this trail.