Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill
I don’t want to get cocky by saying I dialed up a beautiful day because as soon as the weather gods find out I said that (and they will!), then I will never lead a hike in anything but rain, sleet, or snow. Southern Oregon had been pummeled by a series of icy and snowy storms and while the temperature was cold and the roads slippery with ice, it was a gloriously sunny day as we started hiking on Bastendorff Beach.
I sort of kept waiting for the Richard Hike factor to show itself but apart from having to splash across Miners Creek, there was an uncharacteristic lack of travails on this hike. At the end of Bastendorff Beach, we took a narrow path that climbed up to the forested bluffs overlooking the rugged and scenic Oregon coast.
Most of the hikers had never hiked this route so it was all new trail smell as we hiked to the end of Yoakam Point which sports a stunning overlook of Bastendorff Beach and Cape Arago Lighthouse. There are no official trails on this part of the coast so we followed a series of braided trails along the coast, enjoying the view to Gregory Point and Lighthouse Beach.
From Yoakam Point, a short walk along Cape Arago Highway took us to the well hidden Bastendorff Bog Trail. You’d never know the trail was there unless you know the trail was there, but the Bastendorff Bog Trail is used mostly by Oregon Coast Trail hikers looking to use the hiker camp at Sunset Bay. Despite its name, the trail is not boggy and and climbs up and over a small hill with thick coastal forest providing the scenery.
At Sunset Bay, the club ate lunch and then split into two groups: those happy with a 7 mile hike returned back to Bastendorff Beach and those wanting a 10’ish mile hike continued on the coastal trail for a couple of miles. By the time we hit Yoakam Point, the shadows were getting long with the advent of late afternoon. Lane, Edwin, and I were the only takers on the scramble down the cliff to Bastendorff Beach and while some use of hands was required, there was nary a fall on the way down. A mile walk down the beach in the golden glow of the sinking sun capped off a superlative hike. We all stopped for Mexican food in Coquille, and that capped off a fine day for a hike.
Pictures by Richard O’Neill
