Thirteen gathered for the hike on the Siltcoos Lake loop trail with Edwin leading us counterclockwise on the loop. The weather was perfect under the shade of the lakeside forest. We had a pleasant lunch spot on the lake with much lollygagging and storytelling before the finish of our loop. Others headed over for a stroll on the beach after our 4.1-mile loop, which may have been challenging since there was a huge gathering for an ATV takeover of the beach, unbeknownst to us.
The day of the hike was overcast, but sun was forecast by afternoon. Unfortunately, that did not include the Bandon beach area. Nevertheless, we had 10 from the Roseburg area head off for the coast, and we met 2 from the Striders at Bandon.
We were lucky to have hard sand after leaving the jetty area, so the 4-mile southward trek was relatively easy. We had 3 creeks to get through though, so feet got wet. Not much wind to speak of either, so a rather pleasant wander down and back which covered about 8 miles.
The tide had receded on the way back so there were a few tide pools to explore, and seals with pups lounging on the rocks just offshore. There were rewards after the hike of strolling Bandon, and I’m sure it also involved ice cream.
The Cape Mountain Trail system in the Siuslaw National Forest just north of Florence provides hikers and equestrians alike with a variety of options. Cape Mountain itself is not the destination, but the area around it is. With a multitude of intersections here and there, there are many different ways to hike this wooded place.
On this day, our group took the Princess Tasha trail to the Berry Creek trail, then the Nelson Ridge trail back to the trailhead. Although only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, the dense forest here makes hikers feel like they’re a world away from any ocean. Only when you’re on top of Nelson Ridge can you see the ocean in the distance. It was here where we stopped and had lunch before continuing on.
Although there are no grand vistas, the solitude of this place is well worth the drive to the trailhead.
Some foolish hikers decided to trek through the sands of Tahkenitch Dunes this April Fool’s Day. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t so foolish, as it was a gorgeous day for a hike on the coast! This club favorite has a little bit of everything, from lush forests to sandy dunes and of course, the beach. Always a crowd pleaser, the variety of terrain keeps hikers coming back for more.
Fifteen eager hikers gathered on a cold (but dry!) morning at the courthouse. Destination: Heceta Head lighthouse and trail! Upon our arrival at the lighthouse, we were joined by 10 – 15 Striders (Coos Bay hiking club). So, well, there was a mob of us (a friendly one)!!
Leaving the parking lot, we journeyed up the half mile wooded path, passing the picturesque caretakers house, then on to the lighthouse. Then up, up along the trail, including a lot of fairly steep stairs (bun-burners for sure – ha)! Alas … the reward at the top – an awesome view of the ocean.
Continuing through a beautiful stand of Hemlock, we crossed Hwy 101 and hopped onto the Valley Trail: peaceful, lush green forest, wetlands, ponds and creek runoff. At Washburn State Park, we crossed back over Hwy 101. Just in time for lunch on the beach. Oh my, what a pretty February day! Sun AND no wind. We found the perfect log to perch … we resembled a lineup of turtles on a log in a pond. But nope, it was us basking in the sunshine!
We toodled along the beach, then up the Hobbit Trail (no hobbits sighted) where we intersected with our beginning trail. It was a little sunnier on our return trek, so that awesome view of the ocean on our way up – well might have been a bit more awesome!!
We did a tad more than 7 miles, 7.2 to be exact. With lots of up and down, this trail offers a variety of scenery for the eyes and soul. Rest assured, it’s a good one!
With a nicer weather forecast for our hike day, we had a good turnout for our trek through the South Slough Estuary. Eleven F.O.U. members plus 3 from the South Coast Striders out of Coos Bay joined up at the information center.
With no information on the Slough’s website, we were surprised to see the parking lot nearly full, and the bathrooms were under construction. They had a class in chainsaw handling, which drew in a few people. Most important though, they had brought in port-a-potties, since the bathrooms were out of commission.
We headed downhill through the forest to the water area where there was an 8+ foot tide covering all the mudflats. This is a very easy 3+ mile hike over boardwalks and forest trail, with the hardest part at the end where it’s uphill back to the start.
After our leisurely stroll at the slough, the group split up, with some opting for clam chowder in Charleston, others heading to the beach at Seven Devil’s, and others just wanting to head home. It was a very pleasant day in a beautiful area.
Dellenback Dunes was a 6+ mile hike in the wind and rain. Not ideal conditions when you have a spectacular destination, worse when it’s a slog out and back with no beach time. King tides of 8+ feet kept us in the dunes for this test of our raingear.
We had a great turnout of 18 hikers and 4 dogs for this adventure and hopefully they won’t hold this against us and come back when conditions are better. Yardangs (wind sculpted sands) were not as prevalent as earlier in the week with rain obstructing long range views as we headed north along the deflation plane.
Everyone had a good attitude, despite our inclement weather: Welcome to Oregon in winter.
Blacklock Point is one of the most beautiful spots on the Oregon coast, and hardly anyone knows about it. This rugged headland, just north of Cape Blanco, is one of the wildest spots on the coast. Although traffic on Hwy 101 whizzes by just a few miles away, few travelers make the effort to find this lesser-known gem on Oregon’s south coast.
As the 14 of us gathered near the boat ramp at Boice-Cope Park near Floras Lake, the weather looked much better than anticipated, and thankfully it was dry for most of the hike, with only a few small sprinkles coming down a handful of times. Starting from the shores of Floras Lake, we headed south along the Oregon Coast Trail, winding our way through thick forests until reaching the main trail.
My intent was to make a few off-trail excursions prior to reaching the Point. The first creek we had to first cross would provide us our first off-trail excursion, albeit unplanned and unwelcomed (Odd thing, all this water wasn’t here 3 weeks ago when I had pre-hiked it). As several members scouted out different routes around the boggy mess, I took the lead, as that is what one does when leading, and I forged ahead. After Kevin’s trusty companion Minion tried in vain to cross, Kevin decided to call it and headed back to his vehicle. One hiker down. The rest of us did our best to keep boots dry, as we attempted to stay on the high parts of this marshy environment, eventually reaching the small foot bridge. Well, foot bridge is a misnomer in this case, as most foot bridges have places to put your foot. This one consisted of no more than a few slippery boards which must be carefully navigated. One end was submerged as we leapt across the creek, most of us making a dry landing. (Emphasis on “most of us”) Needless to say, we were not looking forward to doing this all over again in reverse…
After making our way up the other side, I led the group to our first planned excursion, which was a point from which you can see arch rock (not sure if that’s the real name…) and the beach from above. I noticed that a few hikers were not with us. After making our way back to the trail, we determined that Richard, John, Scott, and Shannon had disappeared. Literally. I knew for a fact that I was in front prior to exiting the trail, so we determined that they must have been lollygagging behind us, missed the exit, and kept on going. We later learned that the lollygagger was John, who decided to do a little trail maintenance by cutting a small tree off of the trail. The other three waited for him, and thus they began their own adventure. Four more hikers down.
The remaining hikers traipsed up the trail, eager to get to the next excursion. Soon, we departed the trail again, popping out the other side to more cliffy views. This particular one is on the north side of a waterfall that can just be seen tumbling below the cliffs. It was above this waterfall that the plan was to hop across the small creek that feeds the waterfall and scramble up the other side to another viewpoint. But once again, we had more water than we knew what to do with (Funny, all this water wasn’t here 3 weeks ago). With determination, most of us (Emphasis on “most of us”) leaped across at several different areas. I gave verbal directions to those now on the other side of the creek, telling them that myself, Rheo and Kathy would go back up the main trail and meet up with them at the next viewpoint near the other side of the waterfall.
After going back up the main trail and failing to meet up with them, I questioned my so-called hike leading abilities. I’m fairly certain that misplacing hikers is something that was to be avoided. Yet, here I was, killing it. By my count, I had managed to lose another half dozen hikers. I was fairly certain that this would be the last hike I would ever lead, thinking that I would be voted off the island by the end of the day. Or maybe just thrown off the top of Blacklock Point, assuming I had any hikers left with me to carry out said feat.
Thankfully, the whole gang was waiting for us just up the trail, admiring another fantastic ocean view atop sandstone cliffs. So far, these views hadn’t come easy, as swollen creeks had to be leapt over and thick brush had to be scrambled through. But that’s the price to pay in order to reach lofty precipices that few people ever venture to.
The trails in this area pass through thick coastal forest, affording occasional glimpses of the mighty Pacific Ocean. There are many intersections and a myriad of ways to navigate these trails, so it’s highly recommended to hike with someone who is familiar with this area. We did manage however, to run into Richard, John, Scott, and Shannon again prior to reaching Blacklock Point. They had already been to the Point and were on their way back. After sharing our misadventures, my group continued up the trail while Richard’s headed back toward Floras Lake. I was a little disappointed when Lance announced that he was choosing to go back with Richard. He had apparently had enough fun with my group. On a brighter note, this would be the last hiker that I would lose this day.
Rounding the corner to Blacklock Point, the scenery opens up, grabs you, and doesn’t let go: Before you lies Blacklock Point’s dark crumbling promontory, which juts out to a series of rocks and stacks, the most impressive being Tower Rock. Views extend to the large sea stacks of Castle Rock and Gull Rock, as well as the Sixes River Mouth and Cape Blanco, Oregon’s westernmost point. Brave hikers teetered along a sketchy trail that leads along the spine of Blacklock Point to obtain incredible views in all directions.
After a well-deserved lunch, we returned the way we came. This time, no off-trail excursions were planned. Also, we knew we had to cross that marshy bog and the so-called bridge, so that in itself was gonna be an adventure…. again. We arrived at the swollen creek, and much to our surprise and relief, the water had receded, and by a lot! We merrily strolled across, knowing that the worst was behind us now. I was relieved, as I was certain if I were to lose another hiker, it would’ve been in this watery mess somewhere, as the marsh could’ve swallowed up any unwary hikers.
Arriving at a junction, Rheo, Kathy, Michael and Missy decided to go back via the main trail. I guess this wouldn’t count as losing hikers, as this was their choice. Meanwhile, myself, Colby, Cleve and Moriah diverted off the main trail toward the beach so we could get some sand beneath our boots. The beach just south of Floras Lake offers views of more golden sandstone cliffs, only this time we were below them, peering up in awe. After a mile or so of beach-walking, we headed inland and back to the parking lot at Floras Lake. We started out with 14 hikers, I came back with 3, plus myself. In my estimation, I think that’s a win.
We were all feeling somewhat fortunate, as we had just journeyed through nearly 10 miles of coastal beauty that very few experience. Even better, I was not voted off the island or thrown over a cliff this day. I imagine I’ll live to lead another hike on another day, and have additional opportunities to lose more unsuspecting hikers. I can’t wait.
We had 8 participants on the hike at south slough. Weather was amazing for the 4-mile loop through the estuary. The wildlife was clearly absent for this hike, but the side trip to the beach was our reward. Truly a short sleeve weather day at the beach near Whiskey Run.
Even though the club hiked this one hike on one certain Saturday, the club outing on the Bullards Beach horse trails was really about three hikes.
The first hike was a Cascades Mountains hike, a relatively easy amble to Nip and Tuck Lakes, which was the original destination for the club. However, the Windigo Fire burst into flaming existence, thanks to a round of lightning storms hovering over dry forests. Since the Nip and Tuck hike began at like-named Windigo Pass, it stood to reason that we might not be hiking there. It became official when the Forest Service closed off large swaths of land, trails, and roads in the Windigo Pass area. Time for Plan B.
When the mountains are aflame, then the coast seems like a logical choice. So off I went several days before the actual hike, to test out a route on the Bullards Beach State Park horse trail system. Comprised of the Cut Creek, North Loop, Three Mares, and Pearl’s Trail(s), plus one other nameless trail that runs along the Bullards Beach Road between campground and beach. There’ll be a pop quiz in the morning, boys and girls.
There were two drawbacks to that 7-mile route: virtually all of the loop was on soft sand, and the last half was in shadeless sand dunes and dang, the warm sun baked my noodle as I trudged along. I needed to make some changes, otherwise my fellow hikers would hate me more than normal.
The first change was to hike in the opposite direction so as to get the dunes out of the way first when the day would be cooler. The second change was to replace the Cut Creek Trail segment with a walk on Bullards Beach itself, trading in three miles of soft sand for some hardpack on the beach.
Approximately 10 hikers (including two friends from the South Coast Striders) hit the trail, totally unaware of my travails in cobbling together the route. Soft sand was still soft sand, though, and leg muscles were soon aflame like the forest at Windigo Pass. But, at least it wasn’t as hot as it could get in the afternoon.
The cool part (literally!) was that after the trail crested and dropped through a series of grassy pastures, the fog rolled in and there’d be no threat of hot sun for the remainder of the day. There’d be little to no visibility either, as the thick fog limited our vision to about 15 feet or so. As we straggled down the beach, we all appeared to each other like spectral hikers from the underworld, ghostly in the thick fog.
Our egress off the beach was Exit 147 and it was an open question as to whether we would see the sign or not. But the exit signs are painted bright yellow and it was just enough color for us to notice as we trod along in our colorless world of gray. So, while our original hike had been nipped and tucked by the Windigo Fire, we did make do in fine fashion.
Read more about this hike on Richard O’Neil’s blog, Richard Hikes
