So you know the OCT was officially closed to thru-hikers this year, right? To the extent that Oregon State Parks can close it: the agency closed several state parks (not even toilets and water were available) and closed all 10 (if my count is right) state park hiker-biker camps along the OCT, from Fort Stevens to Harris Beach, which made it difficult to attempt a thru-hike or even a section hike in some cases.
Difficult, but not impossible.
I have heard from several hikers who managed to hike part or all of the OCT this season.
Cheryl Lund had already hiked the OCT from the Columbia River to Siletz Bay as a four-year participant in CoastWalk Oregon; she decided to celebrate her 60th birthday in August by getting a motel room in Yachats and using public transportation to shuttle to trailheads to the north and south, hiking 60 more miles of the OCT and putting her nearly at the halfway point toward finishing the entire trail.
In July Heather Fischer and a companion hiked the stretch from Paradise Point (north of Port Orford) to Face Rock south of Bandon. "The wind was annoying at points, but the timing of tides was worth going northbound," she wrote. "We had a great hike, saw more seals than people, and got to chat with the snowy plover researchers." She also did some create problem-solving, like arranging to leave a car at a nearby RV park (for a small fee).
Doug "Shaggy Doug" Viner sent me a report about trail conditions in Boardman State Scenic Corridor (much obliged!). I don't know where he started or whether this was part of a short or long hike, but cheers, Doug.
My friends Paula and Mike Ciesielsky reached (closed) Crissy Field and the end of the OCT yesterday. It was their third OCT section hike: first they hiked to Florence, then to Floras Lake, and this year from Floras to California. Sounds like they had a great time (but this is as good a place as any to note that the trail at the south end of Whaleshead Beach has slid and is now quite a treacherous scramble until you get to solid ground). The smoke came in on the second-to-the-last day, so thick that Mike had to use his headlamp to read--at 11:30 am. Wow. Congrats, Paula and Mike!
Last but not least, Brandon Tigner, the north coast stewardship coordinator for Trailkeepers of Oregon, managed to conduct a first-person scout and trail assessment of the entire OCT. Which he needed to do, COVID or no COVID: maintaining and building new sections of the OCT is a central part of his job. His Summer 2020 survey of the entire OCT will benefit future OCT hikers for years to come. He was accompanied by his wife Alix Lee-Tigner. They started hiking immediately after their wedding, which means, yes, it was also their honeymoon. Congratulations, Brandon and Alix!
My new book Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail won't be out before the 2021 hiking season, but I should have my website updated with lots of good info that will help you stay safe, have fun, and stay off the highway as much as possible.
