Dear Oregon Coastline: Trip Gratitude

Another beautiful sunset on the Oregon Coast

Dear Oregon Coastline,




Although it's been less than two weeks since we hiked your last few miles to the Oregon Coast Trail's official finish line at Crissey Field, we already miss you. Five weeks of wandering your lonely beaches, hiking up and over capes through your temperate rain forests, and hanging out in your small coastal towns worked its magic in our heads and our hearts. Now, our conversations begin with “Remember that amazing...”  and then trail dreamily off into into a purple sunset. You mean a lot to us so please accept our brief notes of gratitude.




Enjoying the muted colors on the Oregon Coast

Thank you for fog-soaked early mornings like that day cloud vapor swirled around us as a dune trail dumped us onto a gloomy beach. We thought we were alone until Shug stopped, sniffed, and gazed out toward the surf. Not even a hundred feet away, a large pod of sea lions materialized in the gloom as the fog parted long enough for us to watch them lumber from the water onto a long sandbar. Their sleek, wet bodies reflected the fog-filtered light and they looked beautiful and wild.

P.S. We also really appreciated the orange-eyed oyster catchers watching over us and the roaming bands of snowy plovers who joined us on the beach.




A favorite campsite on the Oregon Coast

Thank you for beach campsites where long days of walking gave way to sandy solitude as we tucked out tents against the cliffs. We will always remember padding barefoot in the sand to splash in the surf streaked pink and purple in the sunset. Our sleep was sweet as your lullaby of waves sang to us through the night. The intense darkness of your night skies littered with all the stars of the Milky Way still twinkles in our daydreams.

P.S. Thank you for not manifesting Lynn's deepest fears by sucking us out to sea in a giant sneaker wave.




Thank you for treating us to awesome seafood from the bounty of your waters. Our fresh-caught fish and chips breakfast at 9:00 a.m. sounded a little crazy, but, man, was it delicious. Our amateurish attempts to compare the merits of every bowl of clam chowder exercised out taste buds and our vocabulary—rich, no buttery or maybe calorific creaminess. Sampling dockside fish sandwiches while sitting at salt-sprayed tables watching the hubbub of fishermen around the wharf fascinated these landlubber Coloradans.

P.S. Thank you also for tall cups of steamy coffee whose warmth helped both hands and hearts on cold, coastal mornings.




Completion of the Oregon Coast Trail thru-hike

And finally, thank you for challenging us with a new kind of backpacking experience. The cold and windy day when rain pelted us for hours as we hiked down the beach toward Bullard's State Park made us believe in the possibility of freezing to death on a summer day on the Oregon coast. Learning to pay attention to the tides for timing our water crossings and our access to capes and points made us feel more connected to the ocean and her beaches. The flexibility factor that kicked in when we had to reroute via a boat, a bus, or a hitch in a car kept us on our toes and opened doors for meeting interesting, kind, and funny people whose energy and well wishes never failed to lift our spirits.
Much love. The Wander Women and Shug