Oregon Coast: Baker Beach

(Click on any picture for larger view and slide show)

 

Our sand hike begins...

After being witness to a very cold, and sometimes wet, but mostly cold winter, I expected to have another chilly hike in the middle of January, especially one that takes place on the coast. As anyone who has witnessed the Oregon coast in winter, they can attest to the fact that it can be very bitter and blustery.  So, prepared for the worst the squally seas may throw at me, I joined up with the Friends of the Umpqua Hiking Club at the Alder Dune day-use area just north of Florence.

 

 

 

Flora and Fauna

An impressive 21 hikers had assembled for this Richard Hike, mostly in-landers from the fog-infested Umpqua and Williamette valleys. A pleasant surprise was in the offing, as we were greeted with bright, full-on coastal sunshine. As we cherished the blue sky above, the grey and hazy offshore clouds winked at us, as if making silent promises not to unload their wrath of cold rain on us, which they can and often do, sometimes without warning. Thankful that the fog had not hitched a ride from the valleys on our way to the coast, we set off for what would be a very un-January like hiking experience on the beautiful Oregon coast.

 

 



This tree saw better days

With the uncommon mild temperature and the sun keeping us warm, it wasn’t long before most of the pack began shedding the layers of jackets and sweatshirts. I had to stop and think for a second: Ok, I’m on the Oregon coast, it’s mid-January, and I’m down to just a long sleeve t-shirt? I was truly amazed at how fortunate we were to have this very pleasant day on the coast!

 

 

 

 





The sand was dry, the smiles big!

With Richard leading the pack, we followed a northerly route which took us through the coastal forest, a mix of evergreens, low-lying shrubs, and desert-like grass. Yes, these are my descriptions of the flora and fauna, as I don’t know all the names, so you’ll just have to use your imagination. Besides, the expert on all things green was out front, doing his best to try to retrace his footsteps from just 3 days prior, when he scouted out this hike for the club to follow today. 

 

 

 

 





View to Baker Beach

As we looped in and out of the forest and the dunes, the one constant would be the sand upon which we trod. Having walked in much loser and grueling sand before, a real workout for the legs, this well-traveled trail was quite forgiving, but still harder than walker on solid ground. With the great weather, wonderful scenery, and gentle slopes, it was a small price to pay.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Marching up the dune

The trail took us by several small lakes before we reached Berry Creek, where everyone found a driftwood log and sat down to have lunch. From here, as each small group completed their lunch, they set out on their own to head south on the trail to eventually meet up near Baker Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beach frolicker

The group had to climb a steep dune, then traverse down the other side to reach Baker Beach, where hiking boots met ocean… well, except for those who preferred to take them off and wade up to their knees in the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean. With the cool wind and warm sun bathing them in gleeful playfulness, the clan of hikers frolicked in the sand and water for a while before making their way back to the trail. Ok, so it really wasn’t much of a trail…

 

 

 



Bushwhacking

This, as Richard stated, is “where we have to bushwhack”. Then it hit me: Well, of course, it’s a Richard Hike! I had almost forgotten. With the hike so far being fairly tame, it was just a matter of time before we were to experience some coastal conundrums…

 

 

 

 

 

 



Fresh water meets the sea



 

Our fearless leader had begun to lead us up the backside of a slippery, grass-sloped dune. With the trail barely being a trail, the wary band of souls navigated carefully, pandering to the wicked delightfulness of Richard, who I’m sure had a grin on his face as he watched the rest of us steer through his maze of steep hills, hidden traps, and mushy marshes.

 

 

 

 

 

Oregon sand and sun

After all the hikers had made it through safely (as far as I knew at the time), everyone headed south back on the same path that had taken us to this world of sand and sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Coastal beauty

It was a little bit later when I caught up to Richard, at which time he revealed to me his wet clothes, soaked all the way up to his chest. This was apparently the result of backtracking to coach some lagging hikers through his maze of mishaps, at which time he succumbed to his own snare and fell into a large sinkhole. Folks, you just can’t make this stuff up…

 

 

 

  

 

 



Sand trail

After about 4 hours of what honestly felt like a nice coastal spring day, this hike was officially over as everyone shook the sand out of their boots in the parking lot, a very satisfying 6.8 mile journey. With just about the best weather we could hope for during this time of year, the group agreed that this had indeed turned out to be a very nice hike. We all then hopped into our vehicles and drove back home to the land of fog.