Arch Cape to Oswald

Disclaimer: we started where this trail crosses highway 101. This cut about a mile off the trail length if you find it in a book. Here's the details...

North of Tillamook on Hwy 101, just passed mile marker 37 there is a slow vehicle turn out. Southbound traffic is climbing a hill and so has a passing lane. At this point of the highway, the Neah-kah-nie Mountain trail crosses 101. The trail on the east side of the road continues the 1.4? miles to Arch Cape. The trail on the west side of the road winds through coastal mountains to Neah-kah-nie Mountain by way of Cape Falcon and Oswald State Park. Between this crossing and Oswald is 7.4 miles.

I met Gena at work on Wednesday and we made our way to this hike. Leaving her truck at the parking lot of Oswald, we continued in my truck to the crossing of the trail and the highway. Jane carried six and a half pounds, Gena about 21 and me about 32.

At ten minutes to 3pm, we were geared up and headed down the trail. Five minutes into the hike we had to climb over our first blow-down.

Off the top of my head, I can’t remember when the last big windstorm was. Between the ground moisture and this winter’s winds, though, this trail is a jungle gym right now! I didn’t count how any trees are across the trail right now but the number is pretty high. Some of them are so large that you have to fight through brush as many as 30 meters to ge around the log and back to the trial. One of these fallen giants, closer to Cape Falcon, is nearly ten feet in diameter! This one was especially fun to circumnavigate.

I had to grab Jane by her pack and toss her up 4ft atop what used to be a dirt berm side of the trail. From here I had to climb up onto the narrow landing with Jane and toss her again onto the trunk of the tree. Jane started walking the length of the tree and I had to call her back. She wouldn’t even have noticed me climbing down the side of the tree! Gena made it up and over just fine except for the air that turned sour when tossing Jane caused her to pass gas. There was a very large branch sticking off the south side of the tree that served as a sort of step down. All three of us were able to use this as a stepping stone off the behemoth.

We made it to Cape Falcon about 5pm. Then to the Oswald parking lot at five passed 6pm without further incident. From the north, the fallen behemoth was the last of the fallen trees on the trail.

This time of year you need water proof boots on this trail and you better not be afraid of getting muddy. Regular visitors to this trail will tell you that even in the summer months there are swamp sections that never seem to dry. Being a sort of coastal rainforest, I recommend always carrying rain gear.

Here's some pics from a passed hike: Flickr