Twig Adventures

Tag: OCT

PCBCRT Day 2: Variety is the spice of life

Oregon Coast Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail

Thursday, July 6th, 2023, 0715-1900Sunset beach to Tillamook Head Backpacker Camp.16 miles, Gain 1365′, Loss 600′, elevation 780 I slept like a total rock, it was so amazing. I was finally on trail and my mind was at peace. The distant hum of the surf drowned out all else. I heard nothing until the birdsong in the morning. I noted the fog right away but it didn’t feel very moist or clammy, in fact I was convinced I was completely dry until I felt my tent walls. Yep, condensation nation, but more so on the outside. This should not have been surprising, given my location on this notoriously moist coast. But I was hoping for a miracle under the pines.[…]

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PCBCRT Day 1: Off After a Bang

Oregon Coast Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail

Wednesday, July 5th, 2023, 0615-2000Columbia River, Fort Stevens State Park (Northern Terminus of the Oregon Coast Trail) to Sunset Beach9 miles, Gain 30′, Loss 30′, elevation 30′ This was one of the best first trail days I’ve ever had. That’s because for most of the day, I got to be a tourist as we enjoyed the sights around Astoria and celebrated a birthday. But first I had to recover from a night of restless sleep (mostly of my own doing) and a subsequent migraine. Coffee and a breakfast with some delicious mango snapped me out of it (along with my prescription Sumatriptan). I know it worried my hosts that I was feeling bad but I deal with migraines all the[…]

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PCBCRT Day 0: Reconnecting to the Pacific Coast

Oregon Coast Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail

July 3-4th, 2023Miami FL to Portland OR To Manzanita ORDistance: 2,700 miles (by airplane), 60 by car Sometimes traveling to a trail can be very stressful and difficult. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with very good luck over the years (which actually makes me worried that I’ll be due for some bad luck at some point). At least my serendipitous streak persevered through all my logistics and connections again with this trail. In fact, it was one of the most auspicious beginnings yet, leaving me with a sense of awe about how everything always comes together so spectacularly. And I owe this to my auspicious beginnings on the PCT and the generosity of some long-time trail angels, the Skybird Family. My[…]

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Up Next: the Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail

Bigfoot Trail, Oregon Coast Trail, Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail

This is a rough sketch of the Pacific Coast Bigfoot Crest Rim Trail…PCBCRT. I ‘invented’ this roughly 1200 mile route as a conglomeration of 4 distinct long distance trails, stringing together parts or all of the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT), Bigfoot Trail (BFT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Tahoe Rim Trail (TRT). I made-up the name to include a portion of each trail’s official name, paying homage to a common misconception, emphasized by the “Pacific Coast” part. That’s because about half the public mistakenly calls the Pacific Crest Trail the Pacific Coast Trail…I’ve encountered this error so many times that I don’t even bother to correct people anymore. In reality, the Pacific CREST Trail doesn’t even travel within sight of[…]

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