FKT: Christopher Osborne - Oregon Coast Trail (OR) - 2021-07-20

Route variation
Standard route
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Self-supported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
9d 19h 35m 0s
Report

For my self-supported FKT I followed all of the rules regarding not availing to any support from others. I ate/resupplied in towns along the way and was able to carry hardly any food at all by gorging myself, in town. I carried a sawyer squeeze water filtration device and filled water at river crossings and when I would stop to eat in town. I camped most of the nights either on the beach or stealth-style in town, but I did stay in motels a few of the nights to charge my devices. I was alone the entire time. Being a "described route", I used a few different methods of navigation which I hope is alright. I used the maps found on the oregoncoasttrail.org and oregon state parks website. I also used the GPX file from Ellie Fox, as well as was in communication with Henley Phillips and Josh Pulattie about their routes. Ellie and Henley went farther than me, by about 20 miles, seemingly due to not taking ferry crossings/longer ways around. I never got an exact number from Josh but his mileage estimates and route seemed more similar to my own. My total time was 9 days, 19 hours, and 35 minutes - I went ~380 miles. I tracked myself on 3 different apps and I got 377, 380, & 385 - I sometimes paused them in towns for lunch and such and lost a couple miles forgetting to restart here and there.

Day 1: I started on July 10th right about 9 AM. I got a ride to Crissy Fields recreation area and walked the mile or so south on the beach to where Google Maps said I was directly on the CA/OR border, at that point I made my social media posts and started walking. I followed the beach and road to Brookings - beyond Brookings, in the Samuel Boardman SSC I followed the beach until the tides/cliffs became very treacherous and I had to bushwhack through blackberry bramble up the hill to continue onwards - this section, particularly south of whalehead viewpoint was not safe even at low tide and I would recommend extreme caution. I followed the 101, and the beach to Cape Sebastian, where I followed the trail for some time before getting lost due to extremely overgrown trail conditions past the cape and got back on 101 to Gold Beach. I stayed in Gold Beach the first night. GPS had me at ~43 Miles

Day 2: I followed the road and beach (and a trail through Humbug) to Port Orford for a very straightforward ~30 Miles.

Day 3: The tides around Cape Blanco are not really feasible to do in a single FKT-level day, it would've required a lot of waiting and/or danger to pass in a timely manner. In step with all of the previous FKTs I opted to walk 101 from Port Orford to Bandon, stopping for lunch in Langlois. From Bandon I got onto the beach and camped near Seven Devils Recreation Site on the side of a golf course. Just under 40 miles on the GPS.

Day 4. I followed the very hilly logging road Charleston where I had some dank fish and chips. Made my way through North Bend and on to William M. Tugman State Park where I spent the night. The main route went on the beach from North Bend to Winchester Bay but I had some logistical concerns that made the road walk the smart/safe bet. I was starting to have pretty serious tendinitis in my feet, and there's a ~10 mile plover no camping zone on this beach stretch - coupled with a beach river crossing at high tide, 35-40 mph winds on the beach it made sense. I wasn't sure I would've been able to make it all the way through that plover zone that night and was unwilling to break the rules/law. ~35 on the day

Day 5: I road-walked into Winchester Bay, there was a boat scheduled to go out at 11 so I joined the fisherman and they dropped me at the Jetty across the Umpqua. From there it was 23 miles by beach to the south of Florence. Definitely the low point of the trip for me, that beach just kept going and I had to trudge through deep sand at high tide for much of it. I made it through Florence that night and slept right at the end of town. ~35 miles

Day 6: Super straightforward day - followed the beach past Florence to Heceta Head lighthouse, went through that super sketchy tunnel and almost died, and continued along 101 until just south of Yachats where I hit a roadside trail for a short ways. Ate dinner at a bar in town and then continued hiking on the beach until I got to Beachside State Recreation Area. A little over 30 miles

Day 7: I got up and walked on the beach ~22 miles non-stop until Newport. Took lunch and charged my phone. Walked on the beach south of Yaquina Head, but North of there, around beach marker 55 I got blocked off by the tide and had to back track 1-2 miles to the highway. Made it to Depoe Bay for an awesome Thai food dinner and night hiked a few more miles and camped on the beach at Fishing Rock SRS. ~37 miles

Day 8: I followed a trio of beach, road, and horribly overgrown trail (cascade head) to Pacific City where I stayed in a motel to charge my devices. ~35 miles

Day 9: I followed the road/trail up and around Cape Lookout. I was not going to be taking the ferry across the Bayocean spit so I did not go all the way up and around Cape Meares - instead cutting towards Tillamook at Neatarts. I confirmed with Josh Pulattie that he also made this variation, a smart move for the northbound hike, logistically. I made my way to Garibaldi Harbor where I spent my final night on the trail. 38 miles

Day 10: I got up early and hit Rockaway beach hard and fast. I took the ferry at Nehalem Bay and the boat guy gave me some good navigational advice to find a hidden trail through the center of the spit so I didn't have to walk the beach at high tide. I got through Manzanita and ran into 2 southbound hikers that just did Neahkahnie mountain - they strongly urged me not to take that trail due to its dangerously washed out conditions, one of them hurt herself and wasn't sure she could continue. The trail was actually formally closed Oswald West, Josh confirmed he also road walked around Oswald West. - so from Manzanita until just south of Cannon Beach I stayed on the 101 before the tides allowed me to get back to the beach. I did the Ecola State Park trail as the sun was going down, racing against the light, and got to Seaside where I got a late dinner and prepared for the final push. I hit the beach past Gearhart around 11:30 pm and walked the final 16 miles through the darkness and rain and finished at the Clatsop Spit Jetty at 4:35 AM on July 20th. Final day was 60 miles - 21 hours without stopping. 

I updated daily on my instagram @chrisssybear. I took a ton of identifying photos which I can upload if further verification is needed. 

Thanks for reading.