Hiking The Oregon Coast Trail, Day 13: Childhood

Today was supposed to be Cape Kiwanda, but instead it's a zero day. I've been hiking myself to exhaustion, still struggling to find that elusive balance between mileage and the beautiful bliss of simply being on the trail, feet on the dirt, eyes on the endlessly euphoric rugged coastline.

I perked myself up a bit with my new favorite breakfast: oatmeal with Justin’s chocolate hazelnut almond butter swirled in, and some melted marshmallows courtesy of K's S'Mores supply.

There's a persistent duo of troubling questions bouncing around in my head, getting louder with each day: What am I doing out here? How do I know when I’m content and it’s time to go home? 

Those aren't the thoughts of someone who believes he's going to finish what he came to Oregon to do. And these aren't questions I'm trying to answer today...

Fortunately, that inner conflict was muted pretty quickly, melted away into temporary obscurity by a lengthy soak in a hot tub, and an epic game of HORSE.

K and I are staying at what is advertised as an "RV resort" in Neskowin, but they have a large grassy section at the edge of the property exclusively for tent campers. And it's shockingly affordable, considering they have decent showers and a huge pool area with a hot tub. (Not to mention something rather precious on the trail: electricity!)

And that pool area has a basketball hoop and a bunch of rubber balls.

We spent what felt like hours playing the classic game of HORSE, obviously adapted for a swimming pool! Things started basic, but as our confidence grew from landing simple shots, the game got progressively sillier as we swam around and tried to sink ridiculous, nearly impossible trick shots.

That much activity in the pool didn't exactly feel like rest, but it did feel cathartic. I'd go so far as to say it was blissful.

It felt like my inner child taking over, effortlessly fighting back the anxiety and doubts with some pure fun. For a few hours, I truly felt like a kid again.

That feeling of innocence and lightness, where the weight of the world isn't on your shoulders yet, because you don't even understand the concept.

A big chunk of this zero day was also spent soaking in the hot tub, listening to an older couple who sounded like full-time waterfall chasers. They shared some of their adventures from across Oregon and Washington, I shared some of mine from the Oregon Coast Trail, and we both traded recommendations for future waterfall adventures.

The day ended with K's veggie tacos, and enjoying my new favorite beer: The Brewed Abides! It's a (sadly seasonal) White Russian-inspired milk stout from Pelican Brewing, with a playful nod to The Big Lebowski. It's really, really, really tasty.

Then the day faded into night, with a roaring fire and a twist on the classic S'mores recipe: instead of chocolate squares, we opted for Reese's Thins. Highly recommended!

Every day is a great day when you're on the Oregon Coast Trail, even if you're not actively hiking it.