Hiking The Oregon Coast Trail, Day 6: The Magic Of Hug Point
I had "California brain" yesterday while hiking the Oregon Coast Trail, and I'm determined to never let that happen again. Even though I'm wired to learn lessons by living them, I stumble out of my tent just before dawn with a crushing sense of regret. I feel ridiculously foolish about trying to sleep on the beach last night.
Jason Evangelho
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I'm exhausted after only two hours of broken sleep, and sleep deprivation is premium fuel for my inner critic, which lashes out with a stream of insults. I fight it off with coffee, and by recording voice notes to drown out the silent criticism.
The only thing I have to do this morning is pack up camp and get around Hug Point within an hour of low tide. My original plan was to hike about 12 miles to the Neahkahnie Mountain trailhead, but I feel like I can barely hike the 1.5 miles to get past Hug Point.
K is nearby and offers to rescue me. Plus, she's a certified waterfall chaser and wants to check out the beach waterfall that's just south of Hug Point. Having never seen a beach waterfall myself, I share that desire!
I decide on a plan of (in)action that piles on a few more negative thoughts: after I get around Hug Point, I'm done for the day. I'll rest, recoup, and be ready to attack the trail tomorrow.
As I hike down the beach about 30 minutes before low tide, I'm astounded how far the waterline has receded. The sheer amount of exposed sand on my left and right is exponentially deeper than any California beach I've seen. Seriously, I'm gobsmacked at how much of this beach the tide consumes in a matter of hours!
I send my friend Dean an expletive-laden video trying to illustrate this, but it can't be conveyed properly with a phone camera. To Oregonians, this must all seem completely normal. But I urge anyone without experience on a Pacific Northwest beach to be cautious of the tides, to never turn your back on that ocean, and to never assume you'll be safe – even with tide charts in hand.
Hug Point Is Perfect
As I approach Hug Point, someone is walking their bike around from the other side, which is a clear signal that my timing is perfect. I'm immediately taken by the strip of vivid, almost neon-green patches of algae against the muted volcanic stone. What a striking scene!
As I start walking the barnacle-encrusted rock path, I can make out traces of the old stagecoach route. To the right, an intertidal shelf slopes out toward the ocean and the nearby beach, revealing little tidepools with mussels and sea anemones everywhere.
Simply walking around Hug Point is an incredible and scenic experience.
I instantly understand what makes this place so special beyond its history. A few hours per day, the tide unlocks a landscape that would be otherwise hidden by the ocean. It has so much character and vibrancy, and walking along this point is indescribable.
But a few minutes later I arrive at a beach that I can only describe as cinematically stunning. It's a breathtaking convergence of everything that has made the Oregon coast so memorable. It honestly feels like I'm living a waking dream.
There is just... so much here to absorb.
The sand beneath my feet is glistening, highlighted by small moving streams of water. Directly in front of me are a couple boulders draped with more of that striking green algae. There's a cave carved into the cliffside from years of wave activity.
But my eyes can't look away from the coastal waterfall tumbling over a flat, dark rock shelf onto smooth and black round stones. I could stare at this all day. I could live right here and be content.
The sandstone cliff above the waterfall is lined with tall, spindly trees. Sitka Spruce, perhaps? Morning sunlight is bursting through them, creating rays of light that look otherworldly.
In fact, none of this looks like something from the Earth I know. Elements of the scenes, sure. But not all combined like this in one perfect, enchanting place. I'm simply spellbound. I want to stay frozen in time, right here.
If things hadn't played out the way they did yesterday, if all the other minor itinerary changes hadn't happened, would my Hug Point experience have been the same? Because I can't imagine it being more perfect. Would I have arrived right at the moment the sun was shining ethereally through those trees? Would K have been here to share the moment, and capture it so amazingly well? Would we have had the place practically to ourselves as we do now?
Despite the stress of last night, despite my exhaustion, I feel the most alive I've ever felt in 49 years. I'm in love with this coast. Every single mile of it.
Previously on the Oregon Coast Trail:
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
Jason Evangelho
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