Mile 157 Report
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
July 9, 2009
A beautiful sunny day for hiking.
Report Details
A beautiful sunny day for hiking. Not much bird activity anywhere (except the two bald eagles at the oxbow); saw very few birds on Tahkenitch Creek, and not many even on the ocean. Not a lot of garbage on the beach (some, such as ocean-borne plastic bottles, etc.), some kelp and crab shells and other shells, etc. Overall an uneventful walk on Mile 157, but it ended with my first overnight on Mile 157; I camped just above the creek, just off the trail a short distance inland from the trailhead at the south end of my mile. It was Day 3 of my 13-day backpack from Yachats to the California state line. From the top of the foredune, I got to watch the sun set in a clear sky and settle into a shallow bank of clouds on the horizon. Woke at 1 a.m., thinking it was morning, but it was just the just-past-full moon shining through the walls of my ultralight tent. Then sometime in the next few hours the weather changed; I woke in the early morning to light rain. And packed up and headed south.
Conditions
Temperature: 70 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: N. Tide Level: 6.8 feet.
Human Activities
Number of people: 5. I did not see the parking lot; I arrived and left on foot, via the beach. The only people I saw was a party of hikers at the oxbow on the Tahkenitch. They were sliding down to the creek and trekking back up the steep sand bank, entertaining young friends from overseas.
Notable Wildlife
Two bald eagles in the tall spruces at the oxbow on Tahkenitch Creek. Not a lot of bird activity on ocean or creek (saw no pelicans, for instance).
Driftline Content
Seaweeds and seagrass, Animal casings (e.g., crab, shrimp molt), Land-based debris (picnics, etc.), Shells. The usual light summertime drift mix.
Actions & Comments
Sand volume very high; foredune easy to access. No sign of boat (Sanak).
All Mile 157 Reports
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
It was another beautiful day on Mile 157, which we entered from the upper part of the Oregon Dunes Loop Trail.
GasiorowskiM
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Mile 157 is a beautiful, little-visited stretch of coastline.
GasiorowskiM
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Beautiful New Years Day at the beach, while it was cold and foggy in the valley.
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
A rainy day; we had the beach to ourselves.
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Gorgeous day at the beach (crappy and cloudy and cold in Eugene).
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
There is a lot of buzz about whether the stuff on the beaches these days is from the tsunami.
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Fair amount of ocean-borne debris, but unlike my last walk here about a month earlier, when the debris was d0ominated by Japanese plastic bottles (tsunami debris?
bzenderson
Mile 157
Oregon Dunes NRA, west of Perkins Lake
Stunning winter day; we were totally overdressed, kept shedding clothes to the brink of immodesty.
bzenderson