Trip Report

Sunday we met in Bandon lunch and walked Bandon Beach from Coquille Point to Face Rock. The gigantic sea stacks were our first look at the Otter Point Formation, a Jurassic melange of sandstone and blue-green metamorphic rocks. We would revisit this formation at nearly every stop along the coast. We set up camp at Humbug Mt. State Park and enjoyed a festive pot-luck dinner followed by a sunsent stroll on the beach. Three of us, Angie, Rachelle and Tom did a hike to the summit of Humbug Mt. before dinner. Monday morning we did hikes and beach walks at Sisters' Rocks, Ophir Beach, and Otter Point, with wonderful veiws of the jagged local coastline and ocean. There were many colorful wildflowers along the trails. The main hike of the day was a 5.5 mile hike on Cape Sebastian and a challenging descent to the beach at Hunter's Cove via a rickety rope fence. On the way to Hunter's Cove, a few of us took a side-trip down a narrow ledge to a lower sandstone terrace with an interesting lattice work of honey-comb errosion. In the afternoon we stopped in Gold Beach for a bit of wandering around and dinner at a local restaurant. On the way back to camp we made a brief stop at Arizona Beach to see the translucent green waves created by the refraction of sunlight on the surf. Tuesday morning we hiked a network of trails at Cape Blanco led by our assistant leader, Rachelle Masin. This series of trails included a magnificent beach walk, a stop at the light house, a hike through a Sitka Spruce and Hemlock forest, and lunch on a log overlooking the Sixes River. Tuesday afternoon we hiked the Port Orford Heads and split into smaller groups. Some went back to camp early. Others stayed in Port Orford for a private rock concert, comfort food and a visit to an amazing art gallery. Wednesday morning we packed up and headed home, with people in separate cars making a few favorite stops along the way. Special thanks to Rachelle Masin, assistant leader, for many helpful suggestiions.