I took H to the airport this morning and drove to the coast to do a hike up Neahkahnie Mountain which is roughly 9 miles round trip with 2 going straight up from sea level to a 2000’ elevation. The view up top was supposed to be amazing but the creeping fog on the way there was lowering my expectations.
A mile into the hike I finally found what I imagined the Oregon coast would look like, calm and gorgeous. We visited Cannon Beach and Seaside a few weeks earlier only to be met with crowds of tourists and recumbent beach-cycles.
The sun fighting the fog through the trees made for some crazy cool photos.
This leg of the hike was interesting and a bit frustrating. It’s hard to see but there’s actually a trail through there. These plants were a little over waist high and went for as far as I could see. If anything wanted to jump out at me through them, they sure could have, which made me nervous enough. However, that wasn’t the frustrating part. Because of the fog, these plants were damp and acted like wet paintbrushes slowly drenching my pants and pack. After about a mile of this it felt like I was wading through a swamp. But no worries, I was out of it, into the sun, and dry within 30 minutes.
When looking up this hike I kept seeing the phrase “and a 30 foot climb to the summit which is known for turning hikers around”. I’m sorry, but after 2000 feet of climbing, a bear would have trouble turning me around so this statement scared me. However, it turned out to be a stretch where you just have to do a bit of climbing with your hands, so no biggie. It made the summit feel that much more adventurous.
At the summit I was greeted by a kind rock
And finally, the view from the summit. Now, I was a bit disappointed as the fog blocks most of the view but was still amazed at the feeling of being above the clouds with Oregon’s mountain ranges in the distance. I would, however, invite everyone to google “Neahkahnie Summit” to see what the view is without the fog because it’s incredible. I really enjoyed the hike but have learned my lesson, and will be back on a sunnier day.
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