CoastWalk Oregon 2024: ‘Catch Your Inspiration’
From Sept. 20 to 22, nearly 100 participants joined us for our final CoastWalk Oregon event. Hikers and walkers came from as far away as Texas, Florida, and even Canada to connect with each other, as well as the magnificence of Oregon’s North Coast.
The theme for 2024 was ‘Catch Your Inspiration,’ and over the course of the three days, our group walked about 30 miles along the world-class Oregon Coast Trail. This year, our journey took us from Ecola State Park to Nehalem Bay. Along the way, we climbed the breathtaking Neah-Kah-Nie mountain; hiked around the historic Hug Point on a wagon road blasted out of the rock more than a century ago; and took a boat ride on the Nehalem Bay.
This annual event, established in 2016, has been a special way to connect like-minded individuals from across the country, and even beyond, to incredible and important habitat on the Oregon Coast. We also can’t pull it off without a passionate crew of talented and hardworking volunteers.
“The intention of the event has always been three-fold: getting people outdoors to commune with nature, introducing participants to others who value the natural world, and raising funds to support protection and care of important coastal habitats,” NCLC Development Director Kassia Nye says.
“… Participants, volunteers, and staff seemed to more deeply connect with the mission of conservation and be in awe of the wonders of nature.”
Now, we are stepping away from offering CoastWalk Oregon, but the wonderful memories of shared experiences on the Oregon Coast Trail will linger for many years to come. Throughout the nine years of the event, the coastal edge of NCLC’s service area was trekked, mainly by traversing the Oregon Coast Trail and other conserved properties. Many participants came back year after year, and about half of them were able to complete the entire 120 miles spanning Astoria to Lincoln City over four-plus years of participation.
The event took more than 50 volunteers and 10 months to plan and execute in its last year, which was a particularly special event “as participants, volunteers, and staff seemed to more deeply connect with the mission of conservation and be in awe of the wonders of nature,” Kassia says. Special thanks to Oregon-based author and avid hiker, Bonnie Henderson, the event’s mastermind and lead volunteer.
We hope people who have been involved with NCLC through CoastWalk may find new and exciting ways to engage with the organization and with conservation and stewardship on the Oregon Coast.