See what you can see on the C2C

By Gretchen Ammerman

Oregon Coast TODAY

Celebrate the “culmination of 18 years’ work on a 50-year-old concept” at the grand opening ceremonies of the Corvallis-to-the-Sea, or C2C, this Saturday, Aug. 21, with gala events taking place on the opposite ends of the route.

The first will be held at Ona Beach in Brian Booth State Park near Seal Rock, starting at 10 am.

“We’re setting up some tables and canopies with coffee and cookies,” said long-time volunteer and board member James Golden, “then we’ll have the board members and special guests, including Representative David Gomberg, speaking before the ribbon cutting. Then we’ll pack up our gear and head to Corvallis.”

Original board member Gary Chapman has been with the project since the start.

“Opening the finished trail after the 50-year history of the various failed efforts is a wonderful achievement for everyone who has worked to make this trail a reality. Now we must make sure it is maintained and enjoyed.”

Coming in at roughly 60 miles total, the trail connecting the Valley to the Coast joins many other “through-hikes” that give people the chance for a more immersive experience than shorter trails provide.

“Because there is no interruption of trail you get to see beautiful areas you wouldn’t normally be able to,” Golden said. “We just added a new section on the coast side that we are leasing from Weyerhaeuser. It is a really special spot and we were lucky to get that section added. It’s a great example of all the work and partnerships that have gone into this project.”

For those interested but nervous about embarking on a multi-day trip, the opening ceremony is a great time to explore the idea.

“Our maps will be available at the event and we’ll have the final, large posters that give people all they need to know to complete the trail,” Golden said. “We can help orient people that have questions about specific sections, too.”

The primary thing that had to happen before the trail was officially opened were the wayfinding signs, which Golden said remain the priority for the board members and volunteers.

“The hikers I talk to say ‘As long as we can see the signs, we are happy,’ so we make sure that at the very least, we maintain the vegetation around the signs, so that people can have a nice hike.”

Sadly, the group also had to replace many of the signs that were first installed.

“We were finding holes where our first signs were,” Golden said. “So we redesigned them and reinstalled them with reinforcements, which seems to be working. At first there was a lot of trepidation about the trail from some groups like the hunters, but as we have gotten closer to the opening and met and talked to more people, there’s a more positive vibe out there. Especially since people have realized that we are out there keeping the trails maintained.”

Golden likened the process to the building of the Pacific Crest Trail, which started with a lot of push-back from landowners along the route, then ended positively.

“We’ve gotten a tremendous amount of cooperation from the business and private owners,” he said. “We get grants and donations that help with the expenses of things like tools, signage and lease fees, but it’s the usage agreements that are the most valuable."

As the trail became safe to hike, board members, volunteers and confident hikers have been able to traverse the entire route. Golden’s recommendations for people tackling the trail go beyond just making sure you pack plenty of water.

“I recently helped lead a group of nine people from the coast to the Big Elk campground,” Golden said. “Right away we got spread out and when we got to one of the big stops only half of our people were there. We waited a bit then finally one of the people in our group went back to find them. Turned out they were so absorbed in their conversations they went right past the signs. We can only do so much to make signs, you have to actually pay attention and look for them.”

One of the best ways to safely get familiar with the trail and meet like-minded outdoor enthusiasts is to join a work party or adopt a section of trail.

“We love to have people adopt sections,” Golden said. “They can maintain it or simply survey it to alert our work party crew if there is a need for maintenance. I do (or at least I’m supposed to do) a section near Toledo but I can’t possibly keep it done on my own anymore.”

Golden said that the range of volunteers they get is varied but always valued.

“We had one volunteer that is well trained and quite capable with chainsaws; she is young and very fit. One day she safely got a huge tree cut that had fallen across the trail while five of us guys stood around and watched. Which spawned our new joke: ‘How many men does it take to chainsaw a tree? None.’”

For more information, go to c2ctrail.org.