Saturday was going to be way, way too hot for a full day hike, so Rigby the Hiking Dog and I accepted a most gracious invitation from some hiking friends and their hiking dogs for outdoor adventure. We met the group at Road's End Park in Lincoln City, OR. The plan was a 4-5 mile hiking loop that included "The Thumb" as shown in the photo below, then onto the beach for some fun in the sun.
The day started chilly, but warmed up quickly. Our group assembled, and included the following canine hikers:
Luc and Tristin:
Bojangles:
Zeus:
and Rigby:
We headed out of the park and followed some local streets to the end of NE Port St where we passed by this gate (sorry - blurry photo):
Then headed right at the first junction, and stayed east of a hill we would eventually climb to the top using an old road grade.
Foxglove and other flowers dotted our path:
The obvious foot path wound its way through a forested area:
The forested path morphed into an overgrown meadow of thistles, berry thorns and stinging nettles, requiring us to push the brush back in an effort to follow the use path below our feet.
The path nearing the end of the meadow widened, making it easier to follow:
Tristin is getting excited as we near our goal:
The meadow ended with a view of our goal - "The Thumb". We took a break at this high point while others occupied The Thumb ahead:
We headed across the ridge and onto The Thumb:
View to the north - Cascade Head:
Our summit photo on top of The Thumb - we made it!
Other views from The Thumb, above Agate Cove:
A view of the high point from where we had come:
and of course, a fantastic viewpoint looking south over Lincoln City - perfect weather (65F), light breeze and scattered, high clouds:
Our view as we left The Thumb:
We took a different user path southeast from The Thumb and re-entered the forest. Then headed out onto a gravel roadway to the beachfront and then the beach for some beach fun! A wonderful 4-5 mile loop! Excellent for a morning hike, then out to the beach for the afternoon.
GPS track here: http://gpsfly.org/g/4467
