This was a wild trip. My Dad and I had been scouting the river, and planning the ride down the Nehalem river for months. He read all he could find on the dangers, and decided to try floating from a higher point at Spruce Run. After pumping the 14 foot cataraft up, we got it loaded on the trailer, and headed south past Cannon Beach on Highway 101. Our friend Steve tagged along. He knows the Nehalem well, and has been fishing for Steelhead on it for years. We used his rig to shuttle us back to the trailer, and drag the raft up a steep bank at Beaver Slide after traveling 13.3 miles.
This journey didn't go exactly as planned. We unhooked the raft too soon, and it fell off the trailer when we were backing it up to the water. After that mishap, we picked it up by hand, and got her wet. It was a smooth ride at first, but early into the excursion we lost an oar lock. Thankfully, Pops was wise enough to have an extra on hand. Without the oar lock, we would have lost an oar and been screwed. I had a great time chatting with the boys, and relaxing. We were also trying to locate a lost dog, that had a $2500 reward for information resulting in his rescue. No luck on that. We did however see a coyote, fish, and a bald eagle.
The Nehalem got rougher, and more dangerous as we got lower on the river. The water was freezing, and we were wet. I had a wetsuit, booties, and gloves to stay warm. On a quick stop I used the spring water I collected to make Mountain House spaghetti with my Jetboil Zip camping stove. Steve and I warmed our hands on the hot bag as the food cooked. Near the end of our unexpected journey we ran into more trouble. We got hung up on a boulder, and spun around. Then at Salmonberry Drop we got blasted by a 7 foot wave, and my camera went out. You gotta watch the video in 720p HD. It was a hell of an adventure. We got out alive, but not without a little suffering. We won't be rafting the Nehalem again soon.
Here's a fun video I made of the first time my Dad and I rafted the lower part of the Nehalem River.
Season's greetings! On Christmas Eve my Dad and I hiked from Indian Beach in Ecola State Park to the Hiker's Camp on Tillamook Head. We checked out the abandoned World War 2 bunkers, and the viewpoints too. Pops split, leaving me to spend the night by myself. In this HD video I show you the trail, my gear, and my fire. I also cooked up some Goulash thanks to my new flameless cookwear system by Trekmates. Enjoy the video. After a two hour nap, I decided to back to Seaside in the dark night. It was crazy. I used a glow stick, and my Coast HP14 flashlight to luminate the path. A recent storm kicked tons of massive trees down. I had to climb over many, with my 40 pound pack on. I booked it from the cabins, and got back to Seaside in just over 2 hours, covering 4 gnarly miles of ground. It was an intense op. I lost the trail briefly once, slightly rolled an ankle, and nearly slipped down a steep bank. It was one of the most rewarding, and challenging adventures of my life. Next, I plan to raft the Nehalem river this weekend. Thanks for visiting Survival Bros. I'd appreciate your comments, and likes. %^).
Billions of Wild Blackberries For Us!
They are everywhere! There's billions of berries bursting from the vines right now. Survival Bros challenges YOU to harvest some in your area this summer! What are you waiting for? It's free food.
I rolled to the Mill Ponds in Seaside, OR with a hommie this morning. We packed in breakfast sandwiches, and found tons of ready-to-eat fruit on the trail. Even more will be ready later this week. I will be back to collect pounds of wild blackberries. They are so sweet! I want to rub them all over my face. I'm going to freeze some for my power smoothies. We collected handfuls today. What a blessing. %^].