NATIONAL COAST TRAIL ASSOCIATION

5124 NE 34TH Avenue - Portland, OR 97211-7452 - http://www.coasttrails.org - (503) 335-3876

The Turnaround Trekkers, in cooperation with Fort Clatsop National Memorial and Willamette Industries, Inc., will be sponsoring a special 10-kilometer walking event leaving and returning to the fort on Sunday, June 3rd. The 6-mile round-trip hike will travel in areas along the beginning of the approximate route first attempted by Captain Clark and a handful of men to reach the Pacific Ocean from Fort Clatsop. Participants can get the necessary information and quickly register for the event from 8 AM until 1 PM in the picnic area near the overflow parking lot at Fort Clatsop National Memorial. The event is free and open to the general public, and volkssporters may use the event for official credit for a $2 fee. Fort Clatsop, located in a rural area of Astoria, Oregon, can be accessed by driving south from downtown Astoria on Highway 101 and once across Young's Bay watching for signs indicating where to turn.

"What makes this an interesting hike," begins Al LePage, NCTA executive director, "is that it really gives you a sense of the actual route blazed by Clark on December 8^th, 1805 during his first trip to reach the beach. I've extensively researched this historic route not only by studying the maps Clark drew, not only by reading the journals," LePage continues, "but by bushwacking through the forest where there are no trails. I've waded knee deep in the cold water of a marsh, climbed up and down steep hills and walked along creeks. I think I've got a good idea of how he went, and this hike is a rough approximation of the historic route. In fact, if my interpretation is right, Clark's trek intersects with the old stagecoach road as it crosses over Clatsop Ridge, which means at some point you may actually be walking in the footsteps of Captain Clark!"

The hike will travel in areas where Captain Clark and his men trekked from where Fort Clatsop was then being built towards the Pacific Ocean. The route will wind its way from the picnic area of Fort Clatsop along an existing hiking trail through woods and by "clay-pit ponds" to cross the road and continue through a forested area to the boundary of the park. Here you will access the old stage coach road and begin to climb up to the top of Clatsop Ridge. The hike continues over the forested ridge with some muddy sections. This old road connects with a local road having a mixture of natural areas and homes until reaching your turnaround point, where you return the same way back to the fort. Special interpretive signage about the route will be found along this hike.

"Walk into Lewis & Clark history as you follow the first part of Captain Clark's route from Fort Clatsop to the ocean," urges Sam Korff, president of the Turnaround Trekkers.

"I want to express my appreciation to Mark Morgan, north coast area resource manager of Willamette Industries, Inc. for his cooperation and assistance towards making this public event happen," adds LePage.

The Turnaround Trekkers are a local chapter of the Oregon Trails Volkssport Association. Their mission is to promote family-oriented activities to enhance personal well-being in sports and physical fitness and provide related educational opportunities when appropriate. They are one of 65 clubs in the northwest region, comprised of Alaska, Idaho, Washington and Oregon, and affiliated with the American Volkssport Association.

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ATTENTION NEWSPAPERS:
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS OF FORT CLATSOP, RAIN OR SHINE.

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