Al
LePage, director of the National Coast Trail
Association, is traveling the entire Oregon coast this winter to
present "Oregon Coast Trail: Journey Along the Edge of Infinity!"
He'll share the story of his 400-mile trek in powerpoint images, and
talk about the economic value of the trail to coastal communities
locally and beyond from a "big picture" perspective. The south coast series continues in North Bend (Mar.
29), Bandon (Mar. 30), and Brookings (Mar. 31) at their respective
public libraries, and ends in Gold Beach (April 1) at the Curry County
Courthouse Annex, and all south coast programs begin at 6:30 PM.
All these presentations are free and open to the public and offer both
a
fun-filled but also serious look at this world-class hiking trail."It's a journey along the sandy edge of the earth," says LePage. "It's a journey with the infinity of the blue Pacific, through eternal landscapes of forest and seascapes of sculpted rock and headlands, and it's right in our very own backyard! It's a vision connecting some 400-miles from the Columbia River to the Calfornia border. When you consider the thousands, more likely the tens if not hundreds of thousands of people who walk along Oregon's beaches, who hike out to its headlands and through its forests in any given year, it has to be the most used hiking trail in the entire state. If you really think about what all that means, beyond all the miles, the fun and recreation, in economic terms these little coastal trails really are a very big deal."
Besides focusing on the Oregon Coast Trail experience itself, each program will consider just why this trail is so important to coastal residents and its added value in terms of the local economy through both the tourism and quality of life benefits it already generates and could also potentially enhance. LePage will include both his most recent 2008 trek as he tells his story with the rich images he took along the way and also make his case of its significance by considering a much broader perspective, especially in terms of tourism and international marketing.
"The
big picture," emphasizes LePage, "starts with knowing that what is
often seen as just the little nearby coastal trail is really a very
important link in both the vision the 400-mile Oregon Coast Trail and
America's 1800-mile West Coast Trail, too! Another 'big' reason
I'm doing these presentations is to highlight the fact that trails are
more than just having fun, that they can and do play a signficant role
in diversifying, and thus strengthening, if not enhancing local
economies plus the quality of life for residents. America as a
whole, when compared to other countries, really doesn't
market their trails very actively, especially to international
tourists. Perhaps we simply don't see them
as
the valuable assets that other countries have already realized, and
that's another
big picture theme I'll be talking about as well."LePage knows the Oregon Coast Trail well, since he's not only hiked the whole thing once, but twice. Back in 1988 Oregon State Parks declared the trail "hikable" was the first time he ever did the whole thing, and it took thirty days to do it. In 2008, on the twentieth anniversary he did the original hike, he headed off to do it all again, to see how things had changed, to inspire and listen to coastal residents about special places they'd like to see preserved in their communities. He's also retraced the footsteps, hoofprints and paddlestrokes of 300 miles plus of historic overland expeditions along it's length led by Captain William Clark, mountain-man Jedidiah Smith, and Chief Trader Alexander McLeod of the Hudson's Bay Company. He's even field researched and written a "missing links" report assessing existing gaps and detailing various alternative solutions for each, which was offered to state parks in 2005 for their consideration towards realizing the vision of a continuous recreational trail along the coast.
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The National Coast Trail Association, founded in 1994, is a non-profit trail organization whose vision is the National Coast Trail, a 10,000-mile plus interconnected land and water-based trail system around the entire United States. Our mission is "Keeping the Coast for Everyone" through advocacy, education, and action for trails, public access and coastal preservation. Our program includes trail development, education, and conservation. Our focus is the development of America's 1,800-mile West Coast Trail, comprised of the Washington, Oregon and California Coastal Trails. Al LePage, serves as director, and has hiked, biked and kayaked over 2,500 miles of their national vision, both America's West Coast Trail and the 750-mile Great Northeast Trail from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes.
NOTE: PHOTOS ARE HIGH RESOLUTION FOR THE
FREE USE OF THE PRINT MEDIA
THEY MAY BE CROPPED AND COLOR-BALANCED AS NEEDED
"Al LePage eating hashbrowns halfway down the Oregon Coast Trail during
2008 400-mile trek" - PHOTO CREDIT "Joe Coyne"