Presentation at the Chinook Trail Association
Tomato, Allgood, and I at the northwestern terminus of the Chinook Trail
In 1986, two buddies, Ed Robertson and Don Cannard, hiked up Silver Star Mountain and looked out on the Columbia River Gorge. They dreamed that one day, there could be a long distance trail that connected where they stood as far as they could see. The Chinook Trail started as a fantasy, but the two friends went the extra mile (excuse the pun) to get the Chinook Trail designated as a National Recreation Trail, to work with the Forest Service, to put pulaskis to the ground, and to establish the Chinook Trail Association. Last Sunday, Brian “Tomato” Boshart, Whitney “Allgood” LaRuffa, and I had the honor of speaking at the Chinook Trail Association annual meeting as the first people to walk the conceptual length of the trail.
Speaking to the CTA
Speaking at the Chinook Trail Association was the best speaking experience I’ve had in my hiking life. The Vancouver Water Resources building was filled with people who had miraculously given up the opportunity to spend a rare warm and sunny Sunday in February in the Pacific Northwest to hear us speak. Ed Robertson passed away several years ago, but his dream was clearly still alive in that room.
The Oregon desert on the Chinook Trail
Don Cannard told us that for many years, he didn’t think he would live to see someone hike the Chinook Trail, so he was imaginably pretty excited to learn that this year, three people and a dog hiked his trail. It was an honor to meet Don and tell him about all the fun times we had on our hike.
Most of the attendees at the Annual Meeting had been part of the organization since the trail’s conception and there were many senior citizens in the room. Tomato, Allgood, and I got the impression that a lot of people in that room were there to hear a talk they never thought would happen. As Don explained, “We always thought to complete the trail, we would have to be out there building hundreds of miles of trail. But these guys showed that the trail can be hiked now.”
The wet part of the Chinook Trail
At the end of our talk, the CTA awarded us with beautiful framed plaques congratulating our hike (even Karluk got one). We gave them a copy of our maps and promised them that within the thru-hiking community, the Chinook Trail is no longer a conception, but a reality that people want to do.
Allgood and I are working on putting out a guidebook and mapset for the Chinook Trail. We believe the Chinook Trail is an ideal trail for someone who wants a long distance hike experience, but can’t take more than two weeks of vacation. The Chinook Trail is close to a major airport, doesn’t require permits, and can easily be reached by friends and family for trail magic. In only 300 miles, the Chinook Trail takes hikers through diverse climates, offering hikers a CDT-like experience without CDT-logistics or CDT-commitment or the CDT-like near death experiences. It’s a perfect training hike to learn about navigation and get ready for more route-based trips.
When it comes down to it, hiking, just like any hobby, is kind of a selfish pursuit. Speaking to the CTA was the first time I felt that just by walking, I had done something bigger than just having a fun time. Allgood, Tomato, and I have realized what a cool experience it is as hikers to work with a smaller trail organization. There are probably dozens of smaller trails like the Chinook Trail around the U.S., waiting for hikers to turn conceptual dreams into realities.
