When we returned to California in early February, it was by way of Oregon. What a wild, weird and wonderful state! Kent and I planned a little western US road trip in order to reset – and run! First up: a section of the North Umpqua Trail.
Once again, Kent claims the credit for this awesome discovery. He studied possible routes for our drive south, and came across the North Umpqua forest and scenic drive. One thing led to another, and soon we were planning a big adventure!
Big on adventure, but short on kilometers: this adventure was firmly in the Goldilocks zone. The North Umpqua Trail is 79 miles of fun, but we chose to strike out on just one of 12 sections. However, after a couple of weeks more or less off from running, our 13 kilometer outing was just right.
We spent the better part of the day on the road, driving the scenic route from Portland. So we got a later-than-usual start on this run, but it’s good to mix things up. New time, new trails – all new!
The Calf Segment of the North Umpqua Trail started across the river from the quiet campsite we’d chosen. After smashing a couple of sandwiches for fuel, we parked at the trailhead. We were completely alone, and the forest was silent.
Running downstream alongside the North Umpqua River, the going was pretty easy at first. Easy enough that we could admire the views: looking up to the top of tall pine trees and down at the clear blue river below.
The North Umpqua trail is opposite a scenic byway for the majority of its length. Despite its relative proximity to civilization, its extremely peaceful. Although we could often see the road, we could very rarely hear it: here were almost no cars going by in the middle of the week, in midwinter. The only sounds I heard were my own steady breathing and the gurgling of the river below.
Although quite literally a walk in the woods, the trail did possess its fair share of technicalities. It was all single-track, which meant that we took turns in the lead. There were slippery sections around spontaneous waterfalls. Rocks and roots jutted up from the ground, and there were several sections of downed trees that required some scrambling.
In short, it was just what we needed. Time seemed to fly by as we ran down to our turnaround. The sun shone through the forest canopy, dappling the trail ahead. It was pretty and peaceful.
Heading back the way we’d come offered a new perspective and allowed us to add some gain. Now, we were running upstream and uphill!
The highlight of the day was on that return trip. I was leading, and I paused at a particularly scenic river overlook. Movement drew my eye up a tall, barren tree. There, perched on a fire-blackened branch, was a bald eagle!
It gazed directly down at us as we stared up in wonder. Time seemed to stand still during this mutual looking. The eagle lost interest in us eventually, and began to preen. It stood on one foot, then the other, using its beak to comb feathers on the underside of its wings. We held our breath and watched its every move: it was like our own live, personal nature documentary!
Just when it seemed like this encounter couldn’t get any better, the bird suddenly took wing. It soared out into the open air above the river, swooping low. And, right behind it, a mate! The pair glided over the treetops, ultimately landing in two tall, neighboring trees in the distance. So cool!
We concluded our run in the last warm rays of sunlight, filtered through the trees. The North Umpqua Trail served as the perfect detour from real life – and just a great, fun trail to run. It offered us an important lesson: not all great trails go to mountain peaks. And we got lucky with a wonderful chance wildlife encounter!
Want to explore the North Umpqua Trail on your own? We only scratched the surface with our short run! Find out more about the trail here. Join us for other runs and adventures in the US next!
