A Full April on the Salmonberry, and a Strong Start to May
April was a big month on the Salmonberry Trail, and it carried right into May.
We spent the month out on the trail, in community spaces, in training rooms, and in conversation with partners and supporters. We wrapped up April with a guided hike to Nehalem Falls on April 26, where a small group got to explore one of those tucked-away places that feels both remote and somehow quietly generous. We also held our first Forest Bathing Guided Hike Experience on April 25, which felt like an important widening of the circle, not just hiking for distance or destination, but time to slow down, notice, and be in the landscape a little differently. We’re especially grateful to Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad for clearing the area around Nehalem Falls, which made that hike that much better for everyone.
Earlier that same week, we hosted volunteer training sessions and shared a trail update during our presentation to the Port of Tillamook Bay on April 22. These are the quieter but essential parts of building a trail: training people to represent the project, preparing new hike leaders, and showing up with our partners as the work moves forward.
From there, April kept moving. On April 19, we led a guided hike from Cochran Pond to Baldwin Creek Trestle, bringing people through the tunnel, into the history of Cochran, and into one of the most memorable parts of the corridor. On April 18, in partnership with Tides of Change and Tillamook County Wellness, we hosted A Space to Heal, a guided hike from Bay City to Kilchis Point that made room for reflection, connection, and time outside during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. On April 16, we returned to the Confluence for another exploratory hike in one of the most powerful and instructive places on the future trail.
We also loved welcoming people into our new home base for See Our New Office! on April 13. It was a good evening of conversation, snacks, updates, and connection, and a reminder that this project is built just as much by relationships as by trail work. The day before, on April 12, we held our guided hike around Wheeler and Nehalem Bay, and on April 11 we had both a Washington County work party and a Wilderness First Aid class for volunteers, the kind of pairing that says a lot about where Salmonberry is right now: getting work done and building capacity at the same time.
And at the start of the month, April opened strong with our Geology Talk at PSU on April 9, our Pacific University guided hike at Cochran Pond on April 4, and a guided outing with the Fly Fishers Club of Oregon, also on April 4. From geology and biology to trail work and community care, it was one of those months that showed just how many ways there are to connect to this trail.
Then, on May 1, we had one more event we especially want to celebrate: a co-worker work party with a team from Intel, who came out and worked alongside our team on the Salmonberry. We’re grateful to them for showing up ready to help. If your office, team, or workplace would like to set up a similar volunteer day, we’d be happy to talk. Reach out to skye@salmonberrytrail.org or gavin@salmonberrytrail.org.
April out on the Salmonberry!
