Tillamook Railroad Hike with Sam

Published on 03/22/2009

Last August my friend Sam and I went on a hike on a section of the Tillamook Railroad. I guess he has done quite a bit of hiking on railroad tracks before, but this was a new experience for me. It turned out to be particularly interesting that we went when we did because there had been a huge storm in the area earlier in the year which, unbeknownst to us, had damaged the line so severely that it was clearly not usable. So, the trip afforded an opportunity for me to learn a lot about various aspects of railroads—from Sam and from all the things we saw—and I got to see and take photos of the aftermath of a fierce battle between nature and human engineering. It was pretty neat. I do feel it appropriate to add a little disclaimer, which I also posted on the intro of the slideshow:

As I was looking up information about the storm damage I noticed a statement on the Tillamook Railroad website that the tracks are closed to unauthorized use and that they will prosecute violators for criminal trespass. Also, as is obvious, walking on active railroad tracks, especially on trestles and in tunnels could be extremely dangerous, so I am not recommending it.

So, with that said, check out my photos from the trip and experience the hike vicariously. Hope you enjoy them.