This spring, Ooligan Press will publish a new edition of The Sierra Club’s 50 Hikes in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, a guidebook to Portland’s nearest, beautiful State Forests. In anticipation of the new edition, members of the Sierra Club and Ooligan Press took to the trails to fact check and sweat over miles of beautiful forest land. This guidebook will cover the basics of successful hiking in the forests of Oregon.

Among the basics of an enjoyable day on the trails is preparation, and the guide has a list of essentials to bring. The guide will start any trekker on their way to equipping perfectly for a day in the forest. However, everyone has different needs for their different adventures. With this in mind, we have compiled a list with some extra additions we found useful in our own travels.

Necessities for hiking the Tillamook and Clatsop Forests in no particular order:

1. Raingear: Rain makes our forests green. It may also make you miserable, cranky, and cold.
2. Extra layers: This helps avoid the cold, and possibly the cranky.
3. Water: Lots of water. Leave some in the car, too.
4. Headlamp or Flashlight: Wrong trail, late start? Lost is one thing, lost and blind is scary.
5. Knife: Useful for cutting.
6. Sunscreen: Stay protected, stay beautiful . . . sunscreen.
7. Action Figure: In case you get lonely.
8. A book: The extra weight will make you strong, and quiet time in the woods with a good book will make you more so.
9. Sunglasses: Something protective and not your best; the streams and underbrush have claimed many a pair. Bonus points for croakies.
10. Rain fly or tarp: If you get stuck in the drizzles, keeping your gear dry means the difference between a soggy sandwich and the feast of royalty.
11. Art Supplies: Sketchbooks are great for logging trail memories and writing down information as you go. They have also been known to be great for drawing.
12. Extra food and snacks: Hungry folk make mistakes and yell at one another. Don’t.
13. Dry bag: Do you sweat incessantly? Me, too. On a long hike, this can protect your everything from sweaty backs, necks, armpits, etc.
14. A solid backpack: Something that won’t irritate you while travelling and carries your precious cargo.
15. Emergency supplies: Extra batteries, first aid, fire-starting kit (dryer lint is cheap and flammable), epi pen, and anything else you may need in a pinch. Bonus points for a dry container that can fit your phone and keys.
16. Binoculars: Useful for finding birds and far off landmarks while keeping a sharp eye out, you vigilant hero.
17. A hat: Something protective, comfortable, and quick-drying.This one has a wire brim you can bend into a cowboy or pirate hat.
18. Boots: Running shoes will get you through shorter trips, but to stay warm and dry over many miles, find something with a rigid sole and some ankle support.
19. Compass and Map: To know where you are and where you are headed is a beautiful thing. Making it there and back off-trail can take some doing, even for the practiced.

We hope you will join us this spring for the release of 50 Hikes in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests and put the guide to the test as you discover the beautiful trails.