[Prologue] There are times when daydreams of wilderness loom so enticingly they might be Atlantis at a rare low tide.

August 17, 4:12 P.M. Cape Blanco State Park, 68 degrees F. Day's mileage: 12.7

I hike along the beach toward Oregon's westernmost point, enjoying the crisp sea air, the curling surf, and the solitude.