Stories from the Oregon Desert Trail

Courtesy of Carly Swisher

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Great Basin Spadefoot Toads – a sleepy chorus

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John Cunningham, ONDA member and volunteer

Restoration is hard slow work. It takes hold, or it doesn’t, in fits and starts. The immensity of the need can be discouraging, but we must carry on. I am so thankful ONDA carries on.

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Ryan “Dirtmonger” Sylva, ODT thru-hiker 2017

“To me, it’s a thru-hike in an isolated place that promotes a conversation in land management, ethics and usage. Hiking across a vast and remote landscape and having a random and chance encounter with cowboys and hunters to discuss how ‘all of us’ should treat the land, how we all have a responsibility, no matter our political leanings, really showed me the pulse of the people in rural areas, especially here out west.”

Arno Schuster's 8-part video series about his 2019 spring thru-hike highlights the beauty and difficulty of the ODT.

Sage Clegg was the first hiker to complete the Oregon Desert Trail in 2013. This video highlights her journey and also explains why ONDA created a long-distance hiking route through south eastern Oregon.

Jeff Browning and Jesse Haynes ran the Owyhee section of the ODT in 2016, and Patagonia produced this beautiful film about their journey.

Bob "Huck Finn" Jessee created this video about his 2015 fall thru-hike in which he only used map and compass to navigate the challenging backcountry route!

Christof Teuscher produced the Restlessly Relentless movie series to document his 2-year project to run the entire ODT (spoiler alert: he did so in 17 days and 15 hours!!)

Eric "Seeking Lost" Poulin created a 35-part video series about his 2022 spring thru-hike.
Oregon Field Guide produced a wonderful episode about the Oregon Desert Trail featuring Sage Clegg and Renee Patrick

Photo by WahooFilms

Naomi “The Punisher” Hudtz & Mike “Iron Mike” Unger wrote this guide about their 2121 hike.

Staci “Artemis” Anderson hiked most of the ODT in 2021 via the 2,600+ mile UPNorth Loop.

Heather "Anish" Anderson had a snowy spring on her thru-hike in 2017.

Ras & Kathy Vaughan, the “Ultrapedestrians”, pioneered the UpNorth Loop in 2018, with spring on the Oregon Desert Trail.

Kat Hampton completed a solo hike in 2017.

Alex “Dayhiker” Bosh had a challenging early-season hike in 2017.

Shane “The Rev” Von Schlemp completed one of the earliest thru-hikes in 2014.

Another 2014 thru-hiker, Brian “Tomato” Boshart hiked the route the year materials were released to the pubilc.

Photo by Naomi Hudetz

Kate "Drop-n-Roll" Hoch kept a blog about her fall 2019 hike of the ODT.

Lindsay "Outro" Brisko thru-hiked the trail in 2019 with good friend Dan "Breakaway" Solmon.

Whitney "Allgood" LaRuffa finished the ODT in 30 days during the fall of 2018.

Katie "Salty" Gerber wrote a blog, overview of the hike, and resupply tips from her thru-hike with Allgood and friend Kate "Swept Away" Pickett in 2018.

Ryan "Dirtmonger" Sylva wrote this poetic account of his fall 2017 thru-hike.

During the fall of 2016 Nikki Long & Adrian MacDonald completed an impressive hike - it was Adrian's first long-distance trail!

Photo by Whitney LaRuffa

Carly “Quill” Swisher finished up her hike of the entire ODT in the spring of 2021.

Mary “Fireweed” Kwart section hiked the whole ODT in 2016.

Allison "Sweet Pea" and Brian "Beardo" Ristola described their long section hike here from the fall of 2019.

Lindsay "Marmot" Malone and Gabriel started in the Owyhee region on their section hike in the fall of 2019.

Tom Weir spent time on the Oregon Desert Trail in both 2017 and 2018.

Robin "Mountain Bird" Sims-Sullivan & Cindy "Wild Flower" Hull had some wonderful adventures in the spring of 2019.

Ted Houson hiked half the route in the spring of 2018.

Bob DenOuden took a wintry March trip to Diablo Peak in 2017.

Photo by Lindsay Malone

The adventurer known as Douchpacker has both bikepacked and hiked sections of the route.

Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick section hiked the entire route in 2016, including a "water alternate" packraft of the Owyhee, and also skied a short section of the route.

See the video section for more about Sage Clegg's biking portions of the ODT in 2013.

Runners can check out the videos above about Christof Teuscher's speed run of the ODT in 2015 & 2016, and Jeff Browning and Jesse Haynes trip in 2016.

Photo by Renee Patrick

If you have a blog or link from your trip that you would like to share, please send us the link, and we’ll get it posted.

Trail Resources

The resources you’ll find here can be used in combination to help you navigate the Oregon Desert Trail route and to safely travel through the high desert. Conditions on […]

Desert Travel Tips

Hiking in the high desert presents unique rewards … and unique challenges! Travel safely and responsibly along the Oregon Desert Trail with these tips, principles and essentials.