Chad Crouch - Oswald West Soundwalk (2023) Hi Res

Oswald West is a State Park on the Oregon Coast that has the feel of tiny national park. Almost like a little version of Redwoods NP rendered Sitka Spruce. I left the State Park name off the title, because I didn’t feel like it captured the allure of the place. There are a lot of State Parks. None like Oswald West. Long popular with Surfers, the adjacent beach, Short Sands, offers rolling waves in an unspoiled setting. Two creeks tumble down from the large highway parking lot through an ancient groove of 200 ft tall trees and braided trails. Several giants fell down in a recent storm; massive 10ft wide logs, rounds, quarter rounds and chunks offer a fractalized close-up look at the mass of these former Sitka sentinels.

My visit occurred on March 16th of this year as the low hanging winter sun streamed into colonnade of Sitka Spruce and Western Red Cedar, dappling the forest floors low-growing ferns, salal, salmonberry with amber light. The temperature was mild and comfortable. The wind low. The wildlife was sparse, as were visitors. A morning visit during migration would yield a far different audio portrait. In fact, unless you listen in headphones you probably won’t register the wildlife in the mix at all. It’s very subtle. What you will hear, mostly are the sounds of Necarney and Short Sands Creek and The surf at Short Sands Beach.