‘Pearl’ carries a stick as Nancy Frederick runs behind her.

Surrounded by nothing but lush greenery and a dirt path, Nancy Frederick and her yellow Labrador retriever, “Pearl,” ventured through a heavily forested Astoria trail. Fallen branches and logs littered the muddy route, suggesting it had been a while since another human passed through.

After a few more twists and turns, the Astoria teacher and her energetic dog paused to peek through the dense treetops to a view of ships passing through the Columbia River. For Frederick, the peaceful calm is like heaven, a welcome break from her busy day job in the classroom.

“It’s almost immediate. I go 50 yards into the forest and on the dirt, and if I was having a bad day, now it’s good,” she said. “It’s the smell, the feeling under my feet and a lot of it is just being alone with the trees.”

Frederick knows the labyrinth of twisting hills and descents in Clatsop County like the back of her hand.

She’s made it a point to spend as much time as possible in remote places only accessible through old logging roads and deer trails.

Her goal is to reach the top of all 43 peaks in the county. At this point, she’s crossed off all but a few. The only thing holding her back is the law; the last few mountains are privately-owned property not open for exploration by the public.

The peak challenge wasn’t her first major goal. She’s been ambitious since she was born, setting a goal to finish an Ironman when she was just a toddler.

“I saw it on the TV when I was really little,” she laughed.

But after achieving her Ironman dream and competing in triathlons and road races for years, she broke her shoulder in an accident. The grueling recovery process changed her life.

“I couldn’t handle running on the cement anymore,” Frederick said, noting the repetitive impact caused issues with her recovery. “When I started running on the trails, it was like a whole new turn of events, and now it’s my favorite thing. It’s all I want to do now. I haven’t gone back to my swimming or cycling.”

According to the International Trail Running Association, the sport has increased in popularity in the last decade, particularly among women. The association analyzed trail running race data worldwide and reported that the percentage of female participants doubled from 2013 to 2019.

Frederick believes the North Coast is the perfect place to participate in the sport, as the landscape allows endless opportunities for exploration. Highlights of her time as a trail runner include completing a 50K race and experiencing close encounters with creatures that most people don’t get a chance to see in the wild.

“I was on a logging road and a bear literally ran right in front of me,” she said. “It just crossed the road, and it was so fast. It definitely was not interested in me and I probably scared it.”

Places to run

Locals and visitors to the North Coast may enjoy running on the dirt trails located in Fort Stevens and Cape Disappointment state parks as well as at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. A popular shorter route is a 2-mile loop around Coffenbury Lake.

Those interested in exploring North Coast trails with a group can join the Just Run Bike Swim Astoria group on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. For updates, go to facebook.com/groups/justrunbikeswimastoria.

Frederick now shares routes and hosts group runs so that others can experience the sport she’s come to love. She leads the local fitness group, Just Run Bike Swim Astoria, which meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings. In the warmer months, the activity lineup is full of off-the-grid runs, and participants are often asked to bring clippers to maintain the trails as they trek through the woods.

“I always get excited to take somebody out there because sometimes I see something, and I go, ‘Oh, I want other people to come to do this,'” Frederick said.

She advises runners who wish to explore the lesser-known North Coast trails to plan responsibly and carry a GPS, emergency kit and a cellphone. Frederick said it’s best to pick a familiar starter trail and explore the offshoots around it.

“Every time I see something new out there and add something new on, I go out and do it like two or three times just to remember how it all links up,” she said. “Anybody can go out there and turn on their GPS and just retrace their steps to get back.”