What a concept.

Hike the 400-mile-long Oregon Coast, then shower, eat a fine dinner and sleep in a bed.

In ”The Oregon Coast Trail: Hiking Inn to Inn,” Central Oregon author Jack D. Remington has outlined the scheme. The book covers lodging, restaurants, transportation, the route, history, wildlife and plants you’ll likely see along the way.

”It is possible for a strong hiker to start at the mouth of the Columbia River (carrying only a day pack with lunch and essentials) and hike the entire coastline to California, staying almost every night in some form of comfortable accommodation,” Remington writes.

But most people will just bite off reasonable chunks. Remington suggests hikers start in the north with a hike between Seaside and Cannon Beach.

Remington divides The Oregon Coast Trail into three main sections and covers each thoroughly. Several appendixes line out everything from lighthouses to proper attire.

Your tour guide is an expert. Remington was the first Oregon State Trails Coordinator with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, from 1972 to 1985. Before that he was a torpedo bomber pilot from the World War II years through the Korean War. He was also a fish and wildlife biologist in Colorado, Washington, British Columbia and Oregon. He lives north of Bend.

A self-published book (printed by Maverick Publications of Bend), ”The Oregon Coast Trail” is a 141-page softcover. It retails for $16.95.

Contact: Jack Remington, 64568 Findlay Lane, Bend, OR 97701, 389-9518.