Forestland surrounding U.S. Highway 26 in Clatsop County can be pleasant, serene, relaxing.

During the daytime, hikers may encounter wildlife and enjoy the natural greenery.

But when night falls, the forest turns dark … in more ways than one.

Raves on logging roads are increasingly becoming a concern for law enforcement and parents because of drug use at the raves and impaired drivers leaving them.

A head-on collision happened July 21. A car carrying four teens sheriffs deputies believe they were leaving a rave struck a vehicle with two women in it. Five people were seriously injured. All were taken to the hospital; two were seriously hurt.

Its always an issue anytime you have these kinds of activities in the county when people are exiting those events and operating motor vehicles under the influence of intoxicants, said Lt. Duane Stanton of Oregon State Police. Its always a potential problem.

Raves on logging roads have been a problem for years and years and years, said Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin.

But now, with the ease and availability of social networking websites, its harder for law enforcement to get their hands on an invitation.

Its unfortunate, Bergin said. Its very difficult to know when and where they are going to happen. It will be announced two hours before on Facebook, and in two hours, kids are out there set up, and the party starts. Then they dismantle the next morning.

Its amazing how fast it happens. That gives us a very short window to find out about it, monitor it and try to put a stop to it. We do everything we can.

Bergin admits Clatsop County doesnt have the resources to really battle the problem. Even Washington County, a bigger agency, doesnt have the resources.

On a normal weekend, or when theres an event like Hood to Coast and were just flooded, this adds a whole extra component with 300 to 500 kids out on a logging road, doing what they do at raves, Bergin said. It blindsides us.

The rave

These parties are not like keggers from the 1970s, Bergin said. They are legitimate events, with stages, bounce houses, DJs, bands, laser shows and trampolines. Some party planners obtain a conditional-use permit to legally host an event on state land; most, Bergin believes, do not, because obtaining a permit takes away from the organizers profits.

But thats not the biggest issue for Bergin. Hes more concerned with illegal drugs.

Its kind of the modern version of the keggers on county roads and logging sites, but unfortunately we get 300, 400 or 500 kids up there and it becomes quite the incident. The aftermath and everything, Bergin said. Some people get conditional-use permits for the rock pits and I think thats a good thing, as long as theyre not using drugs up there. But if they want to have a party and relax and do all of their fun stuff and its all legal, then I think thats fine.

But MDMA or Ecstasy is popular at these events, as is methamphetamine and hallucinogenics, a prime concern for law enforcement. Some drugs create dangerous medical conditions like serious body overheating. When people do call for help, paramedics often cannot find or get to the location.

Some people wander off in an intoxicated state. Others decide to drive away and thats when accidents can happen.

At the last one, a guy ran over a tent, with people in it, Bergin said. One man in the tent received an injury to his arm. Later, the same driver caused a crash on the highway.

A body of a man was found in the woods in 2011 and still has not been identified. The man had event flyers in his wallet but no ID and investigators believe he just wandered away from a rave. 

Accidents are common on the highway after a rave.

Weve been to several raves over the years. And people do get arrested, but you cant arrest everybody, Bergin said. What the (deputies) usually do is sit at the gate, and stop and wait, and help people not go to the party. Its like, Turn around, now, you guys are going up here to get fried and do your thing. But now its harder to know what gates to go to.

When on some drugs, people need a lot of water, Bergin said. Bottled water sells for $5 to $10.

The one oddity is that many partygoers do clean up after themselves. Sites dont often look like anyone has been there, and there are no water bottles scattered around.

But there is a lot of fecal matter surrounding the area thanks to 500 attendees without sanitary facilities. A conditional-use permit requires rented portable toilets be on site, another reason some organizers dont obtain one.

Raves are usually posted on a Facebook events page. For the one that took place June 21, more than 20,000 people were invited. Some 652 responded yes; 310 replied with a maybe.

Four out of five of those people coming are from outside of Clatsop County, Sgt. Matt Phillips from the Clatsop County Sheriffs Office estimates. The event was scheduled from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day.

Mostly kids, when they go to their first rave, they are meeting the organizers and getting friended by the event promoters on Facebook and then the messages start to the groups of kids, potential attendees, and then shortly before the event, they put up an event page, Phillips said.

Bergin added, Were talking a couple of hours.

The page gives invitees a map point, Phillips said. Thats where people can collect a map or GPS coordinates. Its another layer of secrecy to make it harder for law enforcement to find a location.

At the last rave, Phillips had a tip about where the map point would be. So deputies showed up at the Sunset Rest Area on U.S. Highway 26 and spoke with the people giving out maps. They denied any involvement, but more than 100 cars drove through the rest area in a short amount of time.

Those were people wanting to go to the rave. They were in and out of the rest area, Phillips said.

Salmonberry and North Wolf Creek are popular rave locations.

Because of tight resources, Tillamook, Washington and Yamhill County sheriffs offices and other agencies are called to help with policing. Seaside and Astoria Police are sometimes asked, too.

But Bergin is cautious about tactics.

We still cant just go walking in like were the Gestapo and were about to shut this all down, because it just doesnt work that way, he said. Yeah, if we see drugs and stuff like that, we can, but I think the main thing is that parents, rightfully so, have this concern that their kids are going to these parties where there is a lot of drug use. And then they leave, and thats where we have these horrific accidents.

The latest accident

At 9:15 a.m. July 21, Oregon State Police responded to an accident where five people were seriously injured in a head-on collision on Highway 26, eight miles from the U.S. Highway 101 junction in Clatsop County.

A 1990 Subaru Legacy driven by Samuel M. Kitto, 19, from Astoria, crossed the centerline and struck a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by Karen Anderson, 27, from Eugene, head on.

Anderson was slightly hurt. Her passenger, Audrey Ziebelman, 56, received serious injuries. Both were transported to Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria. Kitto received serious injuries. He was transported to CMH then transferred to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland.

Three passengers in the Subaru were seriously injured. They were front passenger Jacob Engbretson, 19, rear seat passenger Dylan Rabell, 19, and a 16-year old girl. Her name was not available.

The passengers were taken directly or transferred to Portland-area hospitals. Their hometowns were not available. The crash is still under investigation, but officers say both women were wearing seat belts and their air bags deployed. They cannot say if any of the teens were wearing seat belts.

OSP was assisted at the scene by the Clatsop County Sheriffs Office, Hamlet Volunteer Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation.

For the sheriff, the crash sends a message about the dangers of raves.

Bergins advice to parents, he said, is to know your kids and talk to them about the dangers of those types of parties, where drug use and remote locations pose several problems. He also cautioned teens, Just dont do it.

Its not worth it, he said.

Accidents and illegal drug use cause problems around rural Clatsop County.