Film Student Sees The Light & Stumbles Upon An Outdoor Career
Alison Sigg Was Never One For Getting Lost In Nature, Until A "Fire Lit In Her Belly" Inspired Her Commitment To A Scenic Outdoor Tour Company
Many things come to mind in conversation with Alison Sigg, a lively guide for South Coast Tours, a company that offers scenic guided tours and kayak fishing on the southern Oregon coast. First and foremost, are quotes by Henry David Thoreau, several of which were recited when speaking with Sigg. One: “I must walk toward Oregon and not towards Europe,” which Thoreau explains to mean that, “We go eastward to realize history and study the works of art and literature, retracing the steps of the race; we go westward as into the future, with a spirit of enterprise and adventure.” That adventure is what took Sigg to the small fishing town of Port Orford, Oregon.
“I grew up in Massachusetts and we were not an outdoor family,” she laughs. She explains the most outdoor they got was going to Disney World. This changed when she was influenced by her high school English Teacher, Mr. Spaulding. “We were really close and he was the one who handed me my diploma,” she recalls, “In the diploma there was a picture of his son, who got a degree in Outdoor Leadership, and a quote by Thoreau from the Appalachian Trail.” The quote read, “Some will remember, no doubt, not only that they went to college, but that they went to the mountain.” Sigg explains that her teacher said he envisions her to have a life in the outdoors.
“So I went out into the woods after school and I didn’t know anything,” she says, “and I got stung by a bee and had snakes all around me and I looked ridiculous as I ran panicked up a hill. On top of the hill there was a deer that looked straight at me and then led me to the road.” After this experience, Sigg tried college for film, because “I was good at telling stories and writing.” She says that one of her assignments was to go and find light. “All of a sudden I got this fire in my belly. I was like possessed as I stood up and walked out of college,” she recalls, “I thought ‘I can’t find light!’ I’m stuck underneath all these fluorescent bulbs with a bunch of dumb 21 year old college kids.”
After that she went to a small outdoor school in western Massachusetts and did ice climbing, canoeing, and hiking. “I was terrible at everything,” she laughs, “it was the hardest thing I ever done. My whole world was of misfortune, but it was wonderful. I’m always the person that never has her hair done right, a bit sweaty and too loud.” She says that it is okay to be that way in the outdoors and she realized, “when making crepes with kids on a river during an overnight rafting trip, I saw light.” The light she saw was the sun glittering on the river and she knew she wanted to get into rafting.
Her adventures took her to Oregon and she was a white water rafting guide. “We were on the river last summer and it was incredibly hot, like 109 degrees,” she says, “so we decided to go to the Oregon coast.” Her and her fiancee drove to Port Orford to a friends house and while they were there they stumbled upon some land for sale. “It was magical and we decided we wanted to become adults and buy it,” she says, “while we were going back and forth on this magical place, we looked out on the ocean and saw three whales come up and spout at the same time. We took that as a sign.” They bought the land and have been homesteading on it ever since in a 15’ 1956 Companion Trailer. “We just got electricity 2 weeks ago and running water recently,” she says, “it is really exciting!”
Her and her fiance met Dave, owner of South Coast Tours, through a mutual friend. Sigg does the 2 hour tour that starts from the port. “It is a wildlife tour,” she explains, “The wind that blows on the ocean is unbelievably strong, but we go into coves, caves and under arches.” While going, they see colonies of seabirds, sample some kelp, and the final cove is filled with harbor seals. “When we come into the quiet cove, protected by the wind, the seals dip into the water and a lot of times will come up to the boats and play in front of them,” she says. Sigg also says the whales are migrating right now. “We saw some today and sometimes they come really close! They’ll dive deep down and come back up and spout.”
The girl who never went outdoors is now living in the outdoors and showing others the beauty that it has to offer. Recently however she was preoccupied with a pleasant distraction. Her and her fiance got married in September and she was busy preparing for it. “I have planted food throughout our property for harvest for the wedding and 300 flowers,” she says. Up until a few weeks ago, she had to water them all by hand. Having running water now, “is like a miracle,” she laughs.
Andrew Malo
A graduate of Northeastern Illinois University in Education, Andrew has taught for the past decade in Chicago, New Mexico, and Japan. He enjoys tinkering with trucks and motorcycles, woodworking, reading and computer programming.
Make Sure To Stay At:
Bandon / Port Orford KOA is surrounded by 8 acres of native Oregon trees creating wonderfully woodsy, secluded campsites. Don't forget a 1/2 -acre playground, heated pool, 14-foot-long hot tub, hot showers and summer pancake breakfasts.