School resource officer by day, hiker by…off duty days. Trent Olson is often recognized in public for his two notable, community roles: school resource officer and hiking influencer.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Olson grew up helping out on his uncle’s small dairy farm. The area also had a local creamery co-op,  making it very similar to Tillamook County. After graduation, he joined the military and served a 20 year career as a military police officer in the United States Air Force. Olson married his wife, a Washington native, who introduced him to the Oregon Coast.

“When I met my wife, she asked if I’d ever been,” Olson said. Olson hadn’t, so the couple took their 10-day honeymoon traveling from Astoria to Newport.

“I’d never seen anywhere so green, lush, and beautiful,” Olson recalled. 

The couple grew to a family of five and created a yearly tradition of traveling to the coast.

“Every single year we planned a trip and came out every year for 13 years in a row,” he said.  “We would stay in Barview and would talk to the locals: everyone was so welcoming and so open.”

By their sixth or seventh year, Olson said the family began contemplating making the Oregon Coast their home.

“We started thinking about it, praying about it, and seeing what the Lord wanted to us to do,” Olson said.

After some searching, they found a house and relocated to the area in 2021.

“This is really meant to be,” Olson said. “I looked at the job environment out here and saw that law enforcement was always hiring. I was pretty confident that I could get a job.”

Olson was hired as a Tillamook Police officer shortly after their move and was appointed as the Tillamook School District School Resource Officer. He has a daily presence throughout the school district and connects with students and staff at all levels.

“The first priority is to ensure the safety of students and staff,” Olson said. “We make sure there’s a safe environment for people to go to.” 

His second role is mentor.

“Sometimes kids’ only interaction with a law officer is when their parents are getting arrested,” said Olson. “I’m building relationships with kids and breaking down those walls and perceptions that kids may have with law enforcement. This was a great opportunity to connect with kids.”

During his off-time, Olson trades his badge for a pair of hiking boots.

“I’ve always been an outdoorsy person. It’s something I did growing up: hunting and fishing,” Olson said. “It wasn’t until I got here that I start taking pictures and video and posting on social media.”

In just over a year, “Hiking with Trent” social media accounts have garnered over 15,000 followers.

“I wanted to see where this would go, so I started posting almost every single day,” Olson said. “It took off like wildfire. It started with a basic Facebook page with a couple hundred friends, and then people just started commenting and reaching out.”

On his daily posts, Olson takes viewers on various hikes and outdoor excursions on the Oregon Coast—a majority of them in the Tillamook area.

“I feature all different places in Tillamook County just to show people what’s here. It’s such a cool area,” he said. “It’s fun, exciting, and a challenge to see what I can do next, like finding the hikes I haven’t done.”

Olson said he hikes every weekend, and sometimes can squeeze in an additional two-three hikes during the week.

“I’ve still only done about half of the hikes available,” he said.

Olson’s large following has earmarked him as a resource for many local and visiting hikers. 

“So many people are contacting me and wanting to come visit me,” Olson laughed. “People ask me to recommend a good hike. I’ll ask them what they want to see and what they’re looking for before giving a recommendation.”

On the top of Olson’s list are spots in Rockaway Beach, Oswald West State Park, and his kids personal favorite, the Elk Flats Trail near Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain.

“I love the diversity: it’s the reason we moved here,” Olson said. “I can sit here and look at snowcap mountains, and then can get to the beach in 10 minutes.”

Olson is also drawn to any excursion that leads him to the showstoppers of the sea.  

“I’m obsessed with starfish; they’re the coolest things. There are so many different varieties and colors,” he said.

 With such interest in his outdoor ventures, Olson hopes to one day lead his online followers on in-person hikes.

“I want to make this a full-time a job,” he said. “I just need to figure out how.”

As a mentor in many ways, and an ever-growing internet audience, he’s well on his way.

Catch Olson’s daily hiking posts at “Trent Olson” on Facebook, or “Hiking with Trent” on Instagram and TikTok . Olson also collaborates with the Tillamook Coast Visitors Association to post outdoor content via their channels each Monday.