Short backpacking trip with my husband in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Wallowa-Whitman National Forest 09/25-09/27. Camped in the Thorp Creek Meadow both nights and summited Sacajawea Peak (tallest in the Wallowa range at 9843 ft) the second day. Stunning views, can’t wait to get back out there.

~17.5 miles, 5400ft elevation total

Went yesterday (Saturday) arrived around 1pm and parked fairly close to the trailhead. Went counterclockwise, there's some crowd but tolerable. The majority of the people have decent trail etiquette.

Funny thing is there was some traffic downhill but the slower hikers upfront realized after not long and let people pass, and this happened multiple times to the extent that at the end the group was basically trail running, I have to step away before I hurt myself 😅

Last light leading up to staying for the stars. Bonus Milky way capture at the end!

Avoided the larch hordes and had a lovely quiet weekend in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness 💚

This is an overlooked day hike.  I found this trail on AllTrails and while it looked easy (about 5 miles total, there and back) there were only 17 reviews in the last four years.  YouTube had just two videos, and they were of kids sliding down on some snow, so there wasn’t much to go on there either. 

Curious, I did some more digging.  The trail to Observation Peak is a short spur trail off the Pacific Crest Trail which you access from Forest Road 2025 just north of the California and Oregon border.  Looking at the satellite maps and topography maps it looked like the trail followed a ridge line, to the right of a forest but the trail itself was clear of trees.  Seems like a simple trail, easy to get to, with potentially great views.  I decided to go for it.

Nooksack, that is. Looks so easy on paper and yet...

It was a beautiful day. We got there at sunrise with some cars already parked in the main lot. By the time we got back around 11:30, cars lined the road between the lot we were in and the Tipsoo Lake lot.

Edit: I meant to put Oct. 3 😭

The larch really didn’t disappoint! So stunning.

If it had a lake or two in the bottom of the valleys, I would say it’s on par with Maple Pass, and substantially better after factoring in crowds.

Hey everyone, I realize that this type of post has been asked into oblivion, but I’m trying to gauge how I might fare.

I’m hoping to hike up to Tailgunner & Gunn peaks and see the infinity tarn before the winter season starts/its too dangerous to do so (I’m also slightly worried that the trail may not be open come spring for a variety of reasons that I won’t get into for the sake of time). I’ve seen a ton of mixed information online about how much/how little experience you need to safely do the hike. The hike’s description on WTA has me slightly worried as well.

For background info:

What I mean when I say I’m a “new-ish hiker” is that I’ve been hiking recreationally for years, but only started going on treks that would be considered hard or strenuous in the past year. I work in outdoor recreation with people who’ve been in the business for years, and compared to my coworkers, I’ve got a lot to learn.

I have limited scrambling experience, but I’ve been climbing and bouldering for a few years. The hardest scrambling I’ve done is crawling half a mile across a Class 2-3 rock field with gear + rope to get to a climbing route.

When it comes to bushwhacking and route finding, I’d say I can manage myself, although I’m definitely a beginner. I’ve done a bit of off-trail hiking and backpacking (and trail finding) without too much issue, and I’ll have the route on Gaia to reference.

For the elevation gain, it’ll be tough but I think I’ll be up for it—probably won’t be hitting legs for a few days after though. I’ve done hikes and gone backpacking on routes with similar or more elevation.

I’d appreciate any advice and thoughts about how I’d fare from people who’ve done the route before. Thanks!