I woke up about quarter to six on day 3 of our trip in the Wallowas or Eagle Cap Wilderness as the morning sun lit up the tip of an unnamed peak rising from behind the ridge above Cached Lake that sits close to 7,300ft.
Despite the temperatures hitting the high 80’s during our trip, a peek out the bug net of my hammock reminded me that we are at that high elevation with the snow was still holding on.
After slowly leaving the comfort of my sling, making breakfast and packing up once again, I explored around where we had camped as Elizabeth finished getting herself ready. This trip was so much different than our other adventures together. We usually have miles to make and there is no time for dawdling! This time, however, we had a shorter itinerary and it was reflected in the leisurely manner at which we broke down camp. Of course, the fact that we were still on trail around 7am probably doesn’t seem like leisure to everyone.
One of the coolest things I have seen in awhile in the backcountry was the way that the creek that flowed here skirted the lake entirely. Instead, it flowed next to it, weaving in between the trees before finally spilling out down below. It was really hard to capture in the pictures but I included a video of it in the one posted below. Looking at the picture above, it flows right to left in the foreground, turns back into the trees in the middle and then turns back again to the left to continue on.
My guess is from the map that this boggy area was once part of the lake but as it has diminished, the creek started to do its own thing. This wetland is why the campsites by the trail sit back and it would be interesting to see how much it dries up as summer progresses and whether or not this provides better access. Mid-July is still early in the season.
Our hike back down the Trail Creek Trail commenced at 7:01am and we had a general idea of how we wanted to finish our time in Eagle Cap. We would hike the 4.5 miles out from Cached Lake to the Main Eagle Creek Trail to the junction with Bench Canyon. I wanted to hike up to the lakes above, Heart and Arrow, and maybe the pass just beyond that at 2.5 miles. Elizabeth wanted to hike just enough to see one of the waterfalls we had glimpsed hiking in.
The walk back down into the Eagle Creek valley was as beautiful as when we hiked up the day before. We saw some grazing deer off in the distance and discovered what horsemen will do if they throw a shoe on trail. Just one more reason to carry duct tape! What we still haven’t seen by this time are any other people.
It was back over all the streams we crossed the day before. E and I had talked about the possibility of me completing the loop without her today and meeting her at the junction of Bench Canyon to hike out. As enticing as that was, not knowing the conditions above, knowing there were water crossings like these on the way back for her, and not having a way to communicate between us, I couldn’t consider it.
We stopped several times, again to rest and snack. Elizabeth was feeling the toll of the last three days and promising herself that as soon as she got home, she would start preparing for next year’s trip. She didn’t know how she would find the time but she wanted to have a much better experience outdoors.
I took this time to analyze how I was going to make my sleep pad work when I used my much smaller Gossamer Gear pack. I had forgotten to bring a few stretch cords and had to resort to rubberbands I keep in my repair kit (I use those manila folder ones for EVERYTHING). It worked okay but having it hang on the side was pretty awkward. I’d like to have it on top but there really aren’t any good places to attach the cords. I might have to do a little sewing because other than that problem, I like the size and weight of the pack for 2-3 day trips.
Another mile or so was filled with more beauty and I said goodbye to the tip of Needlepoint as we rounded the corner towards the junction with Lookingglass. I don’t think we will be back next year but I’ll return sometime in the future for a week or more to make another summit attempt. Of course, it is one of 30 prominent peaks in the area, so it most likely won’t be the only one.
Past that junction, we could look down and see several large tents camped near the creek but the most interesting sight were the wooly coats of llamas feeding in the meadow above them. We had a little conversation about the group and wondered if they were a hosted excursion. Maybe a way for those who normally wouldn’t backpack to come in the short four miles from the trailhead to experience nature. Turns out I read later in Outdoor Magazine that they may have been anxiety llamas. Who knew there was such a thing?
We spotted the waterfall Elizabeth hoped to get a better look at flowing down over granite slab from the canyon shortly before we arrived at the junction with Bench Canyon at 10:15 am. The day was already warm and I was not looking forward to elevation gain ahead of me.
The fact that the trail was signed “Not Maintained” should have been a significant deterrent considering the last time we took such a trail in this area. It was definitely the reason Elizabeth had no intention of going more than a mile up. But I needed a little adventure and this trail was hopefully going to provide it! We set a turn around time of 1pm and she would wait down below for me. I stashed some things I deemed unnecessary in the trees (sleep system, microspikes), no reason to carry all that with me for a day hike. Any snow I might encounter this late in the day would be too soft for the spikes to do any good.
Elizabeth was going to rest a bit first before ascending the trail herself, so I left her sitting in the tree cover and headed up the trail about 10:30am. The path had indeed not seen maintenance in awhile; tread creep, berm and overgrowth blurred any real distinction between trail and the surrounding terrain. However, it was still possible to stay in the general direction by following the contour of the slope. One of my favorite sights was this boulder that clearly had landed kerplunk in the middle of the trail from somewhere up above.
It wouldn’t be a hike in Eagle Cap if I didn’t pick up a few hitch hikers along the way, especially if I had mentioned the day before that I was glad to not have to deal with them this year.
The gradual switchbacks slowly took me up above the valley floor and opened up views of the surrounding ridges and peaks at just .8 miles. I had to watch my step to avoid any ankle twisting rocks along the tread that sorely needed drainage work as I admired the scenery around me.
The closer I got to the creek that feeds into the waterfall, the more lush the vegetation became and marshier the trail. That is if there was a trail because at this point I was just looking for the driest place to set my feet. There were, fortunately, a few rocks and logs hidden in the grass to help me along, even though I was only hoping this was the right direction.
I reached the creek at 1 mile and 6,718 feet, the water running pretty well and dropping off to my right into what I assumed was the waterfall. It was difficult to tell as both banks down to the water were steep and the brush was a solid wall around me. The rock hopping actually looked decent but the finale would be a quick climb up a muddy bank into that sea of foliage obscuring all but the little bit of “trail” that poked out from below.
I was so happy with my plan as I successfully crossed the creek and plunged up the trail on the other side through the brush. That is until I was instantly swarmed by what I first thought was pollen only to realize when I was covered from head to toe with tiny white aphids. At least I hoped that was all they were, particularly since I’m pretty sure I breathed in a few. And it all would not have been as horrible if I hadn’t unbuttoned my shirt on the hot, exposed slope I had come up so now I was essentially tarred and feathered with sweat and bugs. Sorry I didn’t take a picture of that but since I still had to walk at 30-40 more feet to get through the gauntlet of misery, my only concern was whether or not it was ever going to clear.
Trying not to think about the fact I would have to GO BACK that way to go home, I swiped most of the little buggers off with my bandanna and carried on. I may have stopped and eaten some chocolate for fortification. The canyon walls rose above me on both sides as I continued on more (thankfully) exposed terrain. The trail moved away from the creek and granite and towards a meadow nestled in between the slopes. And this is where I discovered some of the most trenched trail I have ever hiked.
In some places the boulders were so large and filling the trail, I had to rest my hands on the edges of soil to lift myself along. The part of me that wants to adhere to LNT and prevent braided trail would not let me walk above on the grass so I appreciated the upper body workout. I can’t imagine what muck and mire this must be when it is wet! Luckily it only lasted about a hundred feet or so.
From here, the trail continued through the meadow and up towards the notch of the canyon, making its way closer again to the creek. I maneuvered back across it again, this time aided by a sturdy log and just a few mosquitos buzzing around me.
I was keeping my eye out for the junction to Heart Lake which according to the book should have been 2.1 miles up, GAIA showed the same but Green Trails had it cutting across a little over 1.5 miles from Main Eagle. The snow covered the trail in places and I didn’t see at obvious place to turn up on my left even though I started looking about 1.6 miles up.
There were a couple spots that seemed to have potential to head down to the lake, but each time I took one the snow covered the ground within a few feet and I was quickly off-trail (if there had been one at all) with no obvious route through the trees and debris. I started to think there may be multiple social trails to the lake, especially because GAIA, Green Trails and the book description couldn’t agree. According to what I could see, the lake should have been visible within few hundred yards. The third attempt to follow a side trail proved me right, but I had obviously missed the actual path because I ended at a scree field and could see Heart Lake down below. Well, I guessed I would be visiting Arrow Lake first because I had a turn around time to make and I wanted to see the pass.
I turned back to the main trail to continue my ascent which followed switchbacks up the slope briefly and then made its way over granite marked with cairns. I’m not sure they were imperative for my journey but I imagine the snow obscured the path not long ago and someone decided they were helpful.
I was sitting myself down for lunch on a slab at Arrow Lake around 12:30pm with 30 minutes left before I needed to make my way back down towards Elizabeth. I enjoyed the solitude under the noon sun and tried to make out the shape of the water that the lake was named after. The map made it appear more like an airplane but an arrow must have sounded more quaint with Heart Lake down below. Ah, Cupid.
This would be a pleasant location to camp at but I didn’t see any sites when I walked around its circumference. They must have been higher up than I had time to search or possibly further up the trail near the pass just a quarter mile more.
With just a few minutes to spare, I left the lake and made my way up to the pass by 1pm taking in the view at 7,835ft. There was quite a bit of snow but it wouldn’t be there for much longer with this weather. I knew what I was looking at was where Elizabeth and I had been on Day 2 and 3 of last year’s trip where we came up over on the Granite Creek Trail, down to Upper Minam and then over to Mirror Lake. The rugged mountains filled the horizon and I could even see the summit of Eagle Cap off to my right. The panorama only solidified my love for this region of my world.
But I didn’t have time to linger, I had promised I would turn around at 1pm and it was 1:05pm. And I had another lake to find. It wasn’t pretty but 20 minutes later after arriving at the view above the lake, I found the flattest terrain on the map and cut down to the lake off trail rather than deal with potentially missing it again once I couldn’t see the lake through the trees.
This lake was surrounded by waterlogged grass like Cached Lake that gave the impression of not being suitable for camping but a few black logs and fire rings told me that folks probably did in drier conditions.
But the best part of visiting the lake was being able to take an obvious side trail back to the main one and see where I should have turned in. It was, in fact, where I had started looking in the picture above but the trail was obscured by snow and downfall. Oh well, it wouldn’t be an adventure if everything was easy.
I was soon back down in the meadow filled with spry purple flowers and hatching a plan for making across the creek aphid-free. Let’s just say that trekking poles are perfect for whacking the baloney out of bug infested brush that you might want to walk through.
Eizabeth was resting in the shade after making it to the first marshy area above before the creek. I told her she was smart to have turned back then as we packed up with one more destination on our list. There had been another waterfall we had spied before the junction to Bench our first day in but hadn’t seen a trail. This time I paid extra attention and spied a faint path between some boulders on our right about .25 miles from the junction where the trail becomes flat and sandy close to Eagle Creek. Sometimes I DO have an eye for spotting vague trail. It quickly led us back to the rushing water of Copper Creek Falls we had glimpsed between the trees.
It was the perfect end to our trip and we sat for some time watching the sun sparkled water cascade in front of us over the dark stone. There was nowhere I would have rather been at that moment.
We couldn’t stay forever in this refreshing oasis, so we were once again making our way down the trail back to the car, arriving by 5pm. From there we drove back to Umatilla after a stop in La Grande at the Ten Depot Street for dinner. It was the first restaurant I have eaten at where instead of bringing you free bread while you wait for your meal, they placed a delicious veggie tray before us. And the burger I had with an indulgent gluten free bun sealed the deal that I would be back to eat there again.
If someone had told me back in 1991 when Elizabeth and I met in college that we would some day be doing something like this together, I would not have believed them for a second. I treasure our friendship and can’t imagine my life without her. Even though we live several hundred miles apart, the years have only increased our dedication to spending time together. I count her as one of my biggest blessings and I can’t wait to see what adventures we take on next. I pray you have someone just as important to you as you make your way through this escapade we call life!
For more details about this hike, such as itinerary and maps head over to Eagle Cap Wilderness 2017. To start at the beginning of the story, read Return to Eagle Cap, Day 1: “Oh, Hell No.”.
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