Eagle Cap Wilderness, September 2014

[Lisa]

I had been wanting to do a trip to Eagle Cap for years, so with the husband laid up with a torn achilles, the mutt and I escaped for a long weekend in September. We started at the Two Pan trailhead and set up camp by Sunshine Lake. It was a nice little spot, had it to ourselves. We spent the second day on a long trail run by a bunch of beautiful lakes. The bummer is I forgot the put the memory card back in my camera, and realized it as I went to take my first photo. So, these are all phone photos. Guess I'll have to go back with a real camera...

This was the mutt's first backpacking trip, first time in a tent. She was a champ. I can't wait for our April trip to the desert.

Waterfall along Lostine River

Upper Lostine River

Upper Lostine Meadows

Mirror Lake

Camp at Sunshine Lake

The Matterhorn

Eagle Cap

Moonrise from camp

Eagle Cap at sunset

The mutt decided it was early bedtime and took over my bag. She was not excited when I kicked her off.

Sunrise from camp

Early morning at camp

Crescent Lake

Lee Lake

Horseshoe Lake

Horseshoe Lake

Horseshoe Lake

Moccasin Lake

Trail across Moccasin Lake up to Glacier Pass

Mountain Bog Gentian, my favorite wildflower

View from Glacier Pass, looking north

Meadows near Glacier Pass

Mirror Lake from Glacier Pass

Approaching Glacier Pass

Glacier Lake

Glacier Lake

Glacier Lake

Lostine River again, headed back down, a little smoky from some new forest fires to the west

Bridge across the Lostine, almost back to the trailhead


Featured image for home page:

 

[Lisa]

I thought I had the picture attaching figured out...clearly I don't, and now I don't know how to fix it!

 

[Nick]

I'm not sure what happened there, Lisa. I've seen it once before but that person just re-uploaded and it was fine. Perhaps just try that and then reinsert them.

Really excited to see them!

 

[Ben]

i'll be waiting to see what it looks like when you figure it out : ) i've been wanting to make out there for a while also with out being able to pull it off.

 

[Parma]

My first backpacking trip I ever went on when I was 12 was in Eagle Cap.
It was amazing...from what I remember. We didn't take too many photos back in 1988.

 

[pixie1339]

I'm also looking forward to seeing those pictures when you get them uploaded. I hear nothing but good things about Eagle Cap.

 

[Lisa]

Now with actual pictures!

It was a beautiful place! I'll definitely be going back this September, maybe even with the husband this time and the other pup.

 

[Lisa]

I'm not sure what happened there, Lisa. I've seen it once before but that person just re-uploaded and it was fine. Perhaps just try that and then reinsert them.

Really excited to see them!

Thanks Nick! That worked

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

What a beautiful place. Thanks.

 

[pixie1339]

Awesome! It was worth the wait.

 

[Eugene]

Beautiful area. Looks like you had good weather. Would love to get up there sometime!

 

[WasatchWill]

Haven't heard of this area but it looks like a fantastic place! It would stink to have to carry the weight of the camera around and not be able to use it. Your phone did a fine job though!

 

[andyjaggy]

Looks like a nice area. I had never heard of it before and was surprised to see that is is just outside Le Grande Oregon. My mom grew up in Union Oregon that is literally right there at the base of those mountains. All the times we went there growing up I had no idea there was such a nice mountain range right outside of town.

 

[Parma]

Here are some photos I tracked down from 1988 in Eagle Cap, not sure of the name of the lakes here. But this was my first backpacking trip ever.

 

[John Goering]

Here are some photos I tracked down from 1988 in Eagle Cap, not sure of the name of the lakes here. But this was my first backpacking trip ever.

My condolences. Terrible introduction to backpacking. And makes one wish they had perhaps scribbled something on the photos. I have a large number of slides that are in that same boat. Google Earth helps, but not on all.

 

[Absarokanaut]

With blatant redundancy; WOW. Beautiful place. Happy trails and tails.

 

[Lisa]

@Parma Those are great! It looks like a totally different lakes basin, and there are a ton of them there. Maybe I'll figure it out on my next trip!

It is a beautiful place! Definitely worth a visit, and September seemed like a great time to go. Not so crowded and still nice weather.

 

[Langdon Greene]

I just backpacked in Eagle Cap for the first time back in September, right after a week in the Idaho Sawtooths. Eagle Cap wilderness is truly one of the most underrated (and largely unknown) gems in the USA, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Given the layout of trails, there are a bunch of great loop or lollipop routes possible. @Lisa, did you not get up to the summit of Eagle Cap peak itself? I'm not normally one to "peak-bag" and debated whether we wanted to allot a day to go up there, but my buds wanted to, and I'm glad I went along with them.

Ha, I just realized you were there in September too - same as us. In fact, we may have run into you (we were 3 guys in their 50s), your dog kind of looks familiar.