Summit Days
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Springer admiring the view.
We decided to do an overnight loop in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, passing Minam Lake, summiting Eagle Cap, and returning to the trailhead. Eagle Cap is the peak that the wilderness area is named for and was once believed to be the highest peak in the range.
I drove to meet Evan, who was just getting off a 4-day trip working on trails in the Wilderness. We got a late start on the trail, only making it a mile-ish down the trail before setting up camp for the night. This guaranteed a long day the next day!
Reflections at Minam Lake.
The next morning we woke early, enjoying the hike in the cool morning air. We stopped for a snack at Minam Lake before starting up the pass that would drop us into the Lakes Basin for our Eagle Cap summit. Our first real climb of the morning, we worked up a sweat during the climb over the pass, but were rewarded with amazing views from the top.
We descended the other side, passing waterfalls and meadows on our way to the river where we re-applied sunscreen and stocked up on water for the 4+ mile round-trip hike to the summit of Eagle Cap.
The landscape turned from lush meadows to rocky, exposed slopes with lingering snow as we carefully made our way to the summit. The peak of Eagle Cap stands at 9,573 ft, which makes it my highest summit to date! Though the climb was steep and hot, the 360 views of the entire Wilderness were definitely worth it. We snacked and named as many peaks as we could.
The view from Eagle Cap.
Descending Eagle Cap.
With sore legs and full hearts, we made our way down the mountain and back towards the trailhead through the vibrant meadows surrounding the Lostine River. Pausing only to look back at the mountain we had just summited, we returned to the trailhead. The day was an 18+ mile day, probably the most either of us had completed in a single day since the Appalachian Trail!
Looking back at Eagle Cap.