Dangy Photo: Wallowas Backpacking Trip

Hola,

I'm finally getting my Wallowas Backpacking trip photos out for you to see. No great art here, but some nice pics telling the story of our trip. As I mentioned in my earlier post on out-the-window photos, I wasn't all that psyched photo-wise on this trip, but did capture some nice mountain images for folks to enjoy.

My good friend Chuck and I have done an annual backpacking trip since way before my kids were born. In the olden days our wives would go along too, but they begged off after a few years, so its just been me and brother Chuck for some years. We missed out going the last two years- two years ago because I broke my back in a climbing fall, then last year because of various family and work conflicts.

Chuck and I finally got our act together this year and made it into the Wallowas in northeastern Oregon for a four-day back country trip. On our first day trekking in we walked six sucky miles uphill in the rain to our camp along the edge of a wide open tree-lined meadow. We woke the next morning to crisp, dry fall weather and spent the next two full days day hiking in the high country.

On the first high-country hiking day we found two fun bouldering spots on pristine white granite. The first spot was cool, with some nice slabs and overhangs with great landings. The second spot, located along a lake, was unlike any place I've climbed in 30+ years of cragging. The lakeside face was perched right along the water's edge leaving just enough room to creep out along the shore to get started crimping up the quality granite. The itsy-cliff face was about 50 feet long and around 14 feet high (photos below). There were plenty of routes going sideways and straight up. No room for a crash pad, and not enough water to jump into...

The fourth day gave us more great weather for the hike out. We had beers at the trail head, then took a plunge into cold Wallowa Lake to clean up for the drive home.

Here's a smattering of trip photos:

Brewing up on the old damp morning after the first rainy night.

The morning fog burned off and I tried to grab some groovy shadows and back lit trees in the meadow.

An hour's hiking from our camp got us into the Lakes Basin.

Same view with a creek. No tripod so I just leaned over the muck and grabbed an image. Those tiny-looking cliffs are sporting some multi-pitch routes.

Chuck hanging out at the first bouldering spot. This area had some cool 50-foot long hand cracks too.

A close-up of some hand-cracks at the base of the largest crag.

A high mountain lake.

Same lake. Not sure what caused those weird looking bands in the sky.

Chuck hiking.

The fabled lakeside cliff.

Going sideways. I got pumped traversing the length of this wee crag.

Hamming for the camera.

Gettin' serious.

The first wet cold night we built a fire. We decided fires were 'the shit' and made one every night-something I hadn't done backpacking since Boy Scouts.