Joe's Account of Drift Creek Falls

I did things a little differently for this entry. I had Joe share his experience at Drift Creek Falls thinking it might be more interesting. I edited it and chimed in occasionally, but the opinions and ideas are his own.

It all started first with the threat of heavy rain followed by a bribe. Chelsea promised me a post-trail breakfast at Otis Cafe in Lincoln City - one of my favorites. I just didn’t think the journey to get there would be as difficult as it turned out.

We left very early, it was so dark and rainy I couldn’t see where I was even going. I took a wrong turn resulting in an accidental detour through construction. Nami whined the whole drive.

After what seemed like hours (Joe's exaggerating, it was less than two) we arrived at the forest road that would lead to the trailhead and I was greeted by an even windier road than before. I had to dodge downed branches and at one point had to stop and get out to clear away rocks from a slide. It was about that point when I turned to Chelsea and asked “Just where are you taking me?” Her reply was not reassuring when she just reiterated the name of the trailhead (well at least I didn't lie about it right?)

We finally made it to the parking lot, at that point it was pissing rain even more than before, something I didn’t even think was possible. We were the only car there because of course, nobody would be this crazy to hike in this mess. (We aren't crazy hon, just adventurous). 

We started walking and became instantly soaked, even with our raincoats it didn’t matter. It felt miserable but secretly it was enjoyable and we actually started jogging downhill to the waterfall.

Video: Trail running down to the falls

After lots of twists and turns through muddy puddles, we finally made it to a beautiful suspension bridge above the falls.

Video: A view of the falls from the suspension bridge

At that point, I knew I had to climb down to the bottom. The only thing standing in our way was an intense muddy incline where we had to use a rope to repel down. 

I saw Chelsea slip and slide on her butt partway, she was fine, but I guess it’s a good thing she had bought new hiking tights with a built-in butt pad. Then it was my turn. I made it down, the water from the falls felt and sounded like a hurricane it was rushing so fast around me.

Video: The bottom of the falls

My glasses were instantly covered in mist so I couldn’t see out of them. I didn’t stay at the bottom long because of poor visibility so I made my way back up the rope. We climbed back up the hill to the suspension bridge again.

Chelsea jogged in front of me and Nami started to follow but the bridge was so wobbly in the wind Nami stopped and froze herself to one spot. I had to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way. 

Video: Chelsea running across the bridge

We started the short slog back to the car in the rain and mud. We made it back completely soaked but it was finally time to go get breakfast. 

After a quick change of clothes in the still completely empty parking lot, we were back on the road. Chelsea suggested a shortcut, guess what, another incredibly windy gravel road! (Joe always acts surprised as if I can control these things). After what felt like a millennium (nice exaggeration) we made it to Lincoln City and the Otis Cafe.

But the parking lot was completely full and the line was out the door. I immediately though, “Nooooo what do we do?!” We both looked at each other and said “I’m not waiting for that,” so we decided to drive through town and find something else. But every parking lot was full! The only option was a place called Pig 'N Pancake but Chelsea said the food looked gross online (it really did) and there was also a line out the door.

So we decided to just cut our losses and drive towards home and eventually find somewhere else. We ended up in McMinnville where Chelsea found a promising spot, a diner ironically named “The Diner”. Victory at last! And it was delicious. 

When Chelsea first suggested this hike, on such a piss poor day, a hike she had chosen last minute when the weather crapped out on us, I didn’t think it would be all that great. Surprisingly it turned out better than I thought. Most of the time I can trust my wife when making decisions, but sometimes not. (He says as if he ever plans any of our adventures...). Like suggesting to go to a popular cafe at the beach during prime bunch hour. 

Distance Logged ~ 3 mi

Ascent 730 ft

Descent 730 ft 

Disappointment on Dog Mountain

I heard about Dog Mountain the first summer I moved to Oregon. It had a reputation for being brutal, everyone always talked about how much of a leg burner it was. In addition to the hard workout, it was also toted as having amazing views of the gorge. So it’s been a hike on my list for some time and I decided to finally check that box.

The day started off on the wrong foot. I had set my alarm for 5 am but for some reason, it didn’t go off and I woke up 30 minutes late. Then en route, my traffic navigation app said that the Bridge of the Gods was closed for a race so we had to take the slow way to the trail. Turns out the bridge was actually open ugh. Despite the drive taking 20 additional minutes, it was fine, we still got to the trailhead before it was super busy.

The hike started off uphill, no problem, I expected as much. After the first set of switchbacks, there is a sign telling you there are two choices to get to the summit - difficult and very difficult. 

Can you guess which one we picked? The very difficult trail wasn’t even the bad part, it was actually fine since we prefer to just go up instead of dealing with annoying switchbacks. It was hard and slow going but didn’t require much stopping since it was just steady uphill the whole time without any rock scrambling. We’ve definitely done worse. But honestly, it was boring. No views, just trees. It’s okay though, I mean we were climbing a mountain so the views would be epic at the top right?

We hit the first lookout and yeah, you’ve got a view of the gorge but I felt a bit underwhelmed.

So we kept going with the assumption the summit would be more breathtaking. Oh, how we were wrong. The summit was so overgrown that there wasn’t much of a view and the trail just sort of vanishes into the bushes. Just a small glimpse of the tip of Mount Hood through some trees. Are you telling me we just climbed 3000ft and had no view? What kind of twisted hike is this?

So we headed down and diverted to the difficult route back, hit just one viewpoint, realized it wasn’t any more amazing, and rated the hike 1.5 stars. 

Maybe we are being too harsh, I mean technically we did have views of the gorge. Maybe our boredom with the views was a result of having driven down the gorge so many times it’s no longer mind-blowing. 

Or perhaps it's something else entirely. We’ve hiked enough trails that we know what a good payoff looks like in terms of effort given. So when a hike has that much of a climb and makes the promise of views our expectations are quite high. Especially when there are other hikes in the gorge with more beautiful scenery for less effort.

So all in all, a great hike if you want sore glutes and a tired dog, but not so great if you want to be swept off your feet.

Distance Logged 6.5 mi

Ascent 2978 ft

Descent 2978 ft 

Wallowa East Eagle Loop Day 5: Crater Lake to Upper East Eagle Creek TH

After our brief stint of rain and hail, we were treated to a fairly warm night for our last. And by warm I mean it was only forty-two degrees but that felt like summer after the sub-freezing temps of our previous two nights.

We both woke early before six just as the sun was rising. I had spent the night having dreams of food. I guess after four days of hiking the famous hiker hunger had fully set in and it’s all I could think about. I'm not exaggerating, it consumed my every thought. 

As fast as we set up camp the night before we broke it down even faster and we managed to be walking by seven. Our packs were light on our backs, completely empty of food and with just enough water for our return trek so we both felt amazing. 

Leaving Crater Lake just after sunrise

We only had a six-mile descent back to the car and we were initially quite worried it was going to be a knee buster after speaking to other hikers. Luckily it wasn’t as steep as expected since it was a gradual drop the entire way. A couple sections were a little iffy due to erosion, but for the most part, it was fairly easy going.

Our descent back to East Eagle Creek

About halfway down I spotted some very distinct bear prints with clear front and hind prints differing in size and shape. I knew they were fresh since the rain the previous day had wiped all other prints away. The distinct prints were then followed by bear scat and lots of it, but that was the only sign of any bears.

Saw lots of prints here. but no bears

Before we knew it we were walking along Little Kettle Creek which added a lovely soundtrack to the walk then eventually through quiet forests where I could hear the occasional owl or bird. Finally, we saw them, the cars at the trailhead. I was a little sad to see the parking area since that meant the end to our amazing adventure. But then the bright spot, pizza.

Finished!

Now comes a story that has nothing to do with backpacking and everything to do with two desperately hungry hikers. It's probably also one of those "you had to be there" stories.

For two days straight, all Joe and I talked about was hitting the Mod Pizza we had sworn we had seen in Baker City during our stay. We had a long hour and a half drive back and once I regained cell reception I went online to look up the hours and exact address. Only to discover there was no Mod Pizza in Baker City. Nor in La Grande which we had passed through. Or in Pendleton where we planned to stay the night. 

Joe and I scratched our heads because we swore we had seen one en route and it was starting to drive us nuts that one didn't exist. We even went as far as to drive around Baker City for thirty minutes absolutely convinced it existed and Google was just wrong. 

After a lot of reflection, we realized it had actually been in The Dalles where we had fueled up. A town that was halfway from where we were and home. 

We laughed at ourselves, how could both our memories be so terribly wrong? Maybe we were just trying to manifest one in Baker City since we wanted it so bad. Like I said, we had talked about it nonstop for two days, that's how much we wanted it to exist. So we ended the trip without any pizza but laughing at our self-inflicted misfortune. 

Our Trip Highs and Lows (Mountains and Valleys)

Joe's High: Traversing Horton Pass
Chelsea's High: Having a staring contest with a mountain goat

Joe’s Low: Setting up his tent in the rain (he wasn't as fast as me)
Chelsea's Low: Putting on a frozen sports bra in freezing temps at 6am

Distance Logged 6.2 mi

Ascent 597 ft

Descent 3653 ft 

Wallowa East Eagle Loop Day 4: Frazier Lake to Crater Lake

Our day started out as a winter wonderscape. More so than the previous. A thick layer of frost covered every piece of exposed gear turning my blue backpack white and giving my tent a thick layer of frost. Our water was partially frozen and the minute we added water to our cook pots for breakfast, it too began to form ice. You don't know cold hands until you have to stuff your frozen tent into a small stuff sack. 

Brrrrrrrr

We counted our blessings for predicting the cold snap and sleeping with our water filters. A frozen water filter is no good since it can actually make it useless and while we have emergency backup tablets we would rather not use them. Breaking down camp wasn’t fun in the sub-freezing temps, but we were motivated by the desire to move our frigid bodies to create warmth. So despite numb hands and numb everything else we somehow got the packs loaded up.

We knew that our day was going to start off with a bang as we needed to traverse Hawkins Pass within a mile from camp. My sore limbs were still so frozen that my brain couldn’t register any other feeling other than cold so that was a blessing. As we slowly made our way up the switchbacks we darted in and out of patches of the rising sun. Each patch of warmth felt like heaven and was just motivation to reach the next one. It felt like nature rewarding us for our effort, as if to say, "Don't worry, I've got your back as long as you keep going forward."

We passed by Little Frazier Lake, a beautifully picturesque lake nestled between mountains. 

Little Frazier Lake

We had just started the real ascent when both Joe and I were struck with the same horror or needing to use the restroom and pronto. I don’t share much bathroom talk, some people can’t even fathom pooping in the woods let alone having it be considered a totally normal occurrence, but digging cat holes and carrying around used t.p. is just one of those things we've completely accepted and gotten used to. 

The mixture of dehydrated food, heavy exertion, and altitude changes create the perfect trifecta though, and more often than not when you need to go, you need to go. Immediately. Thank goodness for a small patch of trees wedged against a cliff because otherwise, someone may have gotten a show they had no intention of ever seeing. 

See that patch of trees to the right of Joe? Yeah.

So with that obstacle out of the way and feeling lighter in every sense, we continued up the pass. 

The last photo I took before the top

We made fairly good time, and by we, I mean that I made good time, because Joe always makes good time. Passes are my favorite climbs because immediately you are treated with a fantastic view of the other side that is completely new to you. We had a quick snack and talked to a fellow hiker who arrived a few minutes later, but moved on quickly since we still had many miles to tackle.

The top of Hawkins Pass

Video: Starting the descent down the pass

Here’s where my day got infinitely better. I should mention before starting this adventure I had a personal bucket list of things I hoped to see. After our stint at Glacier Lake, I was convinced that I was out of luck but as I was slowly making my way down the pass, Joe farther ahead leading, I heard a hiker from below shout "GOAT!!"

I turned around and there they were, three mountain goats hurtling my way, right along the trail I had just walked. And they were headed straight for me. I was immediately giddy with joy, goats! Oh, how I wanted to see these whimsical creatures the entire trip and had given up hope. But then I realized that I was in their way with literally nowhere to go because I was on a narrow path on a steep hillside… oh shoot. What now? 

I pulled out my phone because clearly, I had my priorities straight (not). But when they showed no signs of stopping I freaked a little bit and may have also panicked and I think I shouted out something like “Hey goat!” (okay maybe it was more like s**t goats!). 

My shout brought them to an immediate standstill (impressive brakes goats!). The leading goat immediately scurried up the hill creating a mini rock slide and went on the ridge above Joe who was lower down the pass. The middle one and I got to have a brief staring contest and I think we were both thinking something along the lines of, “Well I’m not going to move out of the way, are you?” Eventually, he or she turned around and headed back the trail in the opposite direction, the last goat already deciding it wanted nothing to do with this party and doing the same. 

Video: My encounter with goats

Video: Joe's encounter with the goat that went up the hill after seeing me

My goat encounter paired with the beautiful scenery had me smiling the entire way down.

The descent down was magnificent

Once we arrived at the bottom of the pass, things got a little boring. Not everything can be scenic all the time. Much of the trail was through trees and by then the temps were heating up quickly. We just kept plodding through more fields and meadows trying to stay hydrated. What felt like hours later we arrived at our lunch spot, the crossing at South Fork Imnaha River. I soaked my sore feet, gave my face a quick splash, reapplied my sunscreen, and dunked my ballcap in the cold water anticipating the next four or so miles uphill in the sun. Well... what was supposed to be four miles but was really more like six. 

I discovered the hard way that for the first time the map app on my phone was wrong. Six hot grueling miles. 

The hot trek to Crater Lake

I’m not sure if it was heat exhaustion or just the four days of effort catching up to me, but the first three miles I was moving pretty slow. At least I was moving through. Once I had a snack and we hit more shaded areas I was able to pick up the pace and actually lead in front of Joe but I’m convinced some external force possessed my body and gave it one last burst of energy. 

After what felt like an eternity we finally saw the sign, the sign for Crater Lake (no not the one you are thinking). 

First view of Crater Lake

We made our way slowly around the lake looking for a good campsite, many of them already occupied, when we heard it, thunder. Oh crap. 

That ominous cloud was heading straight for us

We finally found a good spot completely unoccupied and tucked away on the other side of the lake as the thunder increased in frequency and our blue sky was traded for some ominous storm clouds. Double crap. 

I made quick work of my tent, the fastest pitch I’ve ever achieved, and not even a minute later the rain came. Then the pea-sized hail. More booms of thunder. 

Video: Sudden hailstorm in the mountains

For the first time, I used my GPS messenger to bring up the weather forecast (thank you emergency preparedness supplies!). Luckily the storm was only going to last an hour. So we huddled up in our tents until the blue skies returned. The temps were already dipping though and it was getting cold so we made quick work of dinner and planned an early night. 

Pretty sweet digs for our final night

The plan was to wake early, break down camp as quickly as possible, and try to have pizza in our bellies in town by one in the afternoon. 

Would it truly be all downhill from here or would nature throw some more curveballs our way?

Last night of stars in the Wallowas at Crater Lake

Distance Logged 13.1 mi

Ascent 3391 ft

Descent 2936 ft 

Wallowa East Eagle Loop Day 3: Douglas Lake to Frazier Lake with Glacier Lake Detour

We fell asleep knowing that we were already one mile behind schedule but optimistic we could make it up. That was until we woke up to ice. 

Luckily my trusty hand warmers had left me comfortable enough at night while I was sleeping, but getting out of bed when it’s frigid outside, putting on ice-cold clothes, and breaking down camp when everything is covered in frost is decidedly not fun. 

I don’t care what anyone says, nothing is more shocking than exposing your boobs to freezing temps and then having to follow up with a sports bra partially frozen from yesterday's sweat. Lovely! The hot breakfast and instant cider helped but getting our bodies moving helped even more. 

We had an easy five miles passing through more of Lakes Basin, through more meadows, and into the trees mostly downhill. 

Horseshoe Lake

Not much of a view but that was a blessing since it allowed us to move quickly without much stopping. Joe was the lucky one in front who got to see a giant buck, which was long gone by the time I turned the corner, but other than that we just had an easy go and made excellent time. 

The most exciting part of the morning was definitely coming across a trope of llamas. Over ten llamas all loaded to the max with gear and tied to each other with a single rope being orchestrated by two hikers making sure they kept in line. Turns out people hire the llamas to carry all their gear to the campsites - the lack of actual backpackers we had seen loaded up with packs like our suddenly made a lot more sense. I was overcome with a sense of pride for not only toughing it out with a fully loaded pack up all the passes but also having everything I needed for survival on my back. 

Seeing all the llamas lined up though was still a fun thing to see and it was enough to add some added pep in our step to start another gorgeous ascent to Frazier Lake. 

Approaching the climb to Frazier Lake

Climbing the "hill" to Frazier

We arrived at the lake before well before one, a true accomplishment since that meant we had tackled nine miles in under four hours. We decided to set up camp, have lunch, then take a small detour up to Glacier Lake with our packs only loaded with the bare necessities - snacks, first aid, and water. 

However, there’s definitely something that happens mentally once you’ve laid out your bed for the night. Motivation escapes you like a popped balloon and suddenly the soreness catches up. Even with packs as light as they were, the two miles up to the lake was pretty grueling. It was two in the afternoon by the time we began the climb so the sun was bearing down on us and even with the lightened packs it was no easy feat.

Joe had a brief and humorous standoff with a chipmunk but sadly chipmunks were about all we saw with no other signs of wildlife. 

Video: Rounding the corner and finding Joe facing off with a chipmunk

Who could blame the animals really, it was hot! Luckily the views were not lacking despite the harsh uphill. It honestly felt like a dreamscape to be surrounded by some of the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever seen in my life. 

We were instantly transported back to our month in Norway where every direction we looked at belonged in a calendar or on someone's computer background. I couldn’t get enough of it and it gave the perfect excuse to stop for a breath and just absorb it all. 

Finally, we made it to the lake and we’re blessed with yet another landscape that just didn’t look real. The most crystal clear water glittering in the sun with picturesque trees on miniature islands, and busy chipmunks scurrying to and fro everywhere. All surrounded by the very same mountains we had spent the last two days navigating through and around. It was a true oasis. 

A view of Eagle Cap from Glacier Lake

Glacier Lake

We spent a few minutes dipping our sore feet into the chilly clear waters, had a quick snack, and regretfully had to say goodbye sooner than we would have liked since the day was getting late. 

Video: Glacier Lake glittering in the sunlight

The descent down, while the same path as the way up, was still just as magical and mesmerizing especially now that the sun was starting to dip and give the mountains a lovely late afternoon glow. Going downhill also offered a completely different perspective than going up so I was able to see an entirely new view and notice things I had completely missed on the way up.

We arrived back at camp completely exhausted but so incredibly blessed that we have strong bodies and stronger minds that allow us to see these beautiful places that photos just can’t do justice. Although I definitely tried to capture at least some of it. 

Distance Logged 13.8 mi

Ascent 2732 ft

Descent 2931 ft