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