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The Trip

Eagle Cap is Oregon's largest wilderness area, perched in the stunning Wallowa Mountains in the state's remote northeastern corner. On this trip, we will work together to help repair trails and may also remove invasive plants as we explore this remarkable area. If you haven't been on a service trip before, expect to be pleasantly surprised by the satisfying work, great food, and the wide range of experiences and personalities that participants bring to this kind of outing. Volunteer efforts such as ours play a key role in helping to manage our public lands.

Eagle Cap Wilderness offers a combination of beautiful scenery and remoteness mindful of the European Alps and the Sierras. There are granite peaks with elevations between 8,000 and 9,700 feet and numerous alpine lakes. The Eagle Cap Wilderness Area has 361,446 acres, contains 600 miles of trails, and has a great diversity of terrain and vegetation, ranging from evergreen forest and sagebrush in the lower elevations to alpine meadows filled with wildflowers in the higher elevations. During our stay we may see black bear, deer, elk, mountain goats, big horn sheep, and eagles. (There are no poisonous snakes, and the last sighting of a grizzly bear was more than 60 years ago.)

The Project

Primarily, we will reconstruct and brush trails, though we may also build water bars and steps. Each day we will hike a few miles, with minor elevation gain, to get to our work sites. We will use hand tools to move and place rock and large pruning clippers to remove brush. The work will be strenuous and physically demanding, but also very rewarding. The Forest Service trails staff will provide training on safety and equipment use. Our Project will be located along the East Lostine River trail below the beautiful Mirror Lake.

Itinerary

We will meet at 6:00 p.m. on the Friday evening (August 17th) at the Williamson Campground on the Lostine River Road off HWY 82 east of La Grande, Oregon. This night and next morning meals will be potlucks and will give us an opportunity to get to know one another before hiking into the backcountry. Arrangements will be made with the Forest Service for safe parking of our vehicles before entering the backcountry.

The trip will start officially on Sunday morning after we carpool to the Two Pan trailhead located at the end of the Lostine River Road where we will begin our backpack into the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Our first official meal will be Sunday lunch. Our backpack will be about six miles to our base camp. The Forest Service will provide pack animals to carry our food, tools, and group equipment to our base camp, but each of us must carry our personal gear, including our tent, to the camp. The hike in will have about 1,400 feet elevation gain. We will travel as a group, pacing ourselves to ensure everyone's safety and comfort.

We should arrive at our campsite by early afternoon and will spend the rest of the afternoon organizing the camp and kitchen, digging a latrine, and setting up the water system. The next six days will involve 4.5 days of work with 1.5 days off for resting and exploring the area surrounding our base camp. We will organize several hikes to nearby scenic points of interest, including spectacular alpine lakes and perhaps Eagle Cap Peak.

After a final celebratory night, we'll break camp and hike back to civilization on the following Saturday morning, August 25th, somewhat dirtier and more spirited than when we left. Although the trip officially ends when we arrive back at the trailhead, we encourage everyone to share an early afternoon meal in nearby Enterprise at the famous Terminal Gravity Brewpub for an enjoyable finish to our adventure in the wilderness.

Our Eagle Cap Wilderness base camp location could change depending on Forest Service 2012 trail repair needs. This brochure will be updated spring 2012 when trail work assignments are scheduled.

Getting There

The Eagle Cap Wilderness is about six hours east of Portland, Oregon, four hours south of Spokane, Washington, four hours northwest of Boise, Idaho, and about four hours south of Lewiston, Idaho, all of which are served by commercial airlines.

From all these locations you can easily drive to La Grande via I-84 before proceeding east on HWY 82. Driving directions and trip rosters will be provided. Carpooling will be encouraged whenever possible.

Accommodations and Food

Come with the attitude that food is part of the adventure. Trip menu planning considers that there is no refrigeration and food must be protected from animals. We provide healthy, nutritious, vegetarian-friendly meals with a small amount of meat, along with dairy and soy products added to ensure proper protein. We have a group commissary with everyone taking turns helping with food preparation. Before applying for the trip, people with food allergies, strong food preferences, or serious medical conditions must contact the leader and cook to see if accommodations are possible. We will store our food and personal items during nighttime and at times we are away from camp in large boxes and coolers. We will not keep any food and personal scented items, such as toothpaste, in our tents.

Trip Difficulty

The hike into our base camp is considered easy to moderate. Participants should have had some past experience in hiking, camping, and backpacking and be in good physical shape. Most of the trail work will be strenuous and performed above 6,000 feet. Other than possibly climbing the Eagle Cap Peak (9,572 feet elevation) we will not experience altitudes much above 7,500 feet. While this isn't high enough to cause problems for the average person, the air is definitely a little thinner and your body will be working a little harder. Our trail work will tax our muscles, particularly for those of us who hold more sedentary jobs. Therefore, we recommend including both cardiovascular and muscular workouts in your training. Regular bicycling, hiking, swimming, and backpacking are some of the best ways to prepare. To make sure your trip is both safe and fun, prepare!

Equipment and Clothing

In addition to your backpacking gear, bring at least one pair of leather work gloves and a day pack to carry lunch, water, work gloves, rain gear, sunscreen and other personal items to the work site. Food and cooking equipment are provided as well a group first-aid kit for emergencies. There will be purified water available for camp and commissary use, but you will need to bring water purification equipment for personal use when away from camp. A final detailed equipment list will be provided to you in advance of the trip along with other trip planning information.

References

Maps:

You should have a detailed topographic map with you when you go into any wilderness. In addition, if you plan on excursions before or after the trip in the surrounding area, I would suggest that you purchase a comprehensive area map. The "Eagle Cap Wilderness," and "Wallowa Whitman National Forest," can be purchased for $6.00 each by sending a check including return postage to:

Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center
115 Tejaka / PO Box 427
Enterprise, OR 97828
(541) 426-4978

Websites:

• USDA Forest Service, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest: http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/w-w/about/forest_facts.shtml
• Backpacker magazine article: http://www.backpacker.com/article/0,2646,1058,00.html

Books:

• Barstad, Fred, Hiking Oregon's Eagle Cap Wilderness.
• Nez Perce Chief Joseph, That All People May Be One People, Send Rain to Wash the Face of the Earth.

Conservation

We plan to have a wilderness ranger from the U.S. Forest Service address the group on conservation issues. We will also set aside one evening for an informal discussion involving conservation issues as they pertain to the participants' home areas.

Trip Price

See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy.

The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.

Staff

Leader:

Fred Tanis is an avid outdoor enthusiast, who has led and participated on several service backcountry trips. He lives in Bend, Oregon, and is a frequent hiker in the Oregon Cascades and enjoys wonderful solitude of the backcountry. He has hiked and backpacked in the Eagle Cap Wilderness on several occasions. He led the 2007, 2009, and 2011 service trips to Eagle Cap. His objective is to get you to enjoy the backcountry. He has recently retired as a contract researcher for the U.S. Government. Fred is happy to individually answer any questions you may have about the trip or the area, and will send bulletins prior to the trip with further details and names of other participants.

Email: tanisfred@hotmail.com

Cook:

Patti Miller-Crowley is a Northwest native with over 10 years cooking on various back and front-country Sierra Club Service Trips. She has visited other parts of the Wallowa Mountains and is looking forward to this trip as a new experience. Although she will be sending a food questionnaire in advance of the trip to help plan meals, if you have specific food related concerns or questions feel free to contact her.

E-mail: yipi_kai8@yahoo.ca

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General Notes About Sierra Club Trips

• Carbon Offsets
• Carpooling
• Electronic Devices
• Equipment
• How to Apply for a Trip
• Leader Gratuities
• Liability Release and Assumption of Risk
• Medical Issues
• Non-discrimination Statement
• Participant Approval
• Reservation and Cancellation Policy
• Seller of Travel Disclosure
• Travel Insurance
• Trip Feedback
• Wilderness Manners