Eagle Cap Wilderness Archives – GlassMountains Trip Reports

Krag Peak, Oregon, September 2022

September 12, 2022 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

Saturday morning, September 3, Larry Luehring and I were camped just above Crater Lake in the Wallowa Mountains of Northeast Oregon. We had packed in from the Summit Point Trailhead two days earlier. Our plan this day was to climb Krag Peak after climbing nearby Red Mountain the day before.

Krag Peak from the summit of Red Mountain

Early that morning after a warmer night than previous ones, I listened to the wind blowing through the trees around us from within my tent. I peeked out and saw heavy overcast with darker clouds approaching from the southwest. This was unexpected – I had checked the weather forecast from the summit of Red Mountain the previous day and it was forecast to be sunny this day.

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Red Mountain (Wallowa), Oregon, September 2022

September 9, 2022 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, August 31, I joined Larry Luehring at the McBride Campground in the Wallowa Whitman National Forest near Halfway, Oregon. Our plan was to pack in to Crater Lake on the south side of the Wallowa Mountains and to subsequently climb both Red Mountain and Krag Peak from our camp.

Paul on the Summit Point Trail (Larry Luehring photo)

Larry and I were high school friends. I had first started hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and mountain climbing in Oregon with Larry during our college years. Larry now lives near Portland, Texas, and I had not seen him for 13 years. We reconnected in the context of a July high school reunion which, in the end, neither of us could attend.

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Elkhorn Peak, Wallowa Mountains, Oregon, September 2017

September 29, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On September 16 Caleb Morris and I climbed Elkhorn Peak in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and Wallowa Mountains of Northeast Oregon. Caleb and I met a few years ago through our shared interest in exploring the highest and most prominent peaks of Oregon. Caleb has a full life with work, family, and climbing but is generous in sharing his knowledge and experience with others and I enjoy sharing a climb with him when we can.

The South Gully of Elkhorn Peak from the Copper Creek Trail

I am aware of three Elkhorn Peaks in Oregon, one each in the Cascade, Elkhorn, and Wallowa Mountains. This Elkhorn Peak is the highest and most prominent of the three. It is the 21st highest peak in Oregon with 9233 feet of elevation and the 94th most prominent peak in Oregon with 1860 feet of prominence. It is located far up the Lostine Valley south of the town of Lostine and its summit provides great views of the Wallowa Mountains.

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Wallowa Peaks, October 2014

October 5, 2014 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

I spent three days in early October hiking and scrambling in the southern Wallowas of Oregon. After some unsettled weather the first day the skies were clear the next two days. The scenery was beautiful – it seems we have a piece of the Colorado Rockies in NE Oregon. I saw no other person on the trails or peaks, and I had time to pause and absorb the feeling of the mountain wilderness during my long hikes.

I began my trip September 30 by driving the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Road #77 to the West Eagle Trailhead and Campground. I would be camping there the next three nights, having the entire campground to myself each evening and night. The last time I had been at this trailhead was in September of 1972 with a friend from high school and a college friend of his. That night some light rain fell.

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