john_flores•17d agoMost Upvoted

Everyone pushes the John Muir Trail, but my best trip was a quiet loop in the Wallowas

I did a five day solo loop in the Eagle Cap Wilderness last August, and it was perfect. I saw maybe four other people the whole time. The popular opinion is that you need to bag the famous trails to have a real experience, but I disagree. I camped by a lake called Mirror Lake for two nights, caught small trout for dinner, and just sat watching the stars without a single headlamp in sight. The quiet let me notice things, like a family of mountain goats on a cliff face I would have missed in a crowd. It wasn't epic in the social media sense, but it was deeply good. Has anyone else found a less famous route that just clicked for them in a way the crowded classics never have?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyw5817d ago

Totally get that. Did a random weekend in the Gifford Pinchot once and had a whole valley to myself, it was awesome. Those quiet spots just hit different.

cooper.phoenix17d ago

Found a spot like that up near Baker last fall. Just me and some elk bugling at dusk, zero cell service. Pure magic.

caleb2628d ago

Always bring a paper map for those no-service zones. GPS can fail, but a good old map and compass won't let you down. It's a simple backup that makes those solo trips way less stressful.