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That ranger's shortcut advice cost us 2 days near Eagle Cap
A ranger at the Wallowa Lake trailhead told us to skip the Ice Lake cutoff and take the high route to save 4 miles. We ended up on a scree slope with no water until Frazier Pass, and my partner's knee gave out on day two. Anyone else get route tips from rangers that were way off?
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jamesfox15d agoMost Upvoted
Man, that brings back a memory. I once had a ranger in the Cascades tell me the "fisherman's trail" along a creek would be flat and easy. Turned out it was basically a goat path that disappeared every quarter mile, and we ended up bushwhacking through alder thickets for six hours. The only water we found was a puddle that had a dead marmot in it. We still joke about that ranger's "shortcut" like it's a war story. Rangers mean well, but they've probably hiked those trails in dry boots with fresh legs and a map that's older than they are. Your scree slope story is way worse though, at least my knee held up. Hope your partner's doing alright now.
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