Outpost II: South Wallowas

We will be camping in the Wallowa Mountains, in northeastern Oregon. The Wallowas (sometimes called ‘Oregon’s Alps’) are one of our favorite places in the world: a dramatic range rising abruptly out of the arid flatlands to nearly 10,000 feet. The interior of the range is preserved as the Eagle Cap Wilderness area. Eagle Cap and the surrounding country are steep, rugged, and wild: grey wolves, mountain lions, wolverines, elk, and bear all live here, though our chances of seeing any of those things are exceedingly rare. In July the snow will still be melting from the high country, feeding pristine glacial streams. The weather in the Wallowas is unpredictable throughout the year: it can be sunny, raining, or even snowing, all in the same summer day.

Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is federal public land. People are able to set up camp for up to two weeks without a permit from the Forest Service. This also means that anyone else can use the land around us, so eclectic neighbors might be part of the charm. We do our best to site Outpost in a place that is both wild-feeling and somewhat accessible (those tents weigh 200 pounds), but do know that our site may be nearly two hours from civilization. We take your safety very seriously: camp is equipped with first aid supplies, we are trained in wilderness medicine, and we’ll have emergency exit plans.

Participants: Pele Bausch, Justin Hocking, Elizabeth Marilla-Knapp, Marilyn McNeal

Visitors: Susan Murrell, Kerri Rosenstein