| WH News & Notes |
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January Update Get your skis ready because the Wallowa Mountains are the place for winter recreation. Over six feet of mountain snow covers the ground at Cornucopia Lodge. You can use the lodge as your basecamp for exploring Eagle Cap Wilderness on skis or by snowshoes, or you can reserve a hut with Wing Ridge Ski Tours Western Hiker's winter partner, Wing Ridge, is a longtime leader in backcountry skiing in the Wallowa Mountains where you'll find deep powder away from the crowds. Be sure to visit wingski.com to find out about renting one of the Wing Ski huts. You can use it as a basecamp from which to ski trails away from the crowds or to cut your own trails. The Web site also includes a photo tour of the Wallowa winter terrain, a topo map, trail profiles, and a gear list. If you wish to stay in nearby Enterprise or Joseph before or after your wilderness trip, wingski.com also includes a list of local accommodations and restaurants. The backcountry skiing opportunities from a Wing Ski range from easier to serious challenges. You can also choose to plan a trip with one of the expert Wing Ski guides. And for those who want to learn even more about winter backcountry travel in the Wallowas, Wing Ski offers an avalanche safety course. Call Western Hiker or Wing Ridge Ski Tours for more information about winter in the Wallowas. -- Barry Greer |
| Adjusting to Altitude |
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For most of us who live at or near sea level, northeastern Oregon is a good mountain destination because the altitudes in the Wallowa Range do not go above 10,000 feet (3048 meters). Many of the trailheads start at altitudes below 5,000 feet (1524 meters), which means altitude adjustment is much easier for flatlanders. At the same time, be aware that altitude affects each person differently. Some people will notice the effects as low at 5,000 feet (1024 meters) and others will feel little difference until they reach 8,000 feet (2440 meters) or better. And the effects vary considerably to simply feeling more fatigued than usual doing routine exercise to breathlessness, especially going uphill. One of the big advantages to having your heavy gear hauled into the mountains by pack animals is that you can hike in with a light pack and allow yourself to adjust to altitude. Don't rush it. Walk at a steady pace without trying to compete with anyone or with yourself. You'll get there. Drink plenty of water along the way. It is easy to dehydrate at altitude because the lower the air pressure, the faster water evaporates from the human body, even without sweating. Bring Gatorade or another product that replaces electrolytes faster than plain water will, and also tastes better. And bring along apples or oranges. Eating snacks with moisture in them helps keep you hydrated. And if you do become breathless, nauseated, develop a rapid pulse, dizziness or a combination of these symptoms, do one thing--stop. Take a moment to rest, and if that does not help, go back down. |
 Brendan Keavney has hiked many hundreds of miles in the mountains of Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana, and throughout the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Many of those miles have been solo.“I spent five years in engineering school and another five in a relatively high-stress job, and when I wasn’t flying around the world to meetings I was decompressing alone in the wilderness.“ Now helping others enjoy and appreciate wilderness is Brendan's full time job at Western Hiker. Brendan Keavney is certified in wilderness first aid.  Allison Keavney and her brothers spent a great deal of time exploring the creeks, rivers, mountains, and forests surrounding Winlock, Washington where she grew up. It was only natural that she joined the local search and rescue team and spent time after high school exploring the world. She loves to hike and has backpacked in Yosemite, Sequoia, and Joshua Tree National Parks."I truly enjoy guiding. It is an excellent opportunity to meet new people and get out into the wilderness. There is nothing better than lying on your back on a grassy patch, snacking on blackberries, and watching the sun go down." Allison Keavney is certified in wilderness first aid.  Norman Young is the professional wilderness packer supporting Western Hiker with years of expertise. "I seem to spend more time in the wilderness than out," he says. In fact, Norm does spend most of his time in Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon from May to November, including at least one week-long trip across Eagle Cap. Though he knows a few old timers who won't use panniers and still prefer to top load the pack animal, Norm uses modern means to transport and protect your gear, including panniers, pack boxes, and manties. "Tying a diamond hitch on a top load is becoming less and less common as more and more packers are going to side loads only." And Norm also knows the mountains as well as he knows packing. "I've ridden and packed nearly all the trails on the western side and southern end of the Eagle Caps and quite a bit on the eastern side and Hells Canyon as well." 
Barry Greer has hiked, climbed, run, skied, and camped in Oregon's Cascades, the Wallowas, the Strawberries, the Steens, Gearhart, and Crater Lake National Park summer and winter for 25 years with an occasional sojourn to the Colorado Rockies.He taught environmental lit in the Oregon State U. honors program and wrote the first history of North American solo mountaineering for Appalachia. His experience as a writer for Sierra, Climbing, Summit, Appalachia, Orion, and other publications led to his current career as developer of and webmaster for westernhiker.com, your first source for hiking information on Eagle Cap Wilderness and Hells Canyon Wilderness in rugged northeastern Oregon. |
