We spent 4th of July on Wallowa Lake with our cousins, and let me tell you, it was heavenly!
This was our first visit to the Wallowas, and it won’t be our last. The landscape reminded me so much of our visit to Switzerland. Absolutely stunning.
We spent most of our time fishing, reading, hiking, napping and eating. Talk about dream come true. We rented a boat for the day and there were two extroverts in the group that could keep each other company, while the introverts read.
Pure bliss, I tell you.
The trip was my cousins idea. He suggested we get together for the 4th of July because we’ve all been cooped up in our small apartments for the last 4 months. I always had a feeling he was the smart one in the family.
Will and I don’t typically camp for the sake of camping because he’s usually working on our trips, but not this time. Oh no, this time the hammock came out and tents were pitched. We had a campfire every night and ate so much fresh trout we could barely stand it by the end of the trip.
And as I type this I remember that we’ve four whole trout in the freezer – yikes!
We chose to hike to Maxwell Lake without realizing it was 95% frozen. Surprisingly, we were able to catch two wild trout. We spent 2 hours relaxing at the top and tried to convince my cousin he didn’t have altitude sickness. I’m so glad we didn’t have a real adult with us.
The one downside of the trip was that we got a flat tire. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the only tire shop open on Sunday was near the Washington/Idaho border. So we drove 100 miles on a donut and prayed harder than we’ve ever prayed before.
By some stroke of luck we made it to Costco and got a new tire. Actually, we got four new tires because somehow they were all bald (they’re less than a year old). we probably drive too much.
The blessing was that we ended up in Washington and hiked to Colchuck Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness (a dream of mine). So in the end, it all worked out.
Anyways, I feel like I’m rambling now. Gotta run! I hope you all had a very nice 4th of July with your nearest and dearest.
P.S. Yes, Will’s beard is huge! I personally love it, and he shaved his head. I love that, too.
Love,
Antonina
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looking for a < 50 mile hike in the Wallowas for our group of backpackers. various degrees of experience but all except 2 newbies (strong and young) have been on multiple 5-6 day trips. thanx for your input. would love to do a loop hike to minimize the logistics. we are all from back east.
Do you have a favorite camping spot you’d recommend?
Hi Kate,
Our favorite camping spot is Shady Creek Campground which is located off of Lostine River Road. The great thing about it is that it is situated right on the Lostine River (which is a congressionally designated Wild & Scenic River) and is also at the Trailhead for the stunning hike to Maxwell Lake which we did and I highly recommend! While you’re there you should stop off at M. Crow which is a really cool shop with delicious in house pizza (they even have a white morel pizza!).
Best,
Will