Annual Backpacking Trip

It’s getting to be that time of year again when the first signs of Spring get me thinking about the annual backpacking trip.  This year the tentative plan is to make a trip to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in Oregon for a visit to Bear Lake and surrounding environs.  There are several other lakes nearby that can be visited including: Looking Glass, Culver, and Eagle.  If I'm feeling really energetic I might even summit nearby Needlepoint.

I look forward to this trip all year long, every year. It's a time when I can get together with my family and closest friends and spend time together in some of the most beautiful settings in God's creation. No matter the weather or the fishing, I always have a great time. Heck, we even took the wrong canyon last year and never made it to our destination but all of us still had a good time. We just found somewhere else to go the next day.

It's been around 10 years since I've visited Bear Lake. It's one of those places I think of as home. I'm hoping God will let me put one of my mansions there someday. This will mark my fifth time there. One trip I remember in particular was right after I graduated from college. It's the one where Sharon ran into mama bear and her cubs. If you haven't already heard the story, you should ask her about it .

I think the wilderness calls to be because it's in my nature. It was also part of my nurturing as my dad and my grandfather took me along practically as soon as I could tie my hand-me-down boots. I guess it's one of those John Eldredge "Wild at Heart" things. There is something about hiking around in the wilderness that gets me in touch with my manhood. In fact, we also refer to this as the "Guy Trip". We started out calling it that because we planned trips that most of our wives wouldn't want to go one. Now that we're older and wiser we invite our wives (and daughters) to go along too. Of course we could still do those 10 mile 75lb backpack trips if we wanted to...

It's a busy summer so I am planning early with everyone. I'll post the dates when we have decided on them.

The picture above is a shot of Bear Lake.