NEWS: 2nd Eagle’s 33 – Wallowa Peaks FKT Attempt

Update: 2nd epic failure. I was unable to climb Glacier Peak because there was too much snow still for a save traverse. I would have needed crampons and an ice ax. The final peak count is 31 in 85h46min. I will never do this again. Here’s the report.

The Eagle’s 33 Challenge consists of summiting all 33 peaks over 9,000ft (2743m) with at least 300ft (91m) of prominence in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness in a single push.

I will make a 2nd solo and self-supported attempt at this challenge on Thu, Aug 8, 2019. The 1st attempt in 2018 did not go well, but I’ve done a lot of well-needed homework in the meantime. Or so I think.

Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atC7A4M11D4

Based on my numerous recon missions since last year, I’ve completely redesigned and optimized my route. Compared to the famous Nolan’s 14 or the Sangre de Cristo Traverse (great reports here and here) there is no obvious and easy way to link up all 33 Eagle Cap Wilderness peaks.

[pullquote]What could possibly go wrong?[/pullquote]

My planned route is over 100mi (161km) long with over 60,000ft (18’000m) of vertical gain. Good training for the Highlander 100, I suppose. Given the lack of trails on my route, the terrain, and the massive elevation gain to conquer, I expect to be able to move at about one mile per hour on average, so that’s about 20 miles per day if I also want/need to get some sleep.

Bird’s-eye perspective of the area with the 33 peaks over 9,000ft. For a complete list of the peaks, see Eagle’s 33 Challenge.

This static overview map shows the location of the 33 peaks (blue circles with numbers) as well as the Eagle Cap Wilderness boundary (red line). The red line is NOT my route. My route is NOT pictured. Click to enlarge or use the interactive map that is embedded below. For a complete list of the peaks, see Eagle’s 33 Challenge.

Interactive map:

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Tracking

You can track me in the embedded map below or go to: http://bit.ly/Eagles33II

The planned start is on Thu, Aug 8, 2019, sometime in the very early morning hours. I will start from the East Eagle Trailhead. The blue markers on the map indicate the 33 peaks that I will attempt to summit. My planned route is not shown.

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News: 4th Alpine Lakes Grand Tour Attempt

Update: We finished in 35h44min. Check out the report.

The Alpine Lakes Grand Tour is a 75+ miles route that starts on Snoqualmie Pass, leads through the magic Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and ends at the Snow Lakes trailhead just outside of Leavenworth. The route has about 22,000+ feet of elevation gain. It was initially proposed by Erich Sach as part of the 2014 UltraPedestrian Wilderness Challenge (UPWC) and has been part of the annual UPWC since then. For more info see UPWC Facebook group and list of routes.

Megan L. and I will make an unsupported attempt at this route on Fri, Jul 26, 2019. This will be Megan’s first and my fourth (!) attempt. Back in the day, when I was young and strong, I failed miserably twice in 2014 and once in 2015 (see reports for more details: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) before I called it quits. Now that I’m wiser, balder, and bolder, things will surely go well.

Seth Wolpin successfully completed the route for the first time in August 2015 in 43h04min and still holds the FKT. There’s been a total of 5 other finishers since then. Others have tried and failed. The route isn’t just a pleasant stroll in the woods on a smooth and well-maintained trail. Oh no. This ain’t no Forest Park.

Alpine Lakes Grand Tour route map.

Alpine Lakes Grand Tour elevation profile. The further you go, the more challenging the climbs.

Tracking

You can track us in the embedded map below or go to: http://bit.ly/AlpineLakesGrandTourIV

The planned start is sometime in the late afternoon on Fri, Jul 26, 2019, from Snoqualmie Pass.

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