Wahtum Lake — Thursday, Apr. 22, 1999

My son and I backpacked up Eagle Creek to Walthum Lake. We made it to within a mile of the lake at which point we lost the trail in snow. There was snow from about the 11 mile point on. The trail has several tricky creek crossings. The water was not that high but the rocks were slippery. There are also a few spots along this cutout trail that are slippery in areas where a fall would mean a long drop. Overall the trail was in good shape with scattered small blowdowns and three our four easy climb overs. The trail has just opened from a mudslide in January. You need a permit to park in Oregon also. Three dollars a day or twenty five dollars yearly. Being my first time in the Gorge hiking, I was impressed with the rugged scenery, especially in the first seven miles. The trail is nearly level for that length and then has a continuous low grade for the next 6. After the last falls at 6.5 miles we had the trail to ourselves.