Climbing Cusick: 4 Days Alone In The Wilderness

A video journal of a 4 day solo trip into the Eagle Cap Wilderness (Oregon's largest wilderness area) to explore the headwaters of the S. Fork of the Imnaha River and climb Cusick Mountain, (about 16 miles to the summit via the route I took).

I camped in the headwaters basin of the S. Fork Imnaha underneath Hawkins Pass and Cusick Mountain and explored that area. You will see one of the headwaters springs where it jets straight out of the rock on the West face of Cusick. That water is some of the sweetest, purist, most delicious water I have ever drank! No filter necessary! in fact that would ruin it! Not many people get to see the place where the mighty Imnaha River begins, blasting straight out of the rock, flowing from the heart of Cusick Mountain to become the impressive Imnaha River, and then finally flowing into the Snake River and Hells Canyon.

The video begins with my Pyrenees/Akbash guardian dog Kira (the star of this little film) at Frasier Lake, the headwaters of the Wallowa River, about 10 miles in.

I didn't see another human being the entire 4 days. (Cusick is one of the most seldom climbed peaks in the Wallowas. There were 6 entries in the summit log for that year.)