Eagle creek loop for my first time in Oregon

[Steve20050]

Jvar wrote: I found everything you mentioned on my map including the actual Wauna Point but I could not find a marked trail leading to Wauna Point on my map. Can you help me with that? Thanks. Never mind! Just found it! Thanks for all the input.

Sorry I should mention that there are 2 Wauna point views. One is the Wauna viewpoint off the trail 400. You will pass by this at some point coming or going on #400. The second one is much better as it is higher and certainly more airy. That 2nd one is Wauna Point. Well worth going out there. Just stash your packs somewhere off trail. Or, as mentioned there is a camp at the junction.

Also I could add that I spent a lot of time in the Sierras as a kid. Lived outside of Modesto. I know the bears down there can be troublesome. I was chased by one once up in Sequoia Park. I bring this up as the bears up here aren't like that at all. They generally scamper off into the brush once they get a whiff of you. They are opportunistic though. Don't leave food in tent, best hung.

One more thing. The ford at lower Eagle creek can be a challenge, thou usually doable. Cold for sure. Poles would help. It would be lower in the mornings. Lot of runoff this year, though I have not been in the area.

[Jvar]

Jvar wrote: I found everything you mentioned on my map including the actual Wauna Point but I could not find a marked trail leading to Wauna Point on my map. Can you help me with that? Thanks. Never mind! Just found it! Thanks for all the input.

Sorry I should mention that there are 2 Wauna point views. One is the Wauna viewpoint off the trail 400. You will pass by this at some point coming or going on #400. The second one is much better as it is higher and certainly more airy. That 2nd one is Wauna Point. Well worth going out there. Just stash your packs somewhere off trail. Or, as mentioned there is a camp at the junction.

Also I could add that I spent a lot of time in the Sierras as a kid. Lived outside of Modesto. I know the bears down there can be troublesome. I was chased by one once up in Sequoia Park. I bring this up as the bears up here aren't like that at all. They generally scamper off into the brush once they get a whiff of you. They are opportunistic though. Don't leave food in tent, best hung.

One more thing. The ford at lower Eagle creek can be a challenge, thou usually doable. Cold for sure. Poles would help. It would be lower in the mornings. Lot of runoff this year, though I have not been in the area.

Should I bring a waterproof bag for the ford at lower creek? What type of bears are they and what is the protocol when you see one? How bad are mosquitoes this time of year? Thank you for your help.

[Chase]

the ford is thigh high currently and I recommend poles. No need for a waterproof bag.

[drm]

I've never had an issue with mosquitoes on this route. Maybe around the Thrush Pond area before reaching the ridge.

As for bears, my personal habit is to practice flattery. I tell them that they are smarter than the average bear. This usually causes them to run away.

[retired jerry]

my protocol for bears is to have my camera ready for immediate access because the bears run away before you can get your camera out

I'm a little lazy about hanging my food, if I can't get it out of bear reach, I at least get it out of rodent reach. Rodents occasionally sample my food.

Future headline in newspaper "Overconfident man mauled by bear"

If I was in the Rockies, Canada, or Alaska I'd have bear spray ready for immediate access, and I'd practice a bit.

[Steve20050]

What type of bears are they and what is the protocol when you see one?

Little black bears, though I've seen a couple over the years that were maybe 3ft ? on all 4s. I yell at them if they don't smell me.
I yell, "Hey George". They are pretty deaf hence the yelling. Is it a rational approach? No, just something I started doing to let them know I was there. As Jerry says your lucky if they stick around at all. Usually they are going the other way by the time you see them.

[retired jerry]

You don't have to say anything. As soon as they see you they bolt. In my experience - maybe 6 times.

Once I saw a bear running across slope, from up above. Then I saw some humans. I talked to them and they said they never saw the bear. I think that's probably typical - the bear sees you and runs away and you don't know anything about it.

[Christminster]

So they're kind of hard of hearing? That explains why I've surprised so many even when I was tromping along unquietly. But yeah, they run away, VERY unquietly. They really can barge through the brush, those bears.

[drm]

Note that bears don't run because they here something. So if you are tromping and the sound could be interpreted by a bear as some other animal they are used to and not afraid, they would not necessarily run. That's also why bells are considered suspect. A bell is easy to hear and a bear may not know what it is, so maybe it will want to go and find out. The human voice however is probably the most unmistakable thing. Maybe some bears connect bells with humans, but it's not clear that all do.

[Steve20050]

As above, I spent a fair amount of time in the Sierras as a kid. We were told by rangers to bang on something metal to scare the bears away if they came into camp. Metal is something that is distinctly human. As per dean above it is the fact they know it's a human. I yell at them to make sure they know it's a human. Not sure how good their actual hearing is? It has always seemed difficult to get their attention. I think they go by smell more than any other sense. I believe their noses are 2000 times better than ours.

As for the metal. I tried it years later when in Sequoia Park and the bear charged the table. Got his paws on the table and took a swipe at me. I fled with him running up behind me in a fake charge to get me out of camp. So much for the metal idea. Now days I yell at them from a safe distance.