Tian, Vipin and Ying at the Wallowa River Loop trailhead at the end of their hike. 

Views on the way back to Wallowa River Loop trailhead.

Editor’s note: Explore contributor Gensheng Tian hiked the Wallowa River Loop Trail in August. This is the last of three installments.

It was sunny and clear. The lake reflected granite mountains with lightly rising steam. Flowers were blossoming profusely by the lake and along the trails. A precious fawn was having breakfast by the lake.

“Am I appreciating a Monet masterpiece?” I asked myself softly, standing on the trail toward Glacier Lake. The scene made my backpacking rich, meaningful and worthy.

It was a hot morning as we clamored over huge rocks toward Glacier Lake. The top of the mountain was covered by snow, rolling rocks and debris along the bare slope. A stream rushed melodiously and soothed my soul.

“Can I take a picture of you?” Ying asked politely. She noticed I had not uttered a word along the trail. She didn’t know I immersed myself in stunning environment. Her words brought me back to reality.

“Oh. No, thanks,” I said, without hesitating. “Take pictures of the mountains. They’re so beautiful.”

“You’re beautiful too. I mean your mind.”

We arrived at Glacier Lake at noon. The view was stunning.

“I’ve been to so many lakes. This is the best,” Vipin said. “We should have camped here last night.”

“We should just stay here and don’t need to go anywhere else,” Ying said.

The breeze was cool and soft, the lake green, clear and tranquil. The boundless sky was pure blue with white, silky clouds. It was a fairyland.

Tian, Vipin and Ying at the Wallowa River Loop trailhead at the end of their hike. 

We still had 4 miles to go and climbed again. I was toasted badly by the glaring sun. I limped uphill. Finally, I managed to step into Glacier Pass.

I felt a little bit of heat exhaustion when we came upon blue, deep Moccasin Lake.

“I’ll jump into it,” I said, “Over there.” I pointed to a spot near some fir trees. I put on my swimming shorts and water shoes and walked into the lake and stood on a big rock.

My body was on fire and the cold water refreshed my mind and soul. I washed my head and arms and jumped into the lake. I swam leisurely.

My feelings were floating with the water. I thought of nothing but joy.

The mountainous weather can change fast. It was hot at noon, but raining and hailing as we got to Horseshoe Lake. We found a campsite to set up our tents.

Don’t set up on the low ground during a rainy day. Pitch the tent at lee side on high ground.

I slept in and woke up naturally. I was cozy and warm in my sleeping bag. It was cold outside. I didn’t want to get up.

Views on the way back to Wallowa River Loop trailhead.

I crawled out of my tent and was shocked to find Vipin shivering.

“I was so cold,” Vipin said. “I couldn’t sleep the whole night.”

“Boil some water, make some coffee. Drink it to warm you up,” I said.

“I’m cold, too,” Ying, said.

I wish they would have woken me up. We were a team. If one suffered, the whole team suffered. We were in the back country and needed to support one another.

The mountain can give and also take. She gives us happiness and beautiful scenery. She refreshes our minds and soothes our souls. She also can take us away with her floods, wildfires, wild animals, rolling rocks, snow bridges, avalanches and swift streams.

It was our last day and it was easy — a descending hike, but still hot. Vipin was fast and most of the time he was gone. Ying was exhausted. She had two blisters on her feet and suffered.

Several hikers and backpackers came up to us, panting, sweating and tired. I would squeeze on one side of the trail and let them pass. I didn’t want to step on any flowers or meadows.

Nearing the end of the trail, we had to walk a log bridge very carefully. It wasn’t hard to cross but I focused 100%. I didn’t want to ruin my great backpacking trip. Start well and end well. Every step is solid. Caution is a virtue.

Mountains are God’s country. Backpacking is a worship journey: Find yourself, seek peace, enjoy beauty, worship nature and find the balance between human beings and nature.

The West Wallowa River was a great musician. All the melodious notes played in my heart and soothed my soul. The yellow snow buttercup fluttered her petals like a butterfly dancing for me in the breeze.

We completed almost 40 miles with 7,500 feet of elevation gain. We were overjoyed, celebrating with hugs and high-fives. We asked a hiker to take a picture of us.

Over a month has passed. Our next journey will be fantastic.

In his poem “The Call of the Wild,” Robert Service wrote this:

“There’s a whisper on the night-wind, there’s a star agleam to guide us. And the Wild is calling, calling… let us go.”

The words echo in my mind.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

The Yakima Herald-Republic is hiring.

Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop.

Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.