Guest written by Logan Dralle, founder of Her Oregon Life and Union Wine Company Ambassador

Ah, The Alps of Oregon. Covering 360,000 acres, the Eagle Cap Wilderness is Oregon’s largest wilderness area, and one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon. I call it Oregon’s next best secret, for those willing to put the hours in behind the wheel – it took us about 8 hours to get to our trailhead from Portland.

My friend Crystal and I knew when we requested our PTO dates that we would risk the chance of early snowfall in the Wallowas, but we were all in. Over the course of two days we hiked into Mirror Lake, and summited Eagle Cap.

Here's what I learned from this trip:

1. Camp robbers come in all shapes and sizes. Never leave your food unattended.
2. A Pringles can doubles as coffee ground storage and a backcountry trash can.
3. The weight of your backpack does matter and so does alcohol percentage. Carrying 35 pounds on your back is hard, so what’s another few pounds in Underwood wine cans at two servings each?
4. Backpacking without wine is just sitting in the woods.
5. Cell phone addiction is real. Set it down and remember you are out here for a reason.
6. Bear sh*& is really big. Be prepared.
7. You will learn more about yourself. Including how you smell without a shower.
8. It doesn’t take long for you to miss a real toilet.
9. Don’t forget to download offline music onto Spotify. Nothin’ like a good ole’ backcountry dance party.
10. Taking a real vacation is so, so, so important.

In an always-on world full of countless hours spent in front of screens, the best advice I’ll ever give is to pack your bag and get out there. Mother Nature has her ways of reminding you what matters most.

Photography by Crystal Frankenbery