Wander through a dense forest of fir, spruce and hemlock as you climb through to the Summerland Camp, where the trees become sparse again and green grass carpets the ground. She was suffering from a swollen foot and blistering, and had realized during those same long 3 miles that her trip was up. Movie. But Im ahead of myself . As the sunlight waned, we worked our way up our final 2,000 foot climb over 3ish miles. I pushed on to Golden Lakes and gave into temptation. For a trip that somehow went wrong, it sure ended up just right: Christi with a complete circumnavigation of Rainier, Rufus learning a thing or two about trail running, and me five pounds lighter. While we debated our course of action and looked at the bridge, we literally watched the water level rise. Successful applicants will have an early reservation opportunity between late February and early March.. We also heard that a man had been washed off the log bridge the day before and had died. Vivian kept an eye on me, and cheerfully announced each new spectacular view. Soon, youll climb out of the river bed and pop out to Mystic Lake, which hosts another campsite and ranger station. Easy Breezy drops before H, My Feel Good Friday Email is in your inbox OR you. This years big adventure destination landed squarely in our Pacific Northwest backyard: seven of usKari, Kelli, Wendy, Heidi, Sarah, Vivian, and Idecided to go around Mt. This section of the trail was pretty meh - climb a ridge then descend a ridge, rinse and repeat. And yes, I am quite thankful that I can get out and hammer, suffer and abuse myself at this age. Happy Hiking! Ugh. We did it last year in 6.5 days and it was an absolute grindI cant imagine cutting it in more than half! For my almost 40 years in the park the stats for the Wonderland have been 93 miles with 22,000 of climb/descent; this is what I based my days on. We then headed off toward our last climb of the trip. Views were pretty meh, as Rainier was mostly obscured in fog. r/Ultralight is the largest online Ultralight Backcountry Backpacking community! Our adventure takes us through icy trails and frozen falls in Two Harbors, MN. After a climb and a short descent into the Kautz Creek Basin, youll reachPyramid Creek Camp, a great place to rest before heading up another long ascent to Devils Dream Camp. Frequently foggy but no rain. Next time I'll just bring puffy and a windshirt. (Poles are a great idea here.). . Rainier in Washington State. Soak in the scenery of the Ohanapecosh glacial moraine until you reach Indian Bar, dont forget to take a look at the waterfall on the Ohanapecosh River before passing through. This sub is about overnight backcountry backpacking, with a focus on moving efficiently, packing light, generally aiming at a sub 10 pound base weight, and following LNT principles. With the rivers running higher as the day progressed, this posed a problem for people crossing the river later in the day. We declared our misadventure nothing shy of spectacular. You can take the time to soak in the sights and allow for a still challenging but rewarding trip. A few years ago, Mike and I rode our mountain bikes up the Carbon River Road to Ipset Creek Campground and then hiked up to the snout of the Carbon Glacier. Each year, hikers vie for permits to embark on a backpacking trip on it, with only a handful scoring the permits to undertake this strenuous hike. Most of my past Wonderland hikes have been in the fall, so this circuit in July provided some significant contrasts. The Northern Loop delivers the same Wonderland-esque experience of hiking from temperature rainforest to sub-alpine meadows bursting with . My Strava stats: Day 1: Longmire to White River (CCW)-34.77 miles/8,787..Day 2: White River to So. Rainier, Wanders through forests and meadows, crosses streams and rivers, passes by lakes and glaciers, and climbs and drops and climbs and drops through continuously breathtaking terrain, Sunday, July 29: Drive to Mt. In the northeast corner, the Sunrise Entrance has a few spots to access the Wonderland Trail, by the Sunrise Visitor Center and lower on the road by White River Campground. Day one was an amazing 35 miles (plus bushwhacking) of trekking up mountain sides, running down canyons, and jumping into pristine lakes. The majority of hikers give themselves 10 or more days to finish the Wonderland. I had only seen day hikers and one set of backpackers today, so decided to poke my head into the Sunrise camp to see if there were any empty spots. At this point, I should have just gotten up and started hiking, but nahhh I gave sleeping one last shot and finally nodded off, Day 1: Longmire to Golden Lakes: 24 miles, 8200 ft of gain. Once we passed Mike and my previous turnaround point, we were back again in unknown territory until we reach Old Desolate above Mystic Lake. A little Bham jump line footage of chasing @dhbike, Its still good! Adjust individual days in the generated itinerary below. At Box Canyon, we marveled at all the people and cars and used flush toilets and washed our hands with soap and water. Constructed in 1915, it is one of the most beautiful, challenging, and popular hiking trails in America. They wear compression socks and shorts, little gaiters to keep rocks out of burly looking shoes, and then slather enough greasy sunblock on to slip from the grip of even the most determined bears. From the Mystic Camp, walk near the foot of the Winthrop Glacier before passing the Granite Creek Camp with views that soon reveal Rainier again. I crossed at 5:30 AM with mid shin depth, but one report from 8 PM had the water over the cable. Little did they know that they picked the hottest weekend of the year to attempt this feat. Christi and I stopped to feed the mosquitos and have an intelligent conversation about options. Fudgesicles. You are constantly either going up or going down. Here, the river had carved a new channel the day before, and we had to rock hop and finally just walk through the water to get to the bridge over the main channel. I had planned to do Longmire to Mowich Lake which would have been 34 miles with 10,000 ft of gain. The lake is a welcome sight with Old Desolate, a lonely mountain towering 1,000 feet above the lake, making for a slight change in background. Most of my past Wonderland hikes have been in the fall, so this circuit in July provided some significant contrasts. But it was always there, in the back of my mind. Felpudo, RichP, zimmertr. and White River Campground about 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 1: Leave White River at 6:30 a.m., arrive back at Longmire at 7:30 p.m. Eunice Lake below is teeming with wildflowers. However long your bucket list is, add the Wonderland Trail to it somewhere near the top. Our first destination would be Summerland, a long-time favorite of mine. A bucket list adventure for sure!! Monday, July 30: Drive to Longmire, start on the Wonderland Trail at 6:01 a.m., arrive at Mowich Lake at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31: Leave Mowich Lake at 6:30 a.m., arrive at Sunrise Visitor Center around 5:45 p.m. (in time for burgers!) When Ammi is not chasing her first love (trails), she is preaching her second (food) as a Nutritional Therapist. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! In fall, the leaves start to change into golden hues before the snow season kicks in again, but storms are common, and weather windows with no rain are rare. My late mother-in-law was a lifelong hiker and back country skier- she completed the Wonderland Trail in 3 days. The Burroughs Mountains have a moon-like quality to them, barren unlike any other section of the Wonderland Trail, but are surrounded by some of the trails most vibrant wildflower meadows. Most people begin from Longmire and hike clockwise. Reflection Lakes and Louise Lake are great places to stop for lunch and though there may be more visitors in this area, the views of Rainier are hard to beat. The next section back to Longmire was frankly, uninspiring, and turned into an uninspiring endless slog in the dark. The inability to eat anything was becoming a problem as we approached that Point of No Return. Stage: 93 Miles, 3-Day . There are so many things I could have done during this hour, and in retrospect theyre obvious (hydrate, eat, find shade and a cooler place). ), I charged ahead, ignoring my watch chimes that I have programmed to remind me to eat, drink, and take electrolytes routinely. #pnwlife #pnwmtb, Full video on YouTube! Before long, the luscious green will transition briefly into the dry moon-like landscapes again at Panhandle Gap. Yes! I suppose the area around Indian Henrys was pretty nice, as well as the area around St. Andrews Lake. Each time, Ive wanted to see more, experience more, of this wonder: a trail that goes around Mt. Take part in The Great Easter Bunny Trail on this day for your chance to meet the Easter Bunny in real life. It had been a while since I did a CCW route, so the views were fresh. Thats exactly what the Wonderland Trail is: a 93-mile (150 km) trek around Mt Rainier, the most glaciated peak in the lower 48 states. This is a prime tent spot for the sunset alone, which lights up Rainier at dusk. Download the app. trails trails Be careful crossing the river. We had reserved a site at Cougar Rock Campground for the night before, and we were all settled by about 9:30 or 10. After crossing Kautz Creek, we continued our way up. The trail is relatively smooth, its not too steep, its all downhill, and its the homestretch. The maximum number of days that the park allows to hike the trail is 14. I called my Seattle friend, Christi, to see if she had some beta on the trail. I grew hotter and I started not to feel well. The Northern Loop of Mount Rainier National Park is a sort of miniature version of the Wonderland Trail, the 93-mile-long footpath encircling Rainier that draws backpackers from all over the planet. I encountered a fair number of blowdowns, some requiring crotch -stretching-bark burning gyrations to get around or under behemoth trees. From there, I dragged into the Visitor Center and promptly inhaled a hamburger, two bags of popcorn, and two sodas. It was along this descent that Heidi stepped on a loose rock the wrong way and was suddenly sliding off the trail. On July 20-22, 2021 I completed my 33rd circuit of Mt.Rainier's Wonderland Trail, a CCW transit starting and ending at Longmire and taking the alternate rout. Incidentally, this is not your ideal hitchhiking outfit, as I later discovered. Congratulations! Pass the White River Campground and pick up the trail as it follows Fryingpan Creek up to Summerland. Looked on the site but can't find a packing list. It is hard to get picked up when you look like a cross between a rodeo clown and a dust bowl hooker. I was most familiar with this section of trail as I had done the mother mountain loop as a trail run before. 4. By ad hoc I mean there was about .00065 seconds of rational consideration that focused mainly on whether or not I had enough Band-Aids in stock before deciding to do this. Quoting from the back of my Rainier map, it states that "the Wonderland Trail encircles the mountain, passing through deep forests and crossing mountain passes, alpine meadows and glacial streams. mauderunner, Musings About 2020: Pandemic, Turmoil, and Running. Mike found a bridge on the North Mowich, but the South Mowich had to be forded. The right people enhance the experience and make each moment bigger, better, and simply more fun. Fair amount of cycling and I can still runIve just been at it for 30 years. Even . Good places to do this are at Mowich and Sunrise. It was a good reminder that things can and do happen on the trails! Save some time to take a few pictures at Box Canyon, a narrow slot canyon tumbling with whitewater, before you cross the Stevens Canyon Road to follow Stevens Creek uphill. 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As a trail run before is the largest online Ultralight Backcountry Backpacking!!

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