Wonderland
A trail that will always hold memories
I’m not sure when the desire to push myself physically first entered my thoughts. Perhaps it was while taking weight to speed up the weakest link in a group heading out to climb Elderado Peak when I was first being introduced to mountaineering or maybe it was my challenge of trying to hit all the side peaks while my family did the Tongariro Crossing. What I do know is that it truly crystallized while climbing Mount Rainier in June, car-to-car in 14 hours. My climbing partner was lamenting about the fact that his head lamp dying during the night contributed five hours to his 33 hour completion of the Wonderland Trail, a trail my Mom had just won a permit and I had already invited myself onto.
I had originally signed on to the 8-night permit in order to spend time with my parents and I didn’t want to deviate from that goal. So at no point was I going to be going for speed or trying to set an impressive time, but knowing that those were things people were doing on this trail, I realized in some way this would be my opportunity to taste what really pushing myself could be like.
I put little thought into the trip even after an email to those on the permit with an article detailing the completion by two women of the Rainier Infinity Loop, climbing over Rainier twice and doing the Wonderland Trail. On calls with my parents they would suggest maybe exploring a couple different areas, but I committed to nothing and I had no real plan in place. The week before my Dad started sending me trip reports of hikes and runs people had done, but I didn’t do much more than scan what was provided.
I finally started looking up routes while eating lunch on my last day of work before the trip. I reviewed emails I had received, searched for trip reports and came across what would be my warden, Guide to 100 Peaks at Mount Rainier. Heading to the airport after work I still didn’t know what I was setting out to do, but at least I had a couple peaks picked out for the first day, several maps of the park, and a book of route descriptions to lead the way.
Fueling up on some delicious home cooked food the night before in my families AirBnB in Packwood, I listed the various options for the peaks I might do the next day to my parents, so they would have a sense of where I might be if I didn’t show up at our first camp: the three Burroughs, Mount Fremont and its fire lookout, Skyscraper Mountain, and Mineral Mountain. I had no idea what I would end up doing, but I just knew I was starting at Sunrise Visitor Center and ending at Mystic Lake Campground and my day would take place between them.
Day 1
22.08 miles, 6,224 ft
Starting to hit the trail with just enough gear to make us two days and one night to our first cache at Mowich Lake, I figured I would hike with my parents and the family friend joining us till Frozen Lake, the first junction for some of my side adventures. I stuck with everyone else until my Mom egged me on to going ahead. I quickly switched towards my own pace and set off for the begin of my journey.
I got to the Frozen Lake junction to realize that I was already hadn’t planned appropriately. I was at tree line, leaving me no good tree to stash food in if I were to drop pack. I decided to head up towards the three Burroughs with my pack and figure out what to do as I went. Before ascending the Second Burrough I decided to just suspend my stuff sack of food between two rocks on my trekking pole and hope that was sufficient to at least save my food from chipmunks.
Without my pack I quickly ascended and descended the Burroughs, breaking into a jog and a run when possible. I was flying past people on day hikes and caught up to two people on a trail run. I felt great, the weather seemed stable, and the day was still young.
My food was fortunately untouched when I returned to it and I jogged off the First Burrough with my pack. After hanging my food on a fence at Frozen Lake I broke back into stride going out to Mt Fremont Fire Lookout and then scrambling up Mt Fremont.
Consuming some snacks, I donned my pack and headed towards Skyscraper Pass between a walk and a jog, not sure what I would be able to keep up for the rest of the today, let alone maintain for the next 8 days. I had pulled out my hiking poles knowing that maintaining my pace and saving my knees were going to be crucial to my enjoyment of this trip and they were then never put away.
Skyscraper Mountain was short and simple, although even without my pack the steepness made me realize continuing at this cadence throughout the trip would require a lot of effort and end up being grueling.
Descending from Skyscraper Pass I had no more plans before camp, so I braced myself for a slog with my backpack and wondered how far ahead the rest of the group had gotten. I was exhilarated by my perceived success so far and cruised to Winthrop Creek. I was thrilled by my ability to maintain a decent pace up the other side of the valley and started guessing what time I would catch up with everyone else.
Arriving at camp right as my parents did, I dropped pack, hydrated, and chatted for a bit before heading on towards where the “Guide to 100 Peaks at Mount Rainier” instructed me to leave trail for Mineral Mountain.
From the top of Mineral Mountain I watched a helicopter bringing loads of gear to Mystic Lake below me and I descended into a more restful mental state from my amped up energy level of the day. Upon returning to camp we ventured to the Patrol Cabin for views of Rainier and enjoyed some pre-dinner snacks while talking trails around Washington with two rangers and a fellow hiker.
I rinsed off my dusty legs in the lake, had some dinner, got settled into my tent, and fell asleep while comparing maps with route descriptions for objectives to hit between Mystic Lake and Mowich Lake.
Day 2
24.53 miles, 11,020 ft
We quickly broke camp, accelerated by the beginning of rainfall as we finished with the tents. Wearing rain gear we left camp as I divulged what my plans had been for the day before the rain started, unsure if I would push on to do anything now that we were soaked. With some optimism provided by my family friend about the potential for a clearer day ahead I changed pace and set off for more adventures.
While still being misted upon, I left the trail with my pack and headed up Curtis Ridge to hopefully cool views of Carbon Glacier and Willis Wall. Most of the way up I threw down my pack, ran up the last portion of the ridge I had decided I would do, and upon returning to my pack doffed layers to just my shorts, shirt, and rain jacket before trotting back down the ridge with my pack.
Shortly after returning to the trail I threw my pack under a tree and started ascending a creek bed and then a talus field on the way to the top of Old Desolate. The loose, wet rock made progress slow and hitting the ridge two peaks away from the summit dampened my spirits more than my soaked clothes already had. I reached the summit, but the highlight was likely turning back towards my pack as I was cold and hungry.
With Curtis Ridge and Old Desolate behind me, my next objectives were in Spray Park, on the other side of Carbon River. The descent to the river remained wet, but the weather was changing for my ascent up the other side. As sunlight started to break through the clouds and pierce into the forest my climbing was fast, at least by my standards, and sustained. I caught up with my parents and then my family friend before reaching the high point of the trail in Spray Park by myself.
I rested briefly, hydrated, and packed a small day pack my Dad had let me borrow before setting off into the constantly fluctuating clouds hoping to find Observation and Echo Rock waiting for me. I was surprised to see another set of fresh footprints heading up in front of me and about halfway to the rocks encountered a fellow climber descending out of the mist. He had turned back after getting off route and demotivated by the dense clouds making navigation difficult and any views quite disappointing.
I had no better plan for the day, so I continued on. Heading out up a snow field my dedication to continuing was rewarded by Observation Rock flirting with me through the clouds. I soon discovered I was in fact on Flett Glacier and traversed the rest of it with significantly more care. As I rounded the back of Observation Rock the clouds were fairly dispersed providing great views down the mountain and over the surrounding wilderness.
I descended off Observation Rock with some bounce in my step and made a quick scramble up Echo Rock before returning down the edge of Flett Glacier and heading down towards my pack with beautiful views of Spray Park and Mother Mountain beckoning me onward. I wasn’t sure what my plan was, but I aimed for Knapsack Pass and First Mother Mountain. I missed a turn towards Knapsack but decided it would just give me the opportunity to also include Hessong Rock and Mt Pleasant.
A marine layer was forming, but fortunately everything I still wanted to do remained above it leaving me with incredible views and amazing lighting as the sun lowered in the sky.
I emptied my hydration pack coming off Mt Pleasant and opted to just keep pushing in order to try to make it to Mowich Lake before dark and avoid worrying my Mom. I was feeling the lack of water at Knapsack Pass and had to carry my pack up a bit farther towards First Mother Mountain to avoid leaving it near the pass where I had encountered a couple mountain goats. After First Mother Mountain my only goal was descending as quickly as possible to camp to refuel and pass out.
Every stream crossing on the way down tempted me to stop, but I kept going to arrive at the Mowich Campground right as it was getting dark. A whole feast of a meal had been cached or brought by a childhood friend who was joining us for the rest of the trip and his parents. I snarfed down a bunch of pasta and vegetables, devoured a variety of desserts, but passed on the beer. Just given the amount of time I spent eating I was the last one up in our group.
Day 3
20.08 miles, 6,270 ft
After sorting through the gear and food I had cached for myself at Mowich, I broke camp and headed out on the trail with my childhood friend. I wasn’t sure of how he would manage on the trail, but he set a decent pace down to Mowich River. I picked up pace heading up towards our camp at Golden Lakes and separated from him.
I got to the camp fairly early, setup my tent to dry out from the morning mist at Mowich, swam in one of the lakes, and fueled up while waiting for others in my group to arrive. When others showed up, I set out to explore the ridge going up towards Rainier above Golden Lakes.
After leaving the trail a bit past Golden Lakes and partway up towards the ridge I was startled by the sudden sound of a galloping bear tearing off down the slope away from me, only catching a brief glimpse of black flashing between trees as it went. I realized I should probably be paying a bit more attention for bears, but my heart rate quickly settled, and I continued pushing on.
Once on the ridge I was having nothing but a blast. A small boot track seemed to lead the way, there was endless rugged terrain above me, and I could see a mama bear and cub in a basin below me. I quickly went from high point to high point along the ridge, although the terrain started to slow me down as I ended up ascending and descending talus fields for the latter points.
The evening marine layer was starting to roll in, but on the way back down I was able to see two other bears below me. As I was starting to descend off the ridge, I entered some open meadows and had to dodge around a bear that was quite content occupying my direct route back towards the trail.
I continued while whacking my hiking poles together to try to inform any other bears in the mist that I was present and after hitting the trail I broke back into a run. Most of the way back to camp I turned a corner and just down the trail was a bear. I don’t think it cared in the least that I had been making noise, nor did it care that I was continuing to clap, yell, and plead with it to leave the trail. Several minutes later, after it had eventually sauntered off 20 ft from the trail and I could squeeze by, I made my move and returned to camp.
As I was throwing together my food it started to rain and then quickly escalated into a violent thunderstorm. I waited it out under a tree, watching our camp site puddle up and large hail come down. I moved inside my tent when the tree I was under became saturated and it no longer provided any useful protection from the downpour. Over an hour later, when things had died down, I felt comfortable going to hang my food on the metal bear pole and then quickly knocked out in my wet tent.
Day 4
20.26 miles, 7,297 ft
Everything was wet. My tent was soaked, my rain gear was drenched, and my backpack had gained pounds of water. Hitting the trail meant walking passed bushes and plants that were happy to dump more buckets of water on me. My spirit was mainly maintained by the hope that the afternoon would have better weather and I would again get to head up a ridge, this time aiming for Takaloo Rock.
I made it to Klapatchee Park Camp just as the weather was starting to equivocate about turning into a nice day (it never really did get better). I nearly froze once my heart rate lowered and the dampness of all my clothing soaked the heat out of me. After company arrived at camp, my spirits lifted enough to motivate me to pack the day pack and head off up the trail past St Andrew’s Lake to see about doing Takaloo Rock, St Andrews Rock, and likely Aurora Peak on the way back.
I made my way up towards Takaloo Rock through a mix of brief glimpses of clearing skies and being completely encompassed by clouds. I became apprehensive about continuing given the thunderstorms of the night before but given I hadn’t seen any precipitation I pushed on. As I crossed a field of van sized boulders, I was able to look through the mist and see Takaloo Spire just above me informing me that Takloo Rock was right around the corner. As I made this realization some fat raindrops started to fall and I decided that the line had finally been crossed and I was no longer comfortable standing on a bare ridge, over a thousand feet above tree line, with no clue what the weather was going to do.
I started descending with my spirits down, but glad that I had mustered at least a mote of common sense and was able to draw the line somewhere. I was bummed because somewhere along the trip I had decided I wanted to go over 20 miles and climb over 6000ft of elevation a day and was hoping to accomplish that for the day by means of summitting Takaloo Rock, but decided I would just run down the trail to South Puyallup River and back instead.
I started to dislike the idea about a third of the way down to the river, but something kept me going. I walked across the bridge at the bottom, pulled out my water bottle, and immediately started walking back. I did the ascent back up at a pace I was quite happy with, grabbed some water at Saint Andrew’s Lake, and then hiked up Aurora Peak.
I returned to camp in a good mood, although everyone was so cold and wet that we were all just holed up in our tests.
Day 5
13.21 miles, 3,540 ft
Everything was still wet. We were all wet. I hiked with everyone else because I wasn’t quite sure if people would want to just hike out to Longmire rather than staying at our reserved campsite at Devil’s Dream. After reaching the suspension bridge at Tahoma Creek it became clear we were going to stay at Devil’s Dream. I knew there were some small peaks around Devil’s Dream so figured if I still pushed ahead I could maybe do a couple if the weather got any better.
Cresting the ridge into Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground the sun came out and the day was looking up. I was blown away by the beauty of the landscape, even with Mount Rainier encompassed in clouds. I was so excited to camp in such a landscape as I knew Devil’s Dream was close, but the trail then quickly descended into what was in my mind a cold, wet, dark forest filled with despair.
After setting up my tent in camp my spirits lifted slightly, but I had made the ultimate decision that I would just rest for the day. I was tired, everything was wet, and everyone else’s spirits were in a similarly low place. Sadly, this would be the first day I wouldn’t meet my 20 mile/6000ft goal.
We just napped, read, and ate food through the end of the afternoon until it was somewhat more appropriately dark to go to bed.
Day 6
20.07 miles, 6,073 ft
We were going to be dry! My Mom had booked rooms in the Longmire Inn which meant we would have normal hot meals, a shower, a warm bed, and the opportunity to dry out all our gear before continuing. I hit the trail with the key to the car we had stashed at Longmire and got down the roughly 5 miles in an hour and a half. Dropped my pack in the car, filled up my water, and leached some WiFi at the ranger station to briefly check-in on work.
I set out from Longmire for Eagle Peak Trailhead and flew up to the pass. I scrambled up the wet terrain towards Chutla Peak and was surprised by how sketchy it seemed in relation to how easy the access to it was from Longmire. Views from the peak were limited by low cloud cover and I promptly returned to the pass and then headed up Eagle Peak.
Climbing down from Eagle Peak I saw a bear in a meadow which I was pretty sure I would encounter on my way towards Wahpenayo. Once I descended before leaving the main trail and following a light boot track traversing wet meadows under Chutla. I finally saw the bear I had seen from above, and it saw me. I continued the path behind a tree and when I emerged on the other side there was no sign of the bear. I spent the next 10 minutes loudly singing and talking to myself about the bear in hopes it wouldn’t suddenly pop out and confront me, but I made it through without any sign that a bear had ever existed.
I continued up towards Wahpenyo Peak as clouds rested on the ridge above me. I followed the ridge until I ended up on a peak and was pleased that I made it to the top. Out of the mist emerged another slightly higher point a little farther on and dutifully I continued. This happened at least twice before I finally confirmed on my phone that I was in fact on the real peak.
On the way down I was greeted by some rain before entering the forest again but was fortunately spared the downpour that was being witnessed by my group down below in Longmire. After getting down to Longmire I still had a couple miles towards my 20 mile goal and was a couple hundred feet short on elevation so I plodded up the Wonderland Trail till I got far enough to ensure I’d meet my goals.
I happily enjoyed the room to dry all my gear, take a warm shower, and eat some potato chips before getting a warm dinner of non-rehydrated food and some delicious dessert.
Day 7
22.74 miles, 8,474 ft
We ate breakfast as soon as the Inn started serving and hit the trail soon after. I quickly pulled away to try to gain some sort of a lead before Reflection Lakes where I was going to turn up towards Pinnacle Peak and go for the rest of the Tatoosh Range.
Part way up the Pinnacle Peak Trail I had the need and was actually able to hang food from bears for the first time. I continued to the pass where I then headed west to first climb Lane Peak, after that was Denman, and then Plummer.
After hitting everything west of the Pinnacle Peak Pass trail I skipped Pinnacle and traversed east hoping to get towards Unicorn. I got slightly of the main boot path by being a bit low and by the time I got to Castle I wanted a little pick-me-up, so I quickly scaled Castle and was humored by the fact that the route description had recommended gear for rappelling.
Coming off Castle I was surprised to hear voices in terrain I assumed would be desolate. I discussed my route and my trip with two older gentlemen who happened to be an ex-Superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park and a former backcountry ranger of 20 years. They provided insight for Foss and warned me of several bear sightings in that direction but didn’t know much about the route for Unicorn.
Upon reaching the top of Foss Peak I was able to spot a bear on the slopes below and I looked towards Unicorn Peak and was disheartened. The scree field leading to the summit ridge looked as loose and steep as possible and was topped by a nice 100ft snow field at the same pitch with a large cornice on the top. I didn’t see any way I would enjoy the ascent to the ridgeline and didn’t want to waste away the limited hours left in the day that I needed to be spending on the Wonderland Trail to make it to Nickle Creek Camp by dark.
I turned back for a much quicker traverse back to Pinnacle having found the main boot track back from Castle, which conveniently brought me higher on the slope above a mama bear and cub who had shown up below. Pinnacle Peak went smoothly, and I cruised back down to my pack anxious to chip away at the miles of trail ahead of me.
As I started to get going, I realized that at this point walking down hill was more uncomfortable than jogging, so off I went. I think I did the whole way from Reflection Lake to Nickle Creek Camp with my pack in a little over two hours, which meant I showed up at a reasonable time and we were actually able to enjoy a bit of camp time given it was still light and everything was dry.
Day 8
23.5 miles, 11,112 ft
Waking up I knew this was really the last day that I would get to push myself. Day 9 would be our final push to Sunrise Visitor Center and everyone else wouldn’t want to wait around at the car while I was still doing some silly adventure. I headed out of camp with some determination and tried to crush some miles towards Indian Bar.
I didn’t feel as light as I had the days before and the hills were starting to really take a toll on me. I did my best to push through and not have to stop but I needed some more calories and a second to catch my breath. I felt better as the trees thinned and the sun rose higher to light up a beautiful clear blue sky.
I pushed on through Indian Bar, but shortly after starting up the ascent on the other side I again hit a wall and had to stop for some rest. I think at this point my inexperience with hydration and calorie management for long periods of time was catching up to me. I no longer had the reserves of energy or will power to sustain progress with an unsatisfied body. With some rest, sugar, and water I pushed on again and had the momentum I needed to carry me through Panhandle Gap and down towards Summerland Camp.
I soon started to regret listening to my Mom’s words that had been echoing in my mind about going all the way to Summerland to claim a camping spot before returning to Panhandle for my adventures. I descended farther than I probably would have liked to, but arrived at camp, grabbed the best spot, and quickly turned around to go back up.
After ascending back to Panhandle Gap to start my adventures for the day under impeccable weather conditions, I traversed and then ascended towards Banshee Peak. I descended off the far side to do a quick scramble to the top of Central Cowlitz Chimney as the wind picked up. After coming back off of Central I descended into the basin to try to get a glimpse of the route on Main Cowlitz Chimney, which as I had read in the book, had a rather exposed traverse. I kept pushing off my rest break so that I could get a better look to determine if I would go for it or turn around. Ultimately, I was on the other side of the traverse and had scrambled up to the summit before I stopped but reflecting back I definitely wish I had taken my rest and ensured my body was in good shape before committing to doing something of that nature.
The views from the top were spectacular and I descended while talking to myself about how most injuries happen on descent. After getting down I started my trudge back up across Banshee towards Panhandle and eventually down into Summerland.
I arrived at camp to find the rest of my party had claimed a smaller campsite and we moved camp to where I had setup for nicer views of Mount Rainier and significantly more space. After the campsite shuffle, I headed out again to try to get Meany Crest under my belt before it got too dark.
Meany Crest, was, in fact, quite mean. The entire route was talus with small stretches of small scree one could ascend if they so desired. I stuck to the talus and quickly got to Meany Crest and continued to the plateau on the ridge a couple hundred feet higher. With some final incredible views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding area I descended back to camp trying to meet the timeline I had told my Mom of before I had set out.
I arrived back in camp to an interesting attempt at a group photo as darkness was descending, a pestering mouse, and a quick dinner before passing out.
Day 9
20.82 miles, 5,118 ft
A light mist was falling as I woke up, but in all honesty I didn’t really care. All my gear could get as wet as possible and I would still be inside a dry car by mid-afternoon. I decided to skip ascending Goat Island Mountain given I would just be in a cloud and had already done enough of that for the trip.
I set off down the trail hoping to get my 20 miles in as I was pretty sure that was what would be necessary to double the normal length of the Wonderland Trail over the course of the trip. I was time limited, so I decided to just stick to the trail and hope to be able to descend back from Sunshine Visitor Center to White River and then climb back up again without making my group wait at the car. I got to our car, emptied my pack, and then started my journey back down. I had forgotten to account for the fact that everyone else was planning on dropping pack at White River Camp and ascending with minimal weight, so I crossed paths with them way higher up towards the ridge than I wanted. I continued downward, regrouped myself at the bottom, and then started right back up. They did wait for me at the car for a bit, but I think they were alright enjoying the bags of chips that had been left as an end of trip snack.
With hours of driving ahead of us to retrieve cars left around the park, we quickly loaded up to continue on with our lives after an eventful 9 day journey along the Wonderland Trail in some, generally, less than ideal weather conditions.
This journey pushed me in ways I have never been pushed before. I know I have a tremendous amount to learn about how to manage my body and my mind on long term physical exertions, but I want to see how far I can push myself. The ups I will need to learn to cherish and the downs I will need to be able to manage, but the memories formed along the way will be priceless.