I wish I had some definitive, trademarkable bit of wisdom to share, but I don’t. Then I drank another bottle of water and went back to sleep. Wonderland Trail: The Wonderland Trail in the Summer. Timberline Trail in a Day: Flowers, and rivers, and sand, oh my! Each camp has 1 to 8 sites for 1 to 5 persons per site. Crossing the bridge was a thrill, and we all acted like children squealing and laughing as we bounced our way across one at a time. The people you do things with flavor your experiences. Wonderland Trail: 95 Miles Total Elevation Gain: 23,810’ At 14,410’ Mt. His teenaged son had run for help, and that morning helicopters had been out searching for the body. It was getting pretty hot by now, and we were careful to hydrate, maintain electrolytes (Nuun, Tailwind, and S-Caps were our friends on this trip), and slow down a bit to keep things under control. A number of side hikes along the way will tempt more miles from you. It was along this descent that Heidi stepped on a loose rock the wrong way and was suddenly sliding off the trail. I grew hotter and I started not to feel well. What a difference….I did the same 3 day journey akin to the series I accomplished in the 90’s, only this time at age 65. At this point, they said that we could make our own decision about whether to cross, but it was an adult decision that would be made by informed adults. My husband had hiked down to the Mowich a couple of weeks earlier to check out the crossings there. In 2009 I authored a journey of Mt. In another half mile, we arrived at Reflection Lakes. I am twelve miles into a 35 mile day, and I haven’t stopped grinning since the first step. Get out of the sleeping bag and get dressed. He was quite plump and cute! 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!) Start doing at least one long run every week, aiming towards 2-3 hours. We finally hit the descent to Nickel’s Creek, and moaned about our feet as we worked our way downhill. Rainier, with our 7,230 metres of elevation gain. Rainier who have some running background and are capable of handling back to back weeks of 30 miles of easy aerobic running to start with and building to nearly 55 mile weeks that include one high intensity session. Group sites are available at certain camps for parties of 6 to 12 persons. Ugh. Ultimately, all of us crossed. Build a custom itinerary for hiking Mount Rainier's Wonderland Trail. I—and the others—had been very attentive to our hydration, food, and electrolytes all day and it had paid off. We popped out on the road and felt a sense of dislocation with the sudden change of scenery, but quickly returned to the forest for more climbing. From Sunrise to White River is 3 downhill miles. The trail starts rather anticlimactically by running along the road for a bit, and then starts heading up Rampart Ridge (and ironically taking us right by Cougar Rock campground). Yes! That series is segmented into each day as I talk to the camera and chronicle my sojourn. Nice report, and long mileage days due to your limited time. As we waited, the day continued to warm and my earlier “Sunrise-or-bust” attitude started to tear me apart. We both decided on the Salomon Agile 17 litre, a stretch-fit pack designed for running with one main compartment, mesh side pockets along with pockets on the waist harness, and Salomon’s usual ‘4D pole holder’ for our running poles – yes, running pole… My! Even as I was packing, I had doubts about my focus and questioned whether I had the level of commitment in my heart to pull this off. ( Log Out /  my life. There are no words. We also heard that a man had been washed off the log bridge the day before and had died. I then slept like the dead until I woke up at 4 a.m. to go to the bathroom. You guys are all the BEST! Once across, we had a long hot climb up to St. Andrews Lake. They drove us to Longmire and we took all the obligatory group photos, and then we were off. I talked about this in my prior post, but getting going on this adventure was tough mentally for me. All photos copyright Sarah Brouwer and me. We then headed off toward our last climb of the trip. With our tents and sleeping bags waiting for us, we changed out some gear in our packs and fell into bed. I ran most of this on my own … behind Elly, Kari, Sarah, Heidi, and Kelli and ahead of Vivian and Rachel. Eager to make progress on this shorter day (I really really wanted to get into camp early and take a nap! As for me, I left camp queasy, uncertain, and determined. to help you prepare. However, you can still get there by bike, and I think it’d be a worthwhile day trip to ride up to the South Puyallup Trail and hike up to Emerald Ridge. I sleep well. Wednesday, Day 1: Meet in Ashford WA Instructions: Select your start and end trailheads, number of days, and hiking direction. Up again at 5 a.m., we were slower at getting ready and finally left camp at 6:30 a.m. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Oh! Overall was around 93 miles of hiking with 44,000 feet of elevation gain and loss over the course of 6 days… Wonderland trail at mount Rainier 09/15/2013 - 09/21/2013. Once we hit the Carbon River, we were on known territory for me. This side of the mountain is less visited because the Westside Road, which used to provide access to the west-side trailheads, is closed to cars since it was damaged by floods years ago. Alexandra Partington (alexandrapartington) danpartington (danpartington2) Robin (robin86692989) Ssroly (ssroly) Lists. My feet were screaming at me, causing me to occasionally stop and flex them and breathe, but I felt strong. Get my food bag off the bear pole and start on another 4 star breakfast. Those things always happen so quickly, and luckily she slid into a tree which stopped her downhill progress. This year’s “big adventure” destination landed squarely in our Pacific Northwest backyard: seven of us—Kari, Kelli, Wendy, Heidi, Sarah, Vivian, and I—decided to go around Mt. That series is segmented into each day as I talk to the camera and chronicle my sojourn. Fastpack Essentials. The mountains are serious business. 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. At one point, it crosses a creek and then ascend an evil set of stairs. Day Three was a re-run of the previous two days. I talked to Wendy, who was limping through camp in her flip-flops, and I felt terribly for her. Since then, I always know what I’m in for, and I warned everyone else in advance. We first headed up to Emerald Ridge, which was breathtaking! Without a doubt, Moraine Park—with Moraine Creek, wildflowers, and incredible views of the Mountain—was a highlight. It seemed possible that we would have to turn back and give up on our trip. This humble yet inspiring path weaves through ancient forests, flows through flower filled meadows, and climbs the many steep ridges cut from the mountains powerful systems of fire and ice. Each time, I’ve wanted to see more, experience more, of this wonder: a trail that goes around Mt. Our day started with crossing the White River just outside camp. When I was in my 20s, I went on two backpacking trips with my brother, Rob, and his friend, Kip, in the High Sierras of California. 20+ miles a day is definitely doable but you do have to work harder than any other trail I've hiked. Basically, everything between Summerland and Indian Bar are part of what I consider heaven on earth—beautiful meadows, high alpine ecosystems, stellar views of the Mountain! It’s been so long that I don’t remember why that trip never came together. wife. Such an amazing accomplishment! Wonderland Trail Day 3 & 4 Posted by wellpickledTara February 9, 2020 April 2, 2020 Posted in Uncategorized Tags: Washington Hiking , Wonderland Trail Disclaimer: The Well Pickled Wonderland trail journal is more about my experience on the trail vs. descriptions of the trail itself. Full prices from: €1,075.00 per person Elly, Angel, and Tim quickly caught up with us, and it made for cheery conversation to catch up with them. This is a great trail with excellent views to see the different angle of the Mountain. A trail that would challenge me mentally and physically. None of us wanted to leave, but all of us wanted to get to Mowich at some point that evening, so we resigned ourselves to putting back on our shoes and packs and heading out. Thanks for sharing….on my bucket list for sure….. At Mystic Lake, we all needed to refill our water and then we were off again. This year’s “big adventure” destination landed squarely in our Pacific Northwest backyard: seven of us—Kari, Kelli, Wendy, Heidi, Sarah, Vivian, and I—decided to go around Mt. About halfway through the climb, we bumped into another woman, Rachel, who was also doing the Wonderland in three days, but she was solo on her trek. Wonderland Trail in 3 days. One of the the really cool things about the Wonderland Trail is that you can cache food at certain locations around the trail. The right people enhance the experience and make each moment bigger, better, and simply more fun. With a 10 day itinerary, we decided to take advantage of only one cache location, and that was at Longmire. It’s about 8 miles, with 1500 feet gain and 2100 loss, to Golden Lakes, our next major landmark. However, being recently retired, I had some mileage under my belt and 11 more years of experience. Strong folks carrying a light load can comfortably do the trail in three days, whereas slower, more heavily-laden ramblers might take up to 9 or 10 days to complete the circuit. My thoughts remain with the man who died and especially with his son, who witnessed everything. We’d descend to the bottom of Stevens Canyon and then ascend to Reflection Lakes near Paradise. The first day on the Wonderland Trail (2nd day of the tour) totals 30+ miles (48.3+ km) with six long climbs and descents. From there, I dragged into the Visitor Center and promptly inhaled a hamburger, two bags of popcorn, and two sodas. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Put on my shoes and I’m out of the tent. It was clear to me that my trip was up. But when we got there, we not only found the river pouring over parts of the bridge in waves, we also encountered a ranger who strongly advised against crossing. Once we passed Mike and my previous turnaround point, we were back again in unknown territory until we reach Old Desolate above Mystic Lake. After the Winthrop, you traverse gently up and down to Granite Creek and then ascend several hundred feet through forest. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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 a long, tough second day on the Wonderland Trail, this day would feel like a walk in the park. Course Overview. I got my answers in the middle of the trip, when I hit my “low” point and puked in the bushes outside the Sunrise Visitor Center parking lot. From here, we had about 11 miles and 3400 feet of gain to get to our next major landmark: Klapatche Park. Hiking the Wonderland Trail guidebook contains itineraries from 7-13 days both clockwise and counterclockwise, starting from the most popular locations (Longmire, Sunrise and Mowich Lake). I was excited about day two: I knew most of the trail, loved the views, and knew that it would be a shorter, easier day that ended in burgers at Sunrise Visitor Center. Adam, Ana, Sharon, Heidi’s husband Bill, and Mike had hot food and cold drinks ready for us, and I don’t think we showed any manners at all as we shoveled it into our faces. We invited her to join us, but she cheerfully shook her head and later passed us at a nice clip. Vivian kept an eye on me, and cheerfully announced each new spectacular view. Adjust individual days in the generated itinerary below. In 2009 I authored a journey of Mt. We pushed into a run to get out of there and soon arrived at Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground. Saturday, September 24, 2011 Wonderland Trail in 3 days (day 3) I woke up Monday around 6AM, and laid in bed until 6:30 AM before getting up and heading with the others down to breakfast. With age comes wisdom, and this transit was essentially much easier than 2009….although the days were still long, coming in at 17 hours each. Most people hike the entire trail in about ten days, and the Park Service allows up to fourteen days to complete the trail. ), I charged ahead, ignoring my watch chimes that I have programmed to remind me to eat, drink, and take electrolytes routinely. But it was always there, in the back of my mind. It was unnerving—because the water was so brown from the silt is was carrying, when the waves of water crossed the bridge I’d lose sight of my feet and the bridge itself. Wonderland Trail by Minji Kim 7/3/2018 1600pm-2000pm: White River to Granite Creek (8.4mi / 13.5km, Elevation Gain & Loss: 910m & 432m, Total Distance: 8.4mi / 13.5km) I would think you need to up your mileage substantially. My trip would never have happened if it were just me out there, alone and without purpose. 3 Days. 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. In part due to a deflated sleeping pad, in part due to the fact my body was getting used to the 5am wake-up. This was a big deal because our feet were feeling the miles and keeping them happy was a priority. Our climbing was essentially done! I pack all my “need to stay dry” gear into my dry bag. It was insanely gorgeous! 1 Crazy Adventure. Day One of the Wonderland, Longmire to Mowich: 34 miles, 11K vertical feet [ Strava] Day Two, Mowich to White River (via Spray Park): 24 miles, 7.7K vertical feet [ Strava] Day Three, White River to Longmire: 31 miles, 7.8K vertical feet. There, Elly was waiting to accompany us the final 5 miles back to Longmire. This section ascends just under 2000 feet over 3ish miles, and it becomes another one of those breathtakingly beautiful places along the Wonderland Trail. I simply know that I am blessed. I finally caught them after a couple of miles and enjoyed their spontaneous rap songs (with Skat Master Sarah as DJ) and silliness. Oh, and there were 90+ degree temperatures in the forecast and two of the bridges were out. There are a number of different starting points for the Wonderland Trail and it can be hiked clockwise or counterclockwise. Mountain views. My family and I did the hike many years ago in 13 nights and enjoyed every minute of it. 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. This time when we invited her to join us, she jumped at the offer, and we were once again a group of seven. So, when we got there, we decided to wait for the group to be whole again so we could be assured of everyone’s safety. The stories definitely did not make it sound easy, but 93 miles split into 3 days, at an average pace of 3mph, that’s just an average of 11 hours a day. Tentatively on the docket for the year: Running Around Mt. There was even a resident marmot who ignored us as he stood on his haunches, pulled on a flower stem, and then devoured the flower. I was 2.5 days short and 45 km shy to finish up the entire Trail. She gave each of us a wonderful hug, and seriously it was like a smile in my soul! I switched my headlamp on with just over a mile to go. And then suddenly we were at Louise Lake! The night before, our friends Elly, Angel, and Tim had arrived to replace Ana and Adam and supplement Sharon, Mike, and Bill as crew, cheer, and support. Pain and Suffering: Wonderland Trail in 3 Days February 12, 2014 by Steve I schlepped a camera on my 2009 thru hike to record a different Vidcast (see below, You're a Wimp! At Box Canyon, we marveled at all the people and cars and used flush toilets and washed our hands with soap and water. We were all in awe of the parents, as none of us with kids could imagine ours being out there doing what they were doing. To travel this trail is to experience the many faces, ecosystems, beauty, and savagery of the mountain. In recent years, I’ve covered the section along the Carbon River to the Carbon Glacier, the section between Frying Pan Creek Trailhead and Box Canyon five times, and the section from Sunrise to Mystic Lake. Rainier’s Wonderland Trail in 3 days involving pain and suffering. That family and another couple were swimming and cooling off in the lake, and we quickly joined them. Our first destination would be Summerland, a long-time favorite of mine. I shared my own situation, and I think we both were in the same state of mind. Clearly salt was still high on the body-needs-this list. There are so many things I could have done during this hour, and in retrospect they’re obvious (hydrate, eat, find shade and a cooler place). There are many water resources, however, you definitely need to be well prepared to avoid being bitten by those nasty mosquitoes. This news definitely affected our outlooks. finding inspiration as a mom. A bucket list adventure for sure!! I was not in good shape that year and endured a bit of suffering, finally finishing on day 3 at 2:20 AM. Rainier, that shows off its volcanic nature as well as its meadows and forests and glaciers. It’s 0545 and I’m up. I was hoping we could order, eat and go in 30 minutes. Over the 2 miles from Mystic to the Winthrop, we powered on … hoping we would arrive before the day’s warmth increased the river’s levels too much. But I’m ahead of myself …. Inn At The Long Trail - MA miles: 166.2-270.2 days: 3 "Quick" write up: All in all the northern section was definitely an ass kicker and hard as everyone said. That meant 15+ mile days combined with some wicked elevation gains and drops. The first thing we started to nerd out on was our packs. At camp Wendy and I conferred. The Wonderland Trail is a 150 km route that circumnavigates Mt. 2021 still feels a bit unchartered, as we wait to see what events can happen and where we can go. $39 This 16-week ultra running training plan is designed for individuals looking at completing a three-day running tour of the Wonderland Trail around Mt. If you're feeling ambitious, the hike can be done in three days (or fewer if you're truly a beast), but most hikers choose itineraries calling for six to eight days. 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