View Full Version : Wonderland Trail 2010
My buddy just sent me an e-mail and said that his wife had given him a "kitchen pass" to hike the Wonderland Trail in 2010. :D
Looks like I got the same pass. :banana Wonderland Trail in 2010 or bust!
Kerosene
02-19-2009, 16:38
Okay, by rubbing it in you now have to commit to posting a detailed trip report!
My best guess for when I'll get the chance to circumnavigate Ranier is somewhere between 2016-2020.
I've heard it's a great trail. Only takes about a week.
Okay, by rubbing it in you now have to commit to posting a detailed trip report!
Will do!
I've heard it's a great trail. Only takes about a week.
93 miles. Sounds about right!
Feral Bill
02-19-2009, 22:15
I've heard it's a great trail. Only takes about a week.
Take more time, two weeks even. This is a tough trail with 25,000 feet of climb and the same of descent. The tread is not great in places as well. More importantly, it would be a shame to rush such a fabulous trip. The scenery just does not stop. When I do this one again, I'll go in fall, with berries and without bugs.
PM with any specific questions.
Have fun!
FB
The picture is my daughter and me at Indian Bar, 2000.
it is an awesome trail... go in the Fall, you will have it mostly to yourself. Sweet. A week is perfect, for me at least.
A week is perfect, for me at least.
OK, that says it all Jeff, probably should plan longer than a week. Yappy is like the energizer bunny. :p
Four days and a wake up is about right for the WT. It does go up and down, but it is a trail. There are some good views, but there is also a fair amount of time spent in the trees. I'm not sure if the trail has been brought back completely from the wash outs two years ago and you might still have some road walking to do (the park is busy building things like visitor's centers). Personally, I'd do something else in WA, like the Bailey Traverse or the Alpine Lakes High Route or a 200 mile loop in the Pasayten Wilderness. Check out
http://cwillett.imathas.com/local/bailey/index.html
for info and photos on the Bailey. You can scramble a lot of peaks if you're so inclined. I did it in 4.5 days, but if you stop for peaks 7 days is a better idea.
lol.. hey, I could said 4 nights and an out like Chris ! if a person had extra time after the WT they could head down to Hood and do that loop. That is a nice hike too.
Feral Bill
02-20-2009, 15:43
I met a person doing the WT in five days. Thats close to 20 miles with 5000 feet each day. I know it is possible for the very fit, but I still think it is a bad idea for most. At present I think thet there is a four mile stretch of road walking, and some short bushwhack detours.
A (shorter) loop in the Pasayten Wilderness is tempting.
lol.. hey, I could said 4 nights and an out like Chris ! if a person had extra time after the WT they could head down to Hood and do that loop. That is a nice hike too.
The Timberline Trail around Hood is also good. Two days and a morning is all you need, so a long weekend hike it very doable (I think its about 40 miles). I hiked this a couple of years back:
http://cwillett.imathas.com/local/timberline/index.html
Four days and a wake up is about right for the WT. It does go up and down, but it is a trail. There are some good views, but there is also a fair amount of time spent in the trees. I'm not sure if the trail has been brought back completely from the wash outs two years ago and you might still have some road walking to do (the park is busy building things like visitor's centers). Personally, I'd do something else in WA, like the Bailey Traverse or the Alpine Lakes High Route or a 200 mile loop in the Pasayten Wilderness. Check out
http://cwillett.imathas.com/local/bailey/index.html
for info and photos on the Bailey. You can scramble a lot of peaks if you're so inclined. I did it in 4.5 days, but if you stop for peaks 7 days is a better idea.
Great photos Chris. Thanks for sharing.
Hey, thanx for the trip reports Chris! Really enjoyed hearing about them! Your friend Daris quote, "life isn't all about coke and hookers" is the best I've heard all day! Especially when I read it while also looking at the pic of you in the parking lot with the cig clenched between the teeth!
yeah, Hood is just a night or 2 out. A great weekend trip. there is also the kettle crest trail in Curlew Wa. it is about 40 miles too I think. pretty area. you want to know another good one ? it is a secret though.. so I am gonna whisper..:) the snake river canyon trail outta Imnaha Wa.. What a gorgeous hike. there is NOONE on that puppy.. really pretty.
Hood still has a section blow out that is a no-no to get caught in. Yes, people do it and yes, you would be taking a major risk being in the blow out physically.
As for the WT...sure you can do it in shorter days....but in truth, why? We did it in 7 days. It isn't the miles, rather the elevation that will get you (around 26K gain and 26K loss total) in those 90 some miles.
The only flat places in Rainier I have decided over the years are Grand Park's 3 miles and the top of Burroughs 1 :p
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a308/NWHikergirl/Rainier/Mtp.jpg
But hey, if you do it short....you could tack on a section of the PCT (which I might add runs only a couple miles away as the crow flies). The section between White Pass and Chinook Pass is some of the prettiest miles in Washington. Now on the PCT doing 20 miles a day is not hard - the trail was built for horsies - unlike the WT that often does a 20% grade.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a308/NWHikergirl/Rainier/wonderland_trail_profile.jpg
As for trail repairs....the WT gets blow outs yearly from late fall storms (this year was no exception either). Usually by late June they have all the bridges repaired and they will hack in a repair job.
The corner down at Ipsuit Creek stays closed though - the blowout of '06 was not fixed and the road was turned into a trail for the 4.5 miles to Ipsuit Creek campground - now a backcountry camping area. Alas, the late fall storms of '08 (a Pineapple Express) blew out the county road before you get to the park's boundary. The county closed the road due to instability. The WT in this corner was blown out in late '06, you use the trail on the other side of the Carbon River if you are coming down Ipsuit Pass from Mowhich Lake (the other trail is part of The Northern Loop). In truth, it is just easier now to go via Seattle/Spray Parks (which is much prettier anyways!). The trail blowout was fixed between Box Canyon and Louise Lake last summer, but it has some new issues now. Most likely it will be fixed this summer.
Rainier fixes their messes quite fast so if a blowout happens this coming fall/winter...don't sweat it! And if you do get up here, drop me a note - I live pretty close to Sunrise - one of the reasons I am often up at Tahoma.
Sarbar, that's a great elev. profile for the WT. Can't quite read the x and y axis units though. Now, that's an up up up and a down down down and an up up up and a down down down and an up up up and a down down down and a .....trail!
StarLyte
02-21-2009, 07:32
Hey Mowgli - congrats!
Mark Hudson "Skeeter" - did this trail in 2006, also did a presentation with a DVD slideshow on the WT at the PA Ruck last year.
I emailed him already and told him you're hiking it. (
[email protected])
Have fun!
Sarbar, that's a great elev. profile for the WT. Can't quite read the x and y axis units though. Now, that's an up up up and a down down down and an up up up and a down down down and an up up up and a down down down and a .....trail!
Oops! It is small :D It shows between 2,000 and 7,000 ft on the left and 0 miles and 93 miles on the bottom.
A roller coaster it is! Particularly the "pie crust" on the West side :D
I did it in 9 days and wouldn't recommend much less time. I wasn't in great shape when I started, but I was when I finished. :) The scenery is far too breathtaking to be busting out consecutive 20+ mile days.
Blissful
02-21-2009, 21:48
We're goin' this summer in that area, but don't have the time to hike the trail unfortunately, but it looks superb. Great photos.
Feral Bill
02-21-2009, 22:16
We're goin' this summer in that area, but don't have the time to hike the trail unfortunately, but it looks superb. Great photos.
There are a couple of smaller loops thst include WT sections. One is the Northern Loop. the other is on the east side of the park. They are worth looking into.
Oh yes! We all know there is a rigid reservation system and we need to reserve early to get the trip we want, no?
For a finish where you start hike, i.e. loop, this is the best loop hike in the world! Lots of rain is common but I was blessed to have only a day of rain out of nine days hiking. I met up with a park ranger, hiked with him for a day and he invited me to come stay with him at his ranger's cabin at the end of the hike for a cleanup before my flight back home. What a fantastic experience, both with nature, God's creation, and befriending a wonderful person I met in the midst of it all.
There are a couple of smaller loops thst include WT sections. One is the Northern Loop. the other is on the east side of the park. They are worth looking into.
Oh yes! We all know there is a rigid reservation system and we need to reserve early to get the trip we want, no?
Yes, though the system isn't as rigid as it appears at first. Get an idea of the dates you want with a couple choices, then fax in on the day they open it up.
A hint: start mid week for easier getting. Realize that Summerland and Indian Bar are the hottest places for reservations - if you hit them midweek it isn't as big of an issue, but on a Saturday in August? Yikes!
Be flexible and you won't have an issue :) They get back to you pretty fast so you can buy your plane tickets.
And...they let you have up to 5 people on your permit. The cost is $20 for the reservation - permits are free in Rainier. They also allow you one change, no cost to your reservation!
But in truth, the reservation system was needed, as was the strict permitting system. 20 to 30 years ago Rainier was over run. The older hiking guides are downright scary with the photos of people in Spray Park - on a sunny weekend there could be a 100+ people camping!
For those who haven't seen how Rainier does it, here is the Cliff Notes ;)
-You must camp in an established backcountry campsite (unless you have a cross country permit, which are 99.99% of the time not given for WT thru's).
-Each camp area has a privy and bear pole in it, as well is located either by or within .10 of a mile to a water source.
-The camp areas vary in size but have at minimun 2 individual, 1 group site. Many are bigger though. Your sites are usually semi-private. You can in most of them use a hammock.
-No dogs, no fires in the backcountry of Rainier.
-Permits are first served unless you have a reservation in advance, though only a portion is done via reservations.
-Rainier has a very healthy population of black bears - one female bear is well known for popping out triplets. The bears are small though and rarely cause trouble. Late August through September is prime Huckleberry picking season so expect to see bears eating them. You can pick a quart a day as well! Mice and marmots though are pests in some areas.
-You can charge devices usually at Sunrise in the bathrooms. The water source for Sunrise is Frozen Lake and is very clean water. Drink up kiddos.
-Speaking of water, don't drink water from any of the glacier fed rivers unless you have no other choice. If so, get water and let it sit to clear. The till will go to the bottom. Whatever you do, don't filter glacial water from the river! It will foul your filter.
-Whatever you do do not camp at Mowich Lake. It is a walk in campground with no shade - in view of the parking lot. The other thing? DO NOT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD use the privies at Mowich Lake. They don't pump them till end of season and often are above the seats. I kid not.
For some reason the odd folk of the area love to car camp at Mowich - the families where the wife and daughters wear full length dresses when it is 95* out type. These people show up year after year and are just "odd" if ya get my drift. Freaky is more the word.
-Sunrise is a tourist mecca from around the world. You will get asked questions that will have your jaw scraping. Tourists will ask to pose with you in photos. Bring cash and a phone card. Sunrise has a pay phone (though a couple miles up at Skyscraper Pass you can see Seattle and get cell phone). Sunrise does NOT take credit cards at the eatery.
-Cell phones? If you can see Seattle or the NF you may get a connection. Rainier has towers hidden in the park - I test my phone often when hiking. Verizon is the strongest out here. The NF has towers hidden as well.
-If you stay in White River CG, realize that the hiker area is near the car campground. Hello flush toilets though. If car campers encroach, bitch to the ranger - they will boot them out.
-If you do only one cache of food, choose Sunrise. It is easiest to get to, open the longest. You can't buy food in the park in the sense of the AT. About all you can get is junk food at Sunrise in the gift shop. Fuel can be bought at Longmire's general store and outside the park in Ashford at Whittaker Mtnering's shop (a world class gear shop). You cannot store fuel in your cache either. Use an empty cat sand container - your cache has to be in plastic for the mice that live in the ranger stations. The rangers will recycle your bin for you though! Ipsuit ranger station does not exist anymore at the campground (due to the road being gone) and Mowich can be hit or miss with a ranger being in.
-If you have no experience with glacial fed rivers realize this: don't loiter by them. If you must ford one, go for the widest section. If it rains and bridges blow out on the Mowich Rivers (which often do) retreating is safer than fording. Be very careful of rocks rolling in the rivers. While it is easy to laugh at the warnings....if you hear the sound of trucks rumbling get your butt up the hill as fast as you can - all it takes is a hot day and a calving of glacier up high to cause a small lahar. Which.....as you cross the suspension bridge near Indian Henry's Hunting Ground take a second to think of this: the creek is 100 ft below and one time the planks on the bridge got painted with mud :D
But most of all....if any of you do come out, drop me a line. I never mind an excuse to head to Sunrise or Mowich :D
PS: And on the rain? Part of Rainier is a temperate rain forest :)
Blissful, you are gonna love it... just a gorgeous area. The one thing I had to adjust to was staying in fixed areas. I like freewheeling it and hiking thru the day. I did it in 95 in 5 nights and an out and in 06 in 8 nights and a out. I didn't like the short days much. We were out in Sept though and did change things a bit pretty easily. Doing in Sept was awesome ! we were out the yr of THE flood and actually were caught up in all that rain. it was pretty amazing... it just never stopped.