takethisbread
10-03-2012, 12:11
Just got back from my two week vacation out west, Knocked Wonderland Trail off my bucket list of hikes.
First of all, i appreciate all the advice on this trail i got from folks on this site, i appreciate it, and i should have listened to all of it and i might have had a better time. First of all the beauty of the mountain struck me from the very beginning it was crazy just the sheer size of it, and it just sits there and draws your eyes over the entirety of the trip. Being from out east, it is just awesome. The trip had its problems, first of all my first campsite was ipsut creek but the only way i could access is was from Paradise bc my vehicle was ill suited for the mowitch lake road. I got started on the trail at 11;30am on the first day and basically had to hike 20 plus miles to my first campsite. Feral Bill had warned that the trail was tough and i found out quick it was. The path was awesome, but it was uphill plenty. i kinda hung around Mystic to see if a site opened up but i ended up keep moving and did not make it to Ipsut and stealthy camped as best as possible. The views were good but the stress was higher than a vacation hike should warrant. I got up late the next morning as i was tired from hiking into the night, and slept poorly, missed my food cache at Mowitch and moved along to (not quite to) North Pullyap and Devil's Dream the next couple nights. Nothing spectacular so far on the campsite scene. I did hike well, but man i was struggling,just one of those hikes where everything is hard. I my lower legs never loosened up. the last kick of the hike to Nickel Creek and then Paradise was rough but gratifying. Nickel creek lacked water but the views from that area and summerland were smashing. the finishing kick was brutal. This trail was up and down the whole way. lots of beautiful meadows (although the lupines and such were mostly passed), there were a few of those dandelion looking white plumes still about on the meadows and the carbon glacier was pretty nice and interesting. The ponds were so blue, it was amazing to look at. I will probably put it all down in trail journals at some point soon.
My takes from the hike:
My biggest mistake was going too fast. This trail is meant to be done in a week or more, i was on the move always.
One should bring a real camera. Out east a cell phone camera is fine, but here, to capture the amazing depth and grandeur you need to step it up.
The trail is harder than i thought, akin to the hardest sections in the southern appalachians, but does have the great tread you dont get up in NH or Maine.
There is a lot of folks on this trail. I ran into a minimum of 10 folks a day on trail and around the main entrances, p[ossibly 50.
There arent alot of Rangers around from Mystic to Longmire going counter clockwise. I saw zero.
there are a lot of easy .5 to 1 mile side trails that are worth exploring, i tried ti to as many as possible, but i missed a the tatoosh area, which i hope to explore on my next visit. http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/412665D2-7485-45D4-A7FA-0CC5B98797D9-333-000000703966B31B.jpg
Hike #2 Rim Trail Crater Lake NP
After i left Rainier i shot down to Crater Lake and i always wanted to bicycle around the Rim drive of the Crater. Pretty awesome. First day i hiked about 10-12 miles around the rim and down onto the PCT. ran into a couple PCT hikers and chatted. This place is phenomenal. easy hiking around there. Good climb back to the crater in the evening, but reasonably graded. camped about equal distance between the crater and the PCT. nobody in the backcountry. the next morning got up and bycycled around the rim. 33 miles it took me a tad under 3 hours. i took some breaks. not too hard,was def hilly in spots and a few hairaising passes by RV's. Great park for a day trip.http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/83215F06-8C2D-4C34-9670-831DD79D8825-333-0000006DB3E6D547.jpg
Hike #3 Tall TRees Trail Redwood National Park
Considered one of the very best day hikes in the USA i figured it was close enough to give it a go. It was a pain in the butt to get to involving a locked gate a combination and a long drive . The hike was easy, the trees were magnificent, and my legs were finally going good so i did the trail and the adjoining Creek trail in a few hours. i took more pictures here than anywhere. mostly because i finally had no pack on and could move easily. http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/98BC1135-227E-4BA9-AABE-12F2C7F4D9FB-2750-0000023A76D6F171.jpg
Hike #4 Drivingback home i decided to stop by The Grand Teton National Park and do some hiking. I decided to do the cascade Canyon trail to Inspiration Point and return and get back on the road. That didnt happen. I loved this place and ended up following the trail virtually to its end 9.9 miles and then hightailing it back like you dream about back in the evening. I have never had a better time hiking in my life. this place is a hikers dream. I gotta putthe Teton Crest trail on my next to do list. throughout Teton and Yellowstone there was fauna abound and i counted in my brief time in the parks a good look at Marmot, Black bear, Grizzly, Elk and Bison. http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/2042484B-66EB-4964-9301-6B16D4978CBB-333-0000006B986F7F06.jpg
i was tired and just got home. back to the real world until i can pry away again
First of all, i appreciate all the advice on this trail i got from folks on this site, i appreciate it, and i should have listened to all of it and i might have had a better time. First of all the beauty of the mountain struck me from the very beginning it was crazy just the sheer size of it, and it just sits there and draws your eyes over the entirety of the trip. Being from out east, it is just awesome. The trip had its problems, first of all my first campsite was ipsut creek but the only way i could access is was from Paradise bc my vehicle was ill suited for the mowitch lake road. I got started on the trail at 11;30am on the first day and basically had to hike 20 plus miles to my first campsite. Feral Bill had warned that the trail was tough and i found out quick it was. The path was awesome, but it was uphill plenty. i kinda hung around Mystic to see if a site opened up but i ended up keep moving and did not make it to Ipsut and stealthy camped as best as possible. The views were good but the stress was higher than a vacation hike should warrant. I got up late the next morning as i was tired from hiking into the night, and slept poorly, missed my food cache at Mowitch and moved along to (not quite to) North Pullyap and Devil's Dream the next couple nights. Nothing spectacular so far on the campsite scene. I did hike well, but man i was struggling,just one of those hikes where everything is hard. I my lower legs never loosened up. the last kick of the hike to Nickel Creek and then Paradise was rough but gratifying. Nickel creek lacked water but the views from that area and summerland were smashing. the finishing kick was brutal. This trail was up and down the whole way. lots of beautiful meadows (although the lupines and such were mostly passed), there were a few of those dandelion looking white plumes still about on the meadows and the carbon glacier was pretty nice and interesting. The ponds were so blue, it was amazing to look at. I will probably put it all down in trail journals at some point soon.
My takes from the hike:
My biggest mistake was going too fast. This trail is meant to be done in a week or more, i was on the move always.
One should bring a real camera. Out east a cell phone camera is fine, but here, to capture the amazing depth and grandeur you need to step it up.
The trail is harder than i thought, akin to the hardest sections in the southern appalachians, but does have the great tread you dont get up in NH or Maine.
There is a lot of folks on this trail. I ran into a minimum of 10 folks a day on trail and around the main entrances, p[ossibly 50.
There arent alot of Rangers around from Mystic to Longmire going counter clockwise. I saw zero.
there are a lot of easy .5 to 1 mile side trails that are worth exploring, i tried ti to as many as possible, but i missed a the tatoosh area, which i hope to explore on my next visit. http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/412665D2-7485-45D4-A7FA-0CC5B98797D9-333-000000703966B31B.jpg
Hike #2 Rim Trail Crater Lake NP
After i left Rainier i shot down to Crater Lake and i always wanted to bicycle around the Rim drive of the Crater. Pretty awesome. First day i hiked about 10-12 miles around the rim and down onto the PCT. ran into a couple PCT hikers and chatted. This place is phenomenal. easy hiking around there. Good climb back to the crater in the evening, but reasonably graded. camped about equal distance between the crater and the PCT. nobody in the backcountry. the next morning got up and bycycled around the rim. 33 miles it took me a tad under 3 hours. i took some breaks. not too hard,was def hilly in spots and a few hairaising passes by RV's. Great park for a day trip.http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/83215F06-8C2D-4C34-9670-831DD79D8825-333-0000006DB3E6D547.jpg
Hike #3 Tall TRees Trail Redwood National Park
Considered one of the very best day hikes in the USA i figured it was close enough to give it a go. It was a pain in the butt to get to involving a locked gate a combination and a long drive . The hike was easy, the trees were magnificent, and my legs were finally going good so i did the trail and the adjoining Creek trail in a few hours. i took more pictures here than anywhere. mostly because i finally had no pack on and could move easily. http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/98BC1135-227E-4BA9-AABE-12F2C7F4D9FB-2750-0000023A76D6F171.jpg
Hike #4 Drivingback home i decided to stop by The Grand Teton National Park and do some hiking. I decided to do the cascade Canyon trail to Inspiration Point and return and get back on the road. That didnt happen. I loved this place and ended up following the trail virtually to its end 9.9 miles and then hightailing it back like you dream about back in the evening. I have never had a better time hiking in my life. this place is a hikers dream. I gotta putthe Teton Crest trail on my next to do list. throughout Teton and Yellowstone there was fauna abound and i counted in my brief time in the parks a good look at Marmot, Black bear, Grizzly, Elk and Bison. http://i852.photobucket.com/albums/ab90/takethisbread/2042484B-66EB-4964-9301-6B16D4978CBB-333-0000006B986F7F06.jpg
i was tired and just got home. back to the real world until i can pry away again