My father, brother-in-law and I recently hiked half of the acclaimed 90-mile Wonderland Trail around Mt. Rainier. We opted to do it relatively fast and light covering ~50 miles and ~12,000' of climbing over two days so that we could get back to spending more vacation time with our family in the area.
We got lucky with a shuttle from the Packwood outfitter and got dropped off at Mowich Lake by 6:30 am to start a clockwise traverse towards our exit at Ohanapecosh Campground. We chose the highly recommended Spray Park alternate route. Blooms beckoned to be photographed both below and above timberline. At higher elevations, we got a taste of the late-July snow travel to come.
The views got even better into the latter part of the day. Near Mystic Lake, we came upon a stubborn brown bear who wouldn't leave the trail. All three of us were enjoying our hike, but we were also aware of time. In order to go as light as possible, we planned to use the grill and resupply at Sunrise Lodge instead of carrying a stove and extra food. From what we knew, the lodge closed at 7 pm.
At Skyscraper Pass, I jogged ahead to Sunrise camp to set up the three-person tent I was carrying. I then made my way to the lodge. All three of us arrived around 6 pm. To our dismay, we saw a sign on the door that read: "closed today due to an unfortunate incident with a can of bear spray." We couldn't help but laugh. A seasoned hiker suggested we check the hiker box for emergency provisions, which we did. Dinner consisted of burritos filled with salsa, tuna and raw ramen. Dad gave it a thumbs up.
At the 6:30 am start of the second day, we inventoried what food we had left and decided that we had just enough to push on to the finish of our adventure. The long steady grind for the day to Panhandle Gap was preceded by a long descent to the White River gushing with glacial runoff. Once above the snow fields of Panhandle, the trail stayed spectacularly suspended among alpine meadows.
At Indian Bar, I suggested all three of us take the time to soak our legs in the icy waters of the upper Ohanapecosh to address some aches and pains. None of us could tolerate more than 30 seconds at a time, but after multiple submersions, we set out newly refreshed for the last ~10 miles to the finish.
We enjoyed views of Mt. Adams in the distance before leaving the Wonderland on the Cowlitz Divide, which descended down into an old growth forest. By a little after 7 pm, we met Lily and my sister who came to pick us up at the Ohanapecosh Campground. By all accounts, this trip far exceeded our expectations. I look forward to returning someday to finish the rest of the loop.
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