The Wonderland Trail

The Wonderland Trail

By Barb Isom

The Wonderland Trail of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state is a must see. It is as beautiful and breathtaking to me as the Canadian Rockies, only more verdant.

Our plan was to traverse the 93 miles in 3 days, July 23, 24 and 25, meeting Charlie each night at a campground. The first glitch in this plan came when the larger than usual amount of snow pack in Rainier Park meant the trail was still closed even as Vicki boarded the plane for Seattle. We resigned ourselves to running out and backs, figuring we'd still have a taste of Rainier Park and the Wonderland Trail.

Arriving at the park, the first place we headed was the ranger station to check on trail status. Here's what we learned: picture a circle with three approximately equidistant points. The ranger, who looked young enough to be my grandson, excitedly told us that one couple had just made it backpacking from point A to point B to point C going counterclockwise. Another single backpacker had just made it from point A to point C going clockwise – Yea! This meant the entire trail was open. Ignorance is bliss. The other good news was the three days we were to be on the trail were predicted to be sunny with pleasant temperatures. Naïveté abounds.

The morning of our first day found us on the trail by 6:30 a.m. We knew it would be our longest day (36 miles) so we wanted an early start. I've run this section of trail several times and love it, so was glad Vicki was as taken with it as I had always been. We passed beautiful water falls and marveled at the huge evergreens towering overhead. A few miles into our run I noticed a sign for Paradise, the lodge and visitor center located at the base of Mount Rainier. "That's odd," I began thinking to myself, "we shouldn't be seeing signs for Paradise going what's supposed to be west. Oh well, what's to worry, maybe there's a side trail that winds back to Paradise." After about an hour and a half we suddenly came to a sign that pointed to Wonderland Trail EAST!! WE WERE GOING THE WRONG WAY!!! Now I am a person who can enter a store in the mall, come out and have no idea which way to turn (Miss Direction as Charlie calls me). I had discussed our direction with Charlie (Mr. Compass) and he agreed on which way we should turn as we entered the trail from our campground. What neither of us noticed the many times we checked the map was that Cougar Rock Campground was on the inside of the trail, not the outside as we had thought. Hoping that Charlie was still there we made a fast dash back to camp (fortunately most was downhill) to let him know we would be even later finishing than we first thought. Charlie was packing up the camp when he was surprised by two strangely familiar female runners . . . emphasis on strange. "Oh great," Charlie thought, "aid station just got added to my list of things to do today. I'm sorry ladies; we've already turned off the grill."

Looking at my watch as Vicki and I started out the second time I knew, absolutely, that starting a 36 mile section of this trail at 9:30 a.m. was not the best of decisions. But remembering that this trip had been our dream for a year, we threw caution to the wind as we dashed off hoping by some miracle we could still make it in 12 hours.

Steep uphills were tempered with great downhills so there was hope of not being too late getting into camp. Sunny and pleasant weather had been predicted for our three days on the trail. Oh well, maybe the next two will be better. We started out in shorts. We ran through clouds so thick you could cut a piece out and take it with you. The air was wet. The trail was wet. The vegetation was wet. We were wet. Then came the snowfields. Wonderland Trail has many temporary and permanent snowfields. It seems that somebody had brought in some extras this year. We were soon on large (as in miles) areas of snow. During hiking season, backpackers rely on others leaving a path in the snow to stay on the trail. We were probably only the second people this year to have traversed this section. A few days of melting and refreezing took the previous footprints from vague to oblivion. Trail running now became trail finding. Wandering this way and that across the snow we anxiously waited for the cry of "Trail!" It became the happy word of the day. As the time spent on the snowfields, increased cold hands, cold feet and fog led to a brief Vicki meltdown. I asked her several times if she wanted cheese with her whine. All was shortly forgotten as the business of trail finding went on. We had a brief time where we climbed above the clouds to be met with a beautiful view of Mount Rainier. Vicki begged to stop and attempt to thaw out but we knew time was running out and we had to hurry knowing Charlie would be worried.

At one point we came upon two backpackers, Dan and Shanna, just making camp. They told us that the snowfield we were heading for was very icy and sloped and suggested we pick up a couple of sticks from the woods. I had thought to myself earlier in the day that a couple of walking sticks would be a great help. However, the idea of ‘take nothing with you but memories' was so ingrained in me I supposed I should not even pick up dead sticks , even if I was returning them to the woods later – DUH! So we took their advice, found some sticks and followed their footprints across the snow. Not only had they left a trail to follow but their footprints gave us the start of footholds in which to slam our yaks. Unbeknownst to us, this couple was search and rescue and were concerned for these two wet, shorts-clad women attempting several more miles in the soon-to-be blackness of the Rainier night. We later saw the couple at Cougar Rock campground and learned they contemplated asking us to spend the night with them. "They looked like they knew what they were doing so we didn't ask," Dan said to Charlie. They were very relieved we had made it.

Near the end of the first day, well after dark, we encountered two backpackers trying to find the trail as it crossed a glacial river. This glacial river was actually a series of rivers. It was heartening to have four more eyes and two more minds finding the way.

Finally, at 11:30 p.m. (14 hours after our second start) we saw two light sticks hanging on a sign directing us to camp. There in the distance, off to the left, was another light stick waving majestically from atop the antenna of the Mouse (moveable house, our small RV). We did it! Day One! In the 28 years Charlie and I have been together, I have never seen him as upset as he was when we climbed into the van. He knew we had night trail experience but this was a different type of trail and wilderness. For the first half hour past the time Charlie had estimated our arrival he was concerned. Then came worry for an hour followed by 30 minutes of "oh s***." He said he spent the last 30 minutes listening to his hair turn gray. Accepting Vicki's offer of a Moose Drool Dark Ale, the hours of stress slowly melted away.

Having learned so much about navigating the trail on the snow fields the day before, the next two days were gorgeous, sunny and breathtaking. Charlie ran out to meet us each day, arriving at camp before dark both nights within our 12 hour goal. Crossing the Panhandle (a permanent snowfield) is my fondest memory. Oblivious to our presence, we watched two baby marmots box while mom and dad kept an attentive eye from atop nearby rocks. The sight of a huge buck in the White River Campground was amazing. He also cared nothing about our presence.

Backpacking would actually be my first recommendation. Start at Longmire and travel clockwise. For those without the inclination to carry a 40 pound pack and have 10-12 free days, running it in 3 days is very doable and you can get a taste of the wonders of the Wonderland Trail. Be warned, however, the trail is either up or down, very little in between. This is a trip of a lifetime. The trails are pristine. By the way, Charlie was the best crew we could have asked for. He's considering hiring himself out for a substantial fee.

From the ‘Who Woulda' Thought' department:

What are the odds of meeting someone you know on the slopes of Mount Rainier? On another day hiking down from Camp Muir, altitude 10,000 feet, the halfway point between Paradise Lodge and the summit, we met Sue Johnston on her successful ascent of Mount Rainier. What are the odds? She also successfully completed the Wonderland Trail on August 1, 2 and 3! [Sue's Story on her blog]

Wonderland Trail Resources