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40 years outdoors experience, extensive info on Mt. Rainier’s Wonderland Trail, original music, equipment reviews, off trail videos, other peaks in Mt. Rainier NP
route to Pyramid Peak (6937')Thursday, October 9th may turn out to be the last great weather day before typical Northwest conditions set in. With this forecast in mind, my buddy CB joined me for a "closeout" hike under clear skies and decidedly non-fall like temps.
time map for position reports on the WTThis trip had an interesting start, as I was back from London without much sleep and decided to take advantage of good weather on Monday and Tuesday (Sep 15-16) to head out. But first I was supposed to pick up some new pants from Beyond Clothing, and waited at the Seattle store for the UPS truck to arrive with said trousers. As I finally had to head out the door from the no show truck, they sent me to their warehouse in Kent to pick up a pair on the way to the mountain.
Tokaloo Rock loop time map
This is the last in this year's "7Up Hikes" series. My goal of hikes around Rainier taking advantage of off trail segments and touching points above 7000 feet certainly delivered a unique and different experience of the park beyond the Wonderland. That said, this last hike (September 10th) I ended up scaling back quite a bit as the original included another high point on a cleaver and 41 miles of hiking and biking, probably too much for this old man. This one was juuust right, doable in 12 hours: Stats: 25 miles (8 miles biking)/5300' elevation gain and loss.
Curtis Ridge/Old Desolate "T"Get ready for a spanking on this one, as it provides 26 miles and 8200 feet of vertical, the hardest parts off trail. It took me nearly 17 hours to complete. This is the third in a series of hikes I planned for Mt. Rainier National Park where vistas above 7000 feet and off trail travel let one experience a whole different world outside of the Wonderland Trail. Although already planned, the timing was spur of the moment.
from the DeLorme map of positions reports sent on tripOverview
Originally planned as a 200 mile trip, my daughter's recovering hip, rehabbed enough to get the go ahead for hiking, had us entering this foray with different criteria: plan on 10 days max and venture into the heart of the Pasayten wilderness as far as current fires, physical limitations and trail conditions allowed before looping back. The meager stats (101 miles, 16,000' of elevation gain) don't do justice to the difficulties we faced….pea sized hail and thunderstorms at 7000', trails and phantom trails with meager tread, river crossings, soaking head high grasses and fireweed leaving our lower bodies in a constant state of saturation, and hundreds of blowdowns and deadfall to name a few. But what a trip!
Goat Island Mountain to Summerland sectionThis is a big hike with big views. I recruited my buddy CB for this one as the extensive off trail and planned exit warranted a partner for safety. As it turns out the gnarly exit was bypassed, more on that. This trip provides 17 miles and 5600 feet of elevation.
We parked at the Fryingpan creek trail head and spent a very short time on trail, taking a right on the Wonderland for less than half a mile and proceeding off trail at the obvious bend. This lower part of the ridge for Goat Island is of course treed but manageable enough and eventually the terrain opened up into some meadows
The Ruth-Burroughs loopRecently I sat down with a map and looked for different ways to explore Mt. Rainier beyond the Wonderland Trail and such. My criteria was as follows:
• maximize climbs to points over 7,000 feet (usually with great views)
• no specialized skills; no glacier travel, no roped climbing
• looped hikes if possible, off trail travel encouraged
• tough hikes but doable in a day by fit experienced hikers; max 2 days
• hardest parts in the first half of the hike
My daughter and I just did the first of the series, the Mt. Ruth-Burroughs loop. This hike starts and ends at White River campground and entails approximately 17 miles of hiking and 5900 feet of elevation gain/loss, plus much of the hike is off trail.
This is the second year my buddy Craig rode the STP so I mounted a Contour Roam2 to my front fork to capture the experience for him. The first day was very hot, into the 90s, but the second day saw cooler temps and even some rain. Over 10,000 riders sign up every year and about 2200 do it in one day. Centralia, WA is the halfway point where many people spend the night. I find biking to be an excellent cross training tool in my fitness regimen, although I do have a tradition of only doing one major trainer before this event. Let's just say my derriere and neck muscles bear the brunt of my undertraining.
ZPacks Duplex in Mt. Rainier National ParkI have acquired some gear over the past year that I would like to report on but haven't had enough field testing time. Check back at the end of this season to get a more comprehensive review of the following items:
ZPacks Hexamid Duplex tent: a promising design that may shape up to be one of the best backpacking tents out there. It will be put through its paces in the Pasayten Wilderness and Mt. Rainier this season.
Suluk46 TiCa ice tool: I have not found any reviews on this specialty tool, weighing in at about 5 ounces. I plan on using this for a Mt. Rainier trip where I will be making forays high onto some of the divides, cleavers and ridges. I ordered mine in a 60 cm length.
Enlightened Equipment 50 degree Enigma Pro Quilt: The colors, sizing and options have changed quite a bit on the EE website since I ordered my quilt. I anticipated using this quilt exclusively throughout this season.
Beyond Clothing base layers and clothing: They promise me that the Brokk pant will be available before a planned trip this month. I was able to try these on at the Seattle store but they have not been released for retail yet. The aether base layers are sweet, very light with a weave that allows for trapping of air. Since there is a lot of schwacking in my plans for this summer, I want the pants for anticipated durability and breathability. We shall see if these hold up to close scrutiny.
ZPacks Arc Slim pack: so far I have used this pack on a number of trips but would like some more trail time before rendering a final opinion
ZPacks Pertex Quantum bivy: More usage required, so far I am not thrilled with the design of the netting and may have to modify this. However, the breathability of the top material has proven to be excellent.
These major items will play the key role in my trips for this summer. As always, I hope that each purchase I make stands up but from experience know that only through real world usage can I write a review that can cover both the pros and the cons.
I have completed reviews of the ZPacks Hexamid Duplex, the Enlightened Equipment 50 degree Enigma Pro Quilt (see followup entry at end of post), the ZPacks Arc Slim pack, and Beyond Clothing. I have carried the Suluk46 TiCa ice tool on a number of hikes and ski trips but have never had to unholster it. As for the ZPacks Pertex Quantum bivy, my major gripe about the netting arrangement has been fixed in the current iteration. I can attest to the breathability of the pertex material. Another alteration is the addition of breathable cuben at the head and feet of the current bivy, so mine is basically the dinosaur first series and problems have been addressed. I do not own the newer bivy.
On June 3rd 2014 I grabbed my skis for a check of the snow conditions from White River to Panhandle Gap in Mt. Rainier National Park and was surprised by the sparse cover for so early in the season. I usually do an update of this area every year around the third week in July, but this year I'm glad I was out early. The coverage is so thin below 5000' that I can see the entire Wonderland snow free at this level and below by July 1st. I also think Panhandle Gap will be bare before September 1st. This video is a combination of stills and ski video where you can check out the tree wells and snow levels for yourself. Peruse the Past Updates section here on williswall.com to see what prior years have looked like.