Mt. Rainier: Mowich Rivers

Why post this in the Off-Trail section? Because the simple bridges over the North and South Mowich Rivers tend to wash out practically every year. In 2020 the park even diverted hikers to a large log to compensate for the loss of one of the major bridges. During the exceptional low snow year of 2015 I set out to hike the west 57 miles of the Wonderland (Longmire to Sunrise) on June 9. I had 3 areas of concern: the Mowich River crossings, the Winthrop Creek crossing and Skyscraper Pass area. No trail maintenance had been done and all the previous year's bridges over the Mowich rivers were out. I was able to cobble together enough logs to stay feet dry across the entire flood plain. I also show a nighttime crossing in 2020, which utilized the same log I used in 2015.

Aurora Peak (6094')

Providing a more lingering experience of solitary hikes, the Off Trail series takes the viewer to places seldom seen by dedicated Wonderland Trail hikers or those who stick to trails during the traditional summer season. Aurora Peak (6094') is found near Klapatche Park off the Wonderland Trail. This trek took place on November 2, 2019 during a period of great weather. Aurora Peak was accessed via biking the West Side Road to St. Andrews Creek, hiking the St. Andrews Creek Trail, and proceeding on the Wonderland until the off trail section. A short visit to a frozen St. Andrews Lake was in order also. Stats for the day, 27 miles (16 biking)/5700’ elev. The blog post on this hike can be found here.

Andrew Benchmark (6716')

Piggy backing on a jaunt the day before to Aurora Peak, I set out on November 3, 2019 during a period of fantastic weather to climb Andrew Benchmark (6716'). Although it is close to the previous day's climb of Aurora Peak, with the short days I took a different route to Andrew, utilizing the West Side Road to Round Pass, then the South Puyallup Trail to the Wonderland Trail, leaving the snow covered trail in St. Andrews Park and proceeding towards Andrew. This trip involved contouring around the base of Andrew and accessing it from the Northeast side. Snow was consolidated. I had a flat tire on my mountain bike in the morning so had to do this entire trip via foot. The blog post on this trip can be accessed here.