A busy July precluded any hiking that month, so I hit the Northern Loop Trail (Mt. Rainier National Park) on August 3rd in preparation of hiking the full Wonderland shortly thereafter. The Northern Loop Trail (NLT) approximates the toughest day I may see on a 3 day Wonderland, coming in at 38 miles with 9,800’ of elevation gain. Over 20 years ago I would do this trail in under 12 hours as training for ultras. This iteration took considerably longer; 18 hours total. Generally speaking, the hike went well with the last 10 miles offering a test of legs and mettle. There is a video chronicle at the end of this post.

I got an early start at 5:30 AM at Sunrise, enjoying spreading alpenglow from the meadows beneath the Burroughs Mountains. A highlight of the trip is the jaunt through Berkeley Park, with the fairy tale like Lodi Creek bubbling along the way, feeding flowers late into the season. A relatively short wooded section deposits the hiker on the far end of Grand Park, the unique anomalous flat mesa. As I stepped along the trail in bright morning sunshine, thousands of tiny grasshoppers took to short flights to avoid my feet, parting the way like a bow wave. The snapping sounds they made as they hopped away reminded me of popcorn. This experience is just one of the surprising delights that happen on the trail, being in the right place at the right time by happenstance. As a parting shot the mountain offers up a grand view before dropping over 2,000’ to the West Fork of the White River.

*A grand view leaving Grand Park, Mt. Rainier National Park*

The crossing of the West Fork is a bit convoluted, and I actually lost the trail by following an older version for a bit before realizing my mistake and backtracking. No further navigation problems were encountered after this brief distraction and I enjoyed the climb to Windy Gap, legs and motor still cooperating as I approached the half way point mileage-wise. This second drop from nearly 6,000’ to 2900’ taxed the downhill legs, always the weak area without a good amount of prior trail miles under my belt. I was glad to start climbing again and intersect the Wonderland, which comprises the rest of this loop. Glorious conditions, changing views and cool breezes helped mitigate the growing fatigue creeping up on my untrained old bod.

*Sluiskin Mountains approaching Windy Gap*

As I crested Mystic Pass (6,000’) and descended to Mystic Lake, I knew the last 10 miles were gonna be a challenge. I waded in the cool waters of Mystic Lake, enjoying some snacks while basking in the warm sun, delaying my departure knowing what was ahead; hours of degrading legs, sputtering motor and mental challenge, conditions I am so accustomed to I almost welcome this suffering as an old friend. By this stage in life I can still enjoy my surroundings despite the toil, and I appreciated a rising moon and passing fox as I shuffled toward Sunrise. Doing hard stuff accentuates the good stuff, my ineloquent quote for the day.

*Evening alpenglow from the Northern Loop Trail (Winthrop Glacier)*

Day 1. With a permit in hand, I parked in the appropriate spot for overnights and spent some time cleaning out the vehicle, taking a shower and packing for my 2 day trip. There was a possibility of climbing two more peaks, Tyee Peak and Old Desolate, which would require a transit of the Elysian Fields. However, upon waking the following morning and starting off, it soon became clear that I was still somewhat thrashed from my previous two days so I soon came to grips with doing a pure backpack, kicking back and basically doing active rest. Unlike my previous Wonderland trip, I packed my burly eVent roomy bivy and a NeoAir xTherm. I did retain my Nunatak 40 degree quilt tho, based on the predicted freezing levels. With food and water I was probably more than 12 pounds, but not by much….although I did have my 2 pound camera this time. Let’s call it 15 pounds, as this will become a factor on the following day. Once past Windy Gap, I took the way trail towards Tyee and set up to bivy on a higher spot above the tarns. Basically it never got dark. As soon as the sun went down, a glow appeared behind me portending the moon’s arrival. Despite somewhat smoky skies, this bivy in the open with a constant cool breeze and bugling elk though out the night was supremely enjoyable and relaxing in my comfortable warm cocoon. I was still thinking an early getup would allow me to do Tyee Peak, but I didn’t wake until 7 AM. Todays stats: 18 miles/4000’

*Grand Park on the Northern Loop trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Sunset in the Tyee cross country zone, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Smoky bands on the Northern Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

Day 2 (rescue). On this CCW loop I soon came to the Yellowstone Cliffs, always a highlight. Despite lingering smoke, they were sublimely lit by the sun. The rest of the trail is hard on the quads with almost 3000’ of constant down, but the trail is quite pleasant with no foot impedimenta (like rocks, roots etc). Once I reached the intersection with the rerouted Wonderland, I was essentially repeating ground I did two weeks before. Upon arrival of the meadow in Moraine Park, at least the mountain was visible this time, although with ghostly lack of details. The day only really got interesting at Mystic Lake, where I ran into a woman asking if there was a ranger at the cabin. I said highly improbable, being this time of year and not on a weekend, but I soon learned why she was asking. Seems a woman had just arrived at the camp but fell and possibly broke her wrist. The couple attending to her had contacted the rangers through InReach to her mom who in turn called them. It was now late in the afternoon and there seemed to be only one good option, for her to hike back out to her car at Sunrise. I gave my InReach address to the couple and prepared to escort her out. Our best guess was she severely dislocated her thumb, rendering her left hand useless. Unfortunately for me, her 35 pound pack was an extra small, which we somehow got on my back with my pack on my front. Her pack straps were so short that they barely covered my clavicle. The poor thing was in a bit of pain but was a real trooper, so with one pole in hand and the other tucked into her jacket, we set off for Sunrise. The only real problems I faced was the inability to high step with my pack in front, and a bit of discomfort from her teeny pack straps and super tight hip belt (on purpose). On a stop at Granite Creek I had to help put on her jacket, pants and set up her headlamp. It’s amazing how something that at first glance might not seem so bad, but in reality severely hinders your ability to do anything. Tie your shoes? Nope. Zip up your jacket? Nope. Set up a tent? Nope. And so on. We labored up to Skyscraper Pass and even took a minute to enjoy the fabulous evening. Let’s just say that dropping those packs at the vehicles was…liberating. On the way in the park service got in contact with me via InReach so they knew she was exiting that night. I even got a message saying to use the SOS button if the rangers were needed before morning. We arrived at 10 PM and she felt good enough to drive out then, wanting to avoid traffic to get home to Seattle. Good for her to be in such great shape and obviously have a high tolerance for pain. I gently suggested that she might want to look into lightening up her load, which was a contributor in slamming her to the ground when she tripped. I also think she became a convert on getting an InReach. Y’all be careful out there! Stats: 22 miles/6200’

*Windy Gap, Northern Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Yellowstone Cliffs, Northern Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Ghostly view of the Willis Wall, Mt. Rainier NP*