Reflection Lakes With another 16+ miles to do today, we were up and hiking by 5am with headlamps on briefly as we made our way along the trail and road towards Narada Falls. The falls are not directly on the Wonderland, so I walked up the side trail enough to be able to see it….
Longmire Lodge For Breakfast Despite the sore muscles earned by three long days of hiking, Steve and I woke up and were on the trail by 6:40am. Maybe it was the idea of eggs and bacon or a possible shower at the lodge but we were looking forward to spending some time relaxing at Longmire. …
Klapatche and Aurora We woke up today to low clouds, the gorgeous rocks above the river now obscured from view. Leaving camp at 6:15am, we made our way over the bridge and started the long climb up out of the valley. We had been told by the ranger station that this section would be dry,…
The Spray Park Alternate Route Packing up as quietly as possible so as not to disturb others in camp, we donned our headlamps and started up the forested trail out of Cataract Valley at 4am. Within the hour, we came out into more open terrain and the sky began to slowly brighten and illuminate the…
And We’re Off! Waking up with the sunrise, we broke camp and climbed up the Wonderland Trail towards Granite Creek. Our first steps were in the cool shadows and the ridge lines with lingering snow brightened by the sun. Lavender lupine lined the trail as we moved into sections with more vegetation. We had 15.3…
In 2015, I set out to complete the Wonderland Trail in 6 days. The 93 mile loop circumnavigates Mount Rainier and is a rite of passage for many Pacific Northwest locals and backpackers from around the world. I had already completed the Washington State section of the Pacific Crest Trail (and 200 miles of the…