This is a little throwback post for the Nature Writing Challenge that takes me back to my hike of the Wonderland Trail back in 2015…
I remember when I as planning my hike and itinerary, the decision on which campsites to request on the permit took me forever. Having not ever hiked in the Mount Rainier National Park before, I was completely relying on the books and websites for advice on which ones were “the” ones to stay in. Now, being a long distance kind of hiker, it is less about the campsite and more about the views along the way but since I had to pick campsites (something you don’t normally do ahead of time on the Pacific Crest Trail) I wanted to make the right call.
Everyone wants Summerland, I guess, but for my goal of accomplishing the hike in 6 days, it didn’t fit with the miles I wanted to make each day. So, I opted for Indian Bar, which turned out to be my favorite site in the park. Hands down. But the one site that surprised me the most that no one seems to talk about (and wasn’t really played up in Tami Asar’s book), was the North Puyallup River campsite. It was my second favorite and I tell people about it all the time because I think it is really underrated.
The sites are a little funky because they are in a single file along a forested cliff band to the side of the river and it is a bit of a walk to the privy. But the rushing water was thrilling and the view of the peaks above while sitting at the river’s edge were nothing short of breathtaking. The way the powerful stream seemed to pour down from the gothic summits above.
The bonus was that we had the place to ourselves, the benefit I suppose of a less popular campsite. This was unexpected since we had passed so many people on the trail all day and other sites we passed were filled with hikers. At the other places we camped that week we had plenty of company because every site was taken. I know that some people are all about having that perfectly positioned tent for that Instagram worthy picture but I’d rather have those views as I’m hiking if it means having solitude at camp.
Sitting with my feet being splashed with the icy cold after a 23 mile day and nothing but the pounding of the water on the large boulders filling my ears was just the perspective I needed to decompress from the day.
Have you hiked the Wonderland Trail or camped in the national park? Do you have a favorite campsite that isn’t one of the popular ones? I’d love to hear about it and why. And if you haven’t heard about this trail or it is on your bucket list, check out my Wonderland Trail page for my journey counterclockwise around Mount Rainier. You can also read my tips on scoring a backcountry permit for this popular trail!
Short and sweet but this was written in under an hour for the #NatureWritingChallenge on Twitter that highlights experiences in our #publiclands
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