Did gyre and gimble in the wabe...

Looking back, if I had known how much heavier a pack felt on an incline, how persistent flies and mosquitoes could be in their pursuits, how steeply the ridges would fall off into cliffs, how much longer fifteen miles would feel when your ankles and knees are battered and bruised, would I have been as enthusiastic about starting the journey? Honestly, no. The ignorance was bliss, but I would have still gone on the trip (and would do it again) because what it gives is worth every bit it takes from you – your breath is stripped away by natural beauty at every turn and your rest breaks are entertained by the interminable energy of playful marmots and chipmunks. And, something I did not expect in the least, was that the mountain gives a new openness to people. There is a friendliness in complete strangers that is inaccessible given our wariness in daily life.

Conversation, advice, and goodwill are shared freely on the trail, and everyone hopes for a successful completion of everyone else's adventures. Some of the best moments in our journey were experienced after setting down our packs at a new camp and meeting the neighbors because everyone who makes it out onto the trail wants to be there, and that shared desire provides the perfect common ground for a sense of ease.

Hiking in general is personal, and everyone has their own goals and challenges. Hiking the Wonderland Trail was a personal test for myself – a test of my drive, my confidence, my wants, my independence, my friendships, my preparedness, my learning, my physical ability, and my self-reflection. Climbing up and down each ridge was a quaint metaphor for life; we had a general idea of what to expect along the way but each sight, sound, and smell and every step, slip, and recovery was exploration of newness and acquirement of familiarity. We had a simple goal – to finish the whole Wonderland Trail – and we accomplished it with huge grins. But ‘finishing’ the whole trail is really just the easiest, smallest way of conveying the greater essence of the journey to friends and family. I felt like I was able to do something more impossible - conquer a part of myself.     

Note of Thanks: I am very lucky to have a friend like Katie, and I thank her immensely for agreeing without question to be my ultra-prepared hiking buddy. As Katie said throughout the trip, you only make it if the other person does, too – so make sure you hike with great people! Oh, and Katie, your Buddha bag is the best!! 

Day 11 of the Wonderland: Paradise River to Longmire (Trailhead)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

We began our trek out of camp at around 9am after the boy-scouts. It’s another beautiful, sunny day and the hike to Longmire is broad and a combination of mild downhill and flat dirt trails. We passed a small waterfall and saw a couple of day hikers. Katie and I were chatty and not particularly hurried as we only had to go some 3.5 miles. We met a psychology professor from Gonzaga who accompanied us along the last mile of the trail back to Longmire talking about his research and how he wanted to do the whole Wonderland (we, of course, were very encouraging and cited numerous people celebrating 20th + anniversaries of their first tour around the mountain).

We arrived back at the car at 12:30, surprised and thrilled to have finished the entire trail! How quickly it seems to have flown by. It felt like it should have taken more out of us, made us pant to the finish, and made us beg for an end, but I’ve never felt stronger or braver. So what, that I’d been inconvenienced by bugs and aching feet for the past eleven days? We finished something major, something amazing, something worthwhile and that is all you think about at the finish line.

We toured the exhibit at the museum in Longmire, snapping pictures before heading over to Paradise Visitor’s center to buy souvenirs and lunch. We stuck out a bit, with unwashed hair and ‘eau de backpacker’, but we made sure to enjoy our segue back into crowds of people and car traffic.

At around 4pm, we went to pick up our food bins from the White River Ranger station and started the journey home. We did pass by a group of news vans, which we later learned were there to cover a story about a boy who drowned in the White River - a warning about the dangers of underestimating the outdoors.

Katie and I celebrated completing the trail with avocado smoothies with tapioca bubbles – a perfectly delicious way to cool down and enjoy fresh avocado! Welcome back to blenders and city life!

Day 10 of the Wonderland: Nickel Creek to Paradise River

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

This day started at 7am. It was cool and slightly damp from the previous evening but no new rainfall. We decided to forgo pre-breakfast water filtering and made do without hot food items, munching on cashews, trail mix, and Clif bars instead. By the time we were packed and ready to go at 9am, the sun was beginning to break through the dense clouds, warming us and diminishing the threat of rain. We filtered water down at Nickel Creek and continued on our way at a brisk pace as the trail mostly descended into Box Canyon.

Here, there were several day hikers, cars, and port-a-potties. It was again bizarre walking across asphalt in full hiking gear; the trail is paved until you cross over the Canyon. We stopped to look at the rushing water some 100 feet below and climbed the trail a bit. Katie and I stopped at a viewpoint with sand to draw happy faces and to leave encouraging notes – our graffiti is temporary and well meaning! We continued on a very easy downhill though Maple Creek Camp.

There was some controlled rockfall happening across the river which was very noisy but interesting to catch glimpses of. The trail steadily became more vegetated and steeper, climbing up across roads all the way to Reflections Lakes. The flies here were awful and landed on us incessantly. I was really bothered by their determination. Eventually we found our way to the lakes which were beautiful despite failing their name on this day (the Mountain wasn’t out in the morning and the water wasn’t still enough to reflect anything). We rested at the second lake we came to for over an hour, seeing a deer, speaking with other hikers and a ranger, and waiting to see more of Rainier.

 When we finally left, the trail went all downhill and we decided to take a small detour to Nerada Falls – really beautiful for pictures. The water was very white and created a very refreshing mist for weary backpackers. It was only 0.7 miles to camp after this site – we made it by 6pm even with our frequent rest stops and lunch break. The group site is host to a field of boy scouts who are just starting from Longmire and are heading to Sunrise.

We’re in campsite 2, high above everyone else because we’ve become anti-social and our heads need room to ponder our great success! We were very lucky here because two deer visited and walked through the camp to check out the scents. I think one found urine or human food as it licked for ages at what I could only assume to be desired salts.

Katie filtered water and we ate dinner (oatmeal for her, beef stroganoff for myself). Today was amazing in that we crossed nearly 30 bridges! It was a nice, long, moderate hike to enjoy the last full day of hiking. Can’t wait for tomorrow’s shower and to be able to have things like bubble tea and fresh fruit again!

Day 9 of the Wonderland: Summer Land to Nickel Creek

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

We awake today at 7:30am. We had a limited water supply as we chose to bed early and wait to filter water but Katie still had oatmeal while I munched on cashews and a Clif bar. When we set off, it was very cold and foggy. We filtered water from the stream and watched marmots lie about leisurely on the jagged rocks. The way up to Panhandle Gap was difficult – snowy, steep, not marked for convenience… we followed the dirtiest, broadest path with relative success. In the Panhandle, we continued to cross numerous snowfields, keeping our eyes open for mountain goats. We ended up spotting two ptarmigan families with chicks and baby marmots (4!) but no goats. The party far behind us said that there was a herd that crossed our path right behind us once we crested out of the Gap – if only we’d turned our heads! Although this region was slippery and unsteady, it was manageable with normal backpacking boots and trekking poles, and I was thankful for the overcast as I did not bring protective eyewear against snow blindness. The partial sun was persistent throughout the eleven miles, and we were rained on only briefly near the end of the day.

Probably the most exciting part of our day was entering Indian Bar, with its neat shelter and ‘bubble’ like atmosphere. You see the camp ages before you get there, which makes hunger for lunch break seem interminable. We were warned about a bear cub that we again never saw and ate, sat, and explored for an hour – putting off the hike to Nickel Creek. We met up with a couple we saw back from our day to Mowich Lake and a guy we saw at the suspension bridge by Carbon Glacier, which was exciting given how close everyone is to completing their adventures. They were all traveling counter-clockwise and had run into 5 straight days of rain!

The view of the mountains on the way to Nickel was a phenomenal panoramic vista. Among the series of small peaks, you get some 360 views and alleys of mountains splayed out on the horizon. We also passed by tree after tree scratched and marred by bear activity. The last 3.5 miles was all downhill which meant happy feet (yay for moleskin) and angry knees. When we finally got to camp, there was a family eating dinner in our site. Katie picked up some leftovers off the ground from the kids to prevent bear activity and we pitched our tent and prepared for dinner (chicken/potatoes for me; Louisiana red beans for Katie). The family that ate in our site offered us some chocolate covered blueberries, which was very nice and appreciated. It was past 9pm by the time dinner was over, and I had strung our food bags on the bear pole, but I hope to be asleep by 10pm tonight. Oh, lots of little biting bugs flying around in addition to the mosquitoes – really annoying!
 I’m exhausted; the Panhandle, though gorgeous and exciting, took a slow pace and more effort than usual, making the mileage seem longer. Proud to have made it!

Day 8 of the Wonderland: Sunrise Camp to Summer Land

Monday, August 9, 2010

We awoke at 7:30am this morning to sun but a strong chill. This coldness did not prevent bug activity unfortunately so there was quite a bit of futile limb shaking and mutual slapping to prevent bites. After a breakfast of Clif bars and oatmeal and a visit to another nicely enclosed toilet (with free hand sanitizer!), we left camp at 9:05am and were told to look out for a deer that never appeared. The trail to White River campground was rather switch back filled and continuously steep, and we made great time, actually passing a mother-daughter team that looked fresh to the trail. The forest had quite a few fallen trees and new growth. The most interesting aspect of the 2 mile trip down was the message written in the dirt “Be the hill”. Katie was inspired and put a huge check mark next to it.

When we reached White River, Katie sought out a flushing toilet and I searched for the ranger cabin to retrieve the food cache. We ended up unloading quite a bit (like cocoa and soup mix) and adding a few dinners to last the rest of the trip. It’s surprising how much food we over packed, but it was smart to be over-prepared. A ranger here was kind enough to take our bins back to the station where we made our reservations for the trail, shortening our drive to pick them up after the trail is over.

I had full reception here with AT&T at White River Campground, so more calls home happened. We set out for Summer Land after an hour and after we had filled water bottles (using water fountains by the bathrooms!); the trail was very flat and broad for some three miles. We were told by a passing hiker that she’d seen a mother and two black bear cubs passing over the trail ahead of us, and that one of the cubs had hissed at her nearness while she was photographing it. Just what we want, grumpy, agitated bears! If you’re hissed at, please back off slowly from the animals. Anyway, the mother bear is apparently used to human visitors and didn’t give anyone a second glance. We didn’t end up seeing them, though, just a skittish elk and chipmunks as we ascended 800 feet. A couple from California who are newly married shared cherries with us along the trail, giving us a great rest break. When we finally arrived at Summer Land, the flowers, we found, are not in full bloom as they are while approaching the camp grounds. There were, however, marmots sprinkling the fields while munching various plants.

It’s quite cool up here, so we made our way to a site to get out of the wind. We cooked dinner (black bean chili for both of us; lasagna for me, garlic mashed potatoes for Katie) before hanging up food bags and hitting the sack for the night. I chose the close, uber tall bear pole to challenge the rodents (who are infamously capable – bear poles are reputed to have only a mild deterring effect here). Katie used a shorter one further away, not wanting to deal with the extra unruly height. We’ll see what develops overnight! In bed by 9pm. (We ended up having no trouble with rodents in our food sacks).

Day 7 of the Wonderland: Mystic Lake to Sunrise Camp

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Today, Katie awoke at 5:30am, but I had the sense to sleep through another half hour. It was still wet and dreary from the night before but no sign of bear activity. Katie informed me that I snored last night – probably due to the fact that my nose is stuffy and that I slept in a new, camping variant of the fetal position.

We had to filter water from Mystic Lake, which was shrouded in morning fog to brilliant effect. Although the lake water didn’t filter well and my steripen barely carried through its normal 90 second cycles, I was greeted by a friendly tadpole, making my morning cheerful. For breakfast, we returned to oatmeal, and I drank a few sips of tea… but bugs have an uncanny attraction to and knack for suicide in my steamy cups of consumable liquids. Katie was awake enough, while I fished out these exoskeleton covered protein marshmallows, to try and dry the tent fly off before we deconstructed it all.

We were on our way by 8:30am. The first stretch had a mild grade descent through forest that eventually opened up to rock beds and glacial rivers. These were relatively easy to traverse once we found the trail and ignored obsolete cairns. Katie and I chatted about concerts (George Strait and Lady Gaga), our novels (on Communism and on France), and antics about those we know and love. Eventually, the trail began to ascend again alongside Winthrop glacier, which made me stop my talking to keep my breath along the switchbacks.
We continued onward to Granite Creek, where Katie used the ‘plush facilities’, and I attempted a failed water purification session. The next set of switchbacks was far milder, meandering through meadows with chipmunks and squirrels. Katie dug up a locust grub from the trail and relocated it to the grass, but I’m fairly certain it will become a meal to something soon if it hasn’t already.

We reached the top of the ridge just as a wall of fog was moving over it, so we navigated our first intense, steep snowfield in minimal visibility. The trail was heavily stomped for us, but we took care anyway to be extra careful. We spotted two marmots on the boulder formations here before dropping into a grassy valley. Katie ran into a physical therapist and asked him a few questions as I slowed down to take in the scene. When we met up again, the fog was still moving in and out (the changing visibility added a dynamic edge to our experience), obscuring the field and mountains. We were approached directly by a curious marmot that jumped onto our path and came within 10 feet. I took a few close-up photos but Kate was wary and made some clacking noises to drive it into the bushes – better for its own safety. As we approached the frozen lake, we began meeting more day hikers, some of whom took pictures of us.

I began accelerating when I saw the Sunrise Visitor Center below us from the Sourdough Trail. Katie is a bit sunburned, and I probably will be, too. But, the food (Boca burger and sundae for Katie; chili dog and root beer float for me) were supplemental calories well appreciated and needed after the long day.

I inquired about cell phone reception here and was told there was none, but my iPhone was able to pick up a bar when it was placed on the table and twisted with the top of the phone pointing towards the restaurant’s queue! Calls home to family members followed and were as delightful as the fullness of our bellies. We found that the Spot (GPS tracking devise) is working and that we are being watched online – incentive to keep moving! We left the Center at 6pm, throwing out garbage and using the restrooms. We stopped by the gift and bookstores, filled up water bottles at the fountain, and took a few pictures of Rainier before heading to camp. There are a few mosquitoes here, due to close proximity to a still lake, but once the tent was up and warm drinks downed, we went to sleep easily at 9pm.

Day 6 of the Wonderland: Cataract Valley to Mystic Lake

Saturday, August 7, 2010

We had another late start today, waking at 9am. All the other campsites were up and about, but Katie and I were still in recovery mode from Day 4. My left knee is still bruised and my ankles are chaffed and blistered despite medical taping. A +40 pound pack really changes one’s abilities as a hiker and exacerbates all possible injuries, even the most minuscule.

When we finally did get up, I used the restroom (boxed toilet) after Katie and both of us spotted pikas up close (10-15 feet away). They must realize our moments of incapacitation!! We ate breakfast (raspberry crumble (!) and scrambled eggs and bacon) and packed up camp, leaving at 11am. I had to throw on a duckback at 11:15am to shield from the drizzle and the heavy mist threatening heavy rain. We descended down to Carbon River camp, the trail lined with moist ferns and ripe salmonberry bushes. We crossed another awesome suspension bridge and traversed tick territory through Dick’s Creek Camp.

The Carbon Glacier was really impressive to see, striated with black dirt veins and capped with a couple sparse patches of green grass, but it was also quite nerve wrecking given the propensity of rocks to fall down off the cliff onto unsuspecting hikers. Luckily, we only heard rocks fall across the glacier and hiked on unscathed.

After climbing some 15-20 switchbacks through forest, the trail unfolded in a meadow filled with wildflowers, stream, and whistling marmots. It was here that the threat of rain became reality, putting out a steady drizzle persistent enough to make marmot sightings difficult. Through the couple mile stretch, we spotted only five marmots – none of them gave vocal demonstrations. Disappointed, we climbed another ridge that was immensely steep. It was here that I ceded to the fact that I was cold and donned my poncho. The ridge ended abruptly and then descended for 8/10 mile past Mystic Lake (I’m sure it’s glorious in the sun but my disillusioned mind wanted to call it a big, still puddle and head to the comfort of the tent) to camping grounds.

We chose site two, under tall trees, but the rain is continuing. I ate beef stew, and Katie heated some Katmandu Curry. It helped warm us up before wet bathroom and bear pole runs. We’re so tired and cold that we’ve put off water filtering until the morning. A ranger just visited our tent to check permits and warn about bear activity. Bette’s book says there used to be a sign here that said something to the effect of “No mice – just bears”. Let’s see if the food bags survive the night!

Day 5 of the Wonderland: Mowich Lake Walk-in Campground to Cataract Valley

Friday, August 6, 2010

We began today at around 7:30am. Although it was another sunny start, our tent was draped in morning dew and dusty from the campsite (it was really a sandbox). We got up and delayed our departure to allow it to dry. We both had some oatmeal and received seconds from the Indiana family with four weeks at Rainier (oatmeal, apples and milk make crazy delicious), and Katie ate some grits with the family from Georgia. We eventually ended our socialization, pumped water, and packed up for the day.




We left Mowich Lake at 10:55am and headed towards Spray Park. I overdressed for the ‘cold’ which was actually sunny heat and removed my athletic wear jacket after a mile.

We took pictures at Eagle’s Roost, where we had an open view of Rainier, and then we took a small detour to the invigorating Spray Falls – a web of misty, tumultuous water. Spray Park itself took a long twelve switchbacks to reach, but the flowers here, coupled with mountain views and adorable marmot, were amazing.

We continued along the ridge peak across a few snowfields (nothing too dangerous or cumbersome) and found ourselves hiking through rolling green hills that descended gradually about 800 feet into camp. If the ‘Lord of the Rings’ had campy elves or hobbits with extra bounce and spring, this ridge-side would be an ideal setting, especially with the little waterfalls, dwarf trees, and dense, wet grasses topped with perfectly placed flowers. But, despite being beautiful, Katie and I were exhausted by the previous day and out of balance due to the late start and missed lunch. Katie could only think of dinner, and I could only consider my aching feet.

We’ve finally made it and are in campsite five now, which is by the water stream and the toilet. The camp is very full of people (the rumor is that there are no available campsites on the Wonderland Trail tonight) so we had a guest over for dinner who is meeting up with his hiking companions tomorrow. We had a nice chat about hiking stories, tips, and tricks, but Katie and I were distracted and gave quite a bit of attention to our food (chicken teriyaki, peanut butter/crackers, lychees, hot cocoa; same for Katie except with primavera pasta instead). After filtering water, all three of us climbed a couple of rocks behind the toilet boxes in order to watch for pikas. We caught short glimpses but nothing significant aside from repeated ‘meep!’ from all angles of the wall of rock. Maybe we’ll be luckier tomorrow. Sleeping by 10pm tonight.

Day 4 of the Wonderland: North Puyallup River to Mowich Lake Walk-in Campground

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Katie was passive-aggressive beginning at 3:30am today! But I didn’t have to wake up until 4am. Katie was up and deconstructing camp while I took care of my belongings (note to self: purchase a newer, lighter, warmer, smaller sleeping bag. Thanks.) We grabbed our food off the pole and cooked breakfast (2 packets of oatmeal, some tea, and a granola bar) under the cover of darkness, lit only by a small crescent moon. We finished removing all traces of our stay by 5:40am.

The bridge over the North Puyallup was thrilling with the raging waters pounding into the cavern below, but we didn’t get a chance to dawdle, heading straight on the path to Mowich Lake (who thought fifteen miles was a good idea?!). After roaming through forest much like that of Twin Falls (a sweet, docile trail of 3 or 4 miles round trip), the sound of the river lessened and we found ourselves surrounded by huckleberries – bear territory. Katie and I began talking loudly about everything from tea to movies to pass the time and warn wildlife of our presence. We also clapped our trekking poles often, just in case there was anything around the corner.

After seeing no bears, we finally emerged from the forest vegetation and came out upon a dry, bushy ridge. Katie, in the lead, spotted a small (300 pound?) black bear grazing the grasses and berry bushes (where they were actually ripe). We had to wait a bit, yelling and clapping poles, but the bear moved slowly onwards and upwards off the trail in tandem with our approach. We would take a couple of steps up the trail, and then it would move a few strides up too, etc. It was completely unafraid and uninterested in us and didn’t show any signs of aggression. Perhaps there was some annoyance in both parties at the inconvenient presence of the other with the bear wondering why we had the nerve to interrupt breakfast and our concerns about the mileage and timing of our day. It eventually went off the trail and Katie held on to the pepper spray as we began to sing a long rendition of ‘Yellow Submarine’ with chorus variations (we now have a fleet of mossy, wood, spider, orange, pink, and Manduca submarines) that rang out completely off key. We didn’t see any other bears as we kept that up for a mile.

Soon we found ourselves at Golden Lakes, a beautiful little camp with great swimming water, according to its previous night’s inhabitants, and serene meadow and water views. Apparently a large bear had resided in the area the day before who was stubborn and undeterred by the vocal harassment of hikers. We took an hour long break here to tend to our feet and refill water bottles. Katie chipped a tooth on her water bottle here and used the mirror in the ranger cabin to check on it. The ranger kept suggesting Katie take a swim in the lake but with ten miles left in the day, we decided against the idea (but had plenty of inside jokes about how adamant the ranger was about Katie skinny-dipping).

The next 6.3 miles to South Mowich River were endless forest switchbacks. Although relatively gradual, my feet were complaining from the length of the day, but this really isn’t new anymore. Katie maintained a great pace and we had a couple of sitting pauses to drop our packs and drink water. Eventually we met up with a fellow hiker who was hiking the Wonderland as a 20th anniversary celebrating the first time he found himself on its path. Maybe Katie and I will be back in 2031? Eh, it’s a little too soon to contemplate this.

Anyway, we forded the river with him, but I took a bit of a tumble. I fell, in such extreme slow motion that I overcompensated and tried to jump to the bank ahead of me, into six inches of silty glacial water. Let it be understood, though, that this fall was the epitome of grace! It all happened because of a shifting rock when I was in the middle of the running water. My left foot, knee and top tip of my pack found the cool water (with no electronics harmed in the making of this fall) but no real damage was caused, just a couple of shin and knee bruises. I stripped off my wet sock and Katie lent me a dry pair that was on the outside of her pack. We then headed onwards as if nothing had happened.

We paused after South Mowich camp to feed and water a bit, but began our ascent of 4 miles at around 3pm. It was the exact mirror of our descent before the river but a steeper grade and frustratingly switchback enthusiastic. Katie eventually began to tire of the lead (I don’t blame her, she keeps an amazing, steady pace and this thing was mean-spirited), and I took the lead for the remainder of the day. We passed over a lot of uneven, unstable dirt paths, watched out for falling trees (many are precariously set but more are reminders of the danger of gravity strewn along the mountain side). I eventually began to think that only a quarter mile remained after our switchbacks came to an end, but that really meant we had a long, eastern trail followed by another set of switchbacks and climbing. We never descended like the guide said we would but did cross several waterfalls and scaled a staircase (log of course) to the car camp parking lot and campsite. A quarter mile was realistically 1.25 miles but the belief in the shorter distance empowered me. To put everything in better perspective, we had hoped to be in camp by 8pm, but we made it in by 6! Katie and I were thrilled by our efforts.

Once at the campsite, we checked out the two bathrooms (free toilet paper!), four trash receptacles, patrol cabin with cache bin (where we found free breakfast), and a food storage bin to protect against aggressive, food compelled bears in the area. The lake here is another image of beauty with wildflowers galore and more frogs. I purified water first as Katie kept an eye on our gear, and I made an adorable frog friend who didn’t move at all after plopping beside me. Katie used my same water rock and frog to filter her water, too.

We met a photographer from Tacoma, a group of hikers with four weeks to explore Rainier trails, and a family from Georgia with incredible generosity (they kindly offered Rainier cherries, lychees, and powerade to us… they even tried to pass on a yam and a loaf of bread but those were more than we could handle). I tried to offer them tea or cocoa in return but they declined. We invited them to dine with us in the morning, though. At dinner, the guy from Tacoma stopped by to offer advice on the Rainier trails, and gave us a couple of extra freeze dried dinners just in case along with a couple of cans of soda. Hopefully we’ll see mountain goats as he says we should. He’s offered to call Katie’s mom to make sure she knows we’re alright out here.

After dinner (chicken breasts with mashed potatoes, hot cocoa, and peanut butter with crackers; chana masala for Katie with peanut butter and crackers as well), we made sure not to have any food or fragrance (Ha! We smell like marmots by now) in the tent due to bear activity and brushed our teeth. We noticed a couple of deer in the grassy rotunda behind our tent, and I can hear one as I write, clomping around quietly. At least I think there’s a deer and nothing more nefarious like a hungry bear or something as benign as the wind.