THE WONDERLAND TRAIL DAY 1 :: MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WA :: We were in high spirits as we began our much anticipated and ambitious attempt of The Wonderland Trail. With our confidence bolstered by the beaming sun, we embarked on the grand loop around Mt. Rainier from the trailhead at Mowich Lake. Our path would include more than 93 miles and climb over 23,000 vertical feet. “Bring it on,” we said, believing we would easily finish our journey in just seven days, skipping proudly with our 40 pound packs along the way.
Oh sweet, treacherous naiveté, how quickly you were pursued by pain and humility!
We were forced to quit after just three days. The Mountain had defeated us. Fortunately, our third camp was a resupply stop at Cougar Rock, where Kristie, Jessica and Elizabeth very kindly met us. After being fed, we begged them to take us home. To be fair, David had only planned to join us for those first three days, so his trip ended exactly how he planned it.
However, Jacob, Jayson and I, the “experienced” backpackers of the group, had no excuses. We failed. Blisters, tendonitis and diarrhea – all on a massive scale – along with the sheer inability to take another step, had completely sapped our will to face the much tougher days ahead of us.
Despite this disappointing end, we were still able to experience 37 spectacular miles of the aptly named Wonderland Trail. During our first day, we covered a little over 10 miles through ancient forests, stepping atop sponge-soft trail. It was pretty much straight down from Mowich Lake to South Mowich River and then straight back up to Golden Lakes. That’s the thing about the Wonderland Trail – there are maybe five total miles of level terrain along the entire route. The remainder is either a long climb or a long descent, one immediately after another.
Of course, the ups and downs reveal a constantly changing and dramatic landscape. As we trudged along, we were rewarded with awesome vistas and vivid explosions of wildflowers. Occasionally, through the clouds, we caught a glimpse of Rainier as well.
The next two posts will cover the second and third days. You should also visit Jacob’s and Jayson’s websites for more great photos.
Oh sweet, treacherous naiveté, how quickly you were pursued by pain and humility!
We were forced to quit after just three days. The Mountain had defeated us. Fortunately, our third camp was a resupply stop at Cougar Rock, where Kristie, Jessica and Elizabeth very kindly met us. After being fed, we begged them to take us home. To be fair, David had only planned to join us for those first three days, so his trip ended exactly how he planned it.
However, Jacob, Jayson and I, the “experienced” backpackers of the group, had no excuses. We failed. Blisters, tendonitis and diarrhea – all on a massive scale – along with the sheer inability to take another step, had completely sapped our will to face the much tougher days ahead of us.
Despite this disappointing end, we were still able to experience 37 spectacular miles of the aptly named Wonderland Trail. During our first day, we covered a little over 10 miles through ancient forests, stepping atop sponge-soft trail. It was pretty much straight down from Mowich Lake to South Mowich River and then straight back up to Golden Lakes. That’s the thing about the Wonderland Trail – there are maybe five total miles of level terrain along the entire route. The remainder is either a long climb or a long descent, one immediately after another.
Of course, the ups and downs reveal a constantly changing and dramatic landscape. As we trudged along, we were rewarded with awesome vistas and vivid explosions of wildflowers. Occasionally, through the clouds, we caught a glimpse of Rainier as well.
The next two posts will cover the second and third days. You should also visit Jacob’s and Jayson’s websites for more great photos.
