A year ago, we hiked one 1/2 of the Wonderland Trail which bobs and weaves either up or down (rarely ever flat) around Mt. Rainier which towers at 14,410 feet above sea level! The trail is approximately 100-110 miles long, and it’s quite a work-out, at least for us.

Scott and I really wanted to “get the job done” and complete the other 1/2 of this circular trail so earlier this year, we entered the National Park lottery. We didn’t get selected, BUT… our friend Kari (who we hiked the other 1/2 with last year, WAS selected … for the second year in a row)! What a lucky duck. And fortunate for us, she had Sarah listed as alternate. Kari managed to win the lottery for other permits and opted to explore new trails.

A BIG THANK YOU to Kari for inviting us on this hike last year … guiding us, showing us how to plan and survive a multi-day hike. WHAT A GIFT! It definitely gave us the confidence to “lead” a trip in 2023.

We adopted her lottery slot and confirmed our campsites in May. Then we recruited some friends to join us and prepped our gear and food for an August adventure.

When we did show up in August, it was an ominous start, with fire smoke obstructing any views of the mountain. Thankfully, that cleared within a day and by the end of the hike, Mt. Rainier was showing off again.

Off we go!
Let’s finish this Wonderous loop.

We hiked clockwise (starting at the green pin) for 6 days, roughly 60 miles, and camped 5 nights (noted by red pins).

Itinerary

Night 0: Longmire National Park Inn

Enter at Longmire Trail Head

~ hike 5.8 miles ~

Night #1: Devil’s Dream Camp

~ hike 14 m. ~

Night #2: North Puyallup River Camp

~ hike 15 m. ~

Night #3: Mowich Lake Camp

~ hike 13 m. ~

Night #4: Mystic Camp

~ hike 9 m. ~

Night #5: Sunrise Camp

~ hike 4 m. ~

Exit at White River Trailhead

~ drive car 2 hours back to Longmire Trailhead and spend night at lodge ~

We recruited two good friends (Heather & Chris, smiling here because the Advil has kicked in) from Bend, Oregon. Heather is also a beekeeping bud, and taught Sarah how to catch a swarm of bees.

The Payoffs

Returning to the wonderland trail we were rewarded with hiking by glaciers, through mystical soft pine needled woodlands, vast open passes that made us feel like specks of dust. We were off the grid from all electronics. We savored wild huckleberries that lined many paths. We observed a black bear. We saw splooting marmots sunbathing. Not only that, but we hiked in silence, listening to the wind in the trees. We hiked together, discussing living light like a Swede in the 1970s, the benefits of intentional discomfort and many gear/food hacks for backcountry trekking.

Glaciers Rock!

Fun Fact: Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers.

We saw the Winthrop Glacier SO up close, we could hear rocks being set loose and tumbling off it. Glaciers move!

Hella Mela Miles

We made a friend, Melanie from Reno! Did you know that 1 day = 1 month in “trail time” friendships? We all became fast friends. She hiked the entire trail solo, amongst so many other trails in the USA like the 2,190+ miles of the Appalachian Trail! We adopted her at a couple of our campsites, which helped shorten some of her long days (our permit was good for 5 campers). She became our camp angel after a grueling long day that had us 4 rolling into camp really late. She helped us prep food and was such a KIND, SWEET, HELPFUL human.

Trail Names, Earned

Left to right:
Sarah: The Period at the End of the Trail – Perimenopause follows ZERO schedule.
Chris: Polished Chode or the family friendly, La Tooty – Don’t ask or sniff.
Heather: Wrap It Response – A+ medical response
Melanie: Hella Mela Miles – This woman has HIKED miles.
Scott: Ready, Set, Mojo! – So perky, kept us on track every single day.

Logistics + Food

Nobody wants to carry the weight of 6 days worth of meals, so we made food caches that we could pick up 1/2 way in. In the wild, weight is THE ENEMY! Go light. Be happy. We dropped these buckets off at the “Carbon River” National Park’s ranger station, located about mid-way on our route. After we picked up our food caches, we left the buckets and the park re-uses them. Win-win.

Scott and I made our dinners at home (minus one), and dehydrated them. Chris and Heather supported a local Bend company, Next Mile Meals and LOVED LOVED LOVED them. They are un-0fficial ambassadors, now. We made three different meals and loved them all! The bougiest was Coconut Cashew Curry With Couscous, a recurring favorite from last year Dehydrated Backcountry Spaghetti, and Scott went rouge and dehydrated a favorite which we call Kelly’s Chili Mac. For dessert, Sarah brought these yummies to share: warm brownies in a bag (fondly renamed, “shart in a bag”).

* Pro Tip: NEVER EAT “Backpacker’s Pantry” Green Curry BRAND FOOD OR YOU WILL HAVE TRAIL DIARRHEA. 100% Guaranteed. You’re welcome. Sarah preferred to go to bed hungry and clearly won.

Back to the “go light” part. We obsess about the weight of our gear. With 1 liter of water, we each carried about 25 pounds on our backs. Our system is Scott carries the cooking gear and tent and Sarah carries all the food. It balances out nicely and only one of us needs to open a pack at lunch breaks. Knowing where everything is keeps us sane and happily married.

Oopsies

While we dodged the mosquito season, we were just in time for yellow jacket season! Chris got stung 4-5 times. Sarah at least once, maybe more upon closer inspection after the Benadryl wore off.

On day 3, Sarah slipped between two large, unstable logs where trail maintenance was being performed. Luckily, her shin stopped her, but within seconds, a large puffy alien bulge of a mass grew out of her shin. Heather took one look and her eyes bulged, said something about “compartment syndrome” and whipped out her emergency kit. How lucky to have medical savvy friends with us! She wraps lymphedema patients all day at work, so she knew exactly what to do. The wrap dispersed the collection of blood and all was well. Enter her trail name: Wrap It Response

So we sort of bit off more than we could chew, or rather hike. We had three long mileage days in a row and that third day just about broke us – ok it DID break 50% of us. Sarah pissed off her left IT band / knee and Chris pissed off his feet due to a misfortunate boot fit. Sarah limped for a good 3 miles to Mystic Lake, averaging a mile an hour. Only Ibpruphen and rest could help that. We were all on a steady diet of anti-inflammatories at some point. This is why hiking poles are ALWAYS worth bringing.

A bit of luck? On the next day, we were forced to get a late start due to a freak thunderstorm that blew through the park.  We sheltered in our tents listening to the rain and thunder, waiting for it to pass. The thunderstorm was actually quite magnificent from the shelter of our tents.

Fun Fact: Due to its high probability of an eruption in the near future, Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list.

Songs that got us through …

Scott: Break My Stride by Matthew Stride
Sarah: Sound of Silence by Paul Simon (I didn’t feel this dark, I promise).
Chris: Walk the Moon by One Foot
Heather: Never Surrender by Cory Hart
Melanie: Anything by Depeche Mode

But even after all the yellows jackets stings, one massive lightening thunderstorm which ignited about 30 fires in the park and some aches and pains, we all hiked out with a smile on our face! Hooray.

There was a moment we thought our friendship might have run its course (that moment being day 3), but Heather and Chris forgave our bad mileage math, and we REMAIN friends! Phew.

tu-tiki.com

Get out …

and enjoy the wild and then truly appreciate running water, flushing toilets, chairs, and soft beds. Love, Pickles & Passionfruit, reporting live from the Pacific Northwest.

xo

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