Tami Asars - Hiking the Wonderland Trail: The Complete Guide to Mount Rainier’s Premier Trail

HIKING THE

WONDERLAND

TRAIL

TAMI ASARS

HIKING THE

WONDERLAND

TRAIL

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOUNT RAINIERS PREMIER TRAIL

1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134

2012 by Tami Asars

All rights reserved

First edition, 2012

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk

Manufactured in China

Copy editor: Julie Van Pelt

Cover, book design, and layout: Heidi Smets Graphic Design

Cartographer: Mike Schley

All photographs by author unless otherwise credited

Frontispiece: Water playfully bounces down the mossy rocks of Grant Creek, near Eagles Roost.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Asars, Tami.

Hiking the Wonderland trail : the complete guide to Mount Rainiers

premier trail / by Tami Asars.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-59485-654-9 (pbk)ISBN 978-1-59485-655-6 (ebook)

1. HikingWashington (State)Wonderland TrailGuidebooks. 2. HikingWashington (State)Mount Rainier National ParkGuidebooks. 3. Wonderland Trail (Wash.)Guidebooks. 4. Mount Rainier National Park

(Wash.)Guidebooks. I. Title.

GV199.42.W22W6538 2012

917.97dc23

2012008472

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

One of the greatest joys of my hilltop wanderings has been sharing the experiences with my supportive friends and family. Whether joining me on hikes, looking at videos and photos, or listening to my long-winded stories, theyve patiently watched my life transform into one of complete passion for wild places.

I wish to thank my husband, Vilnis, a patient and captive audience throughout my writing process, listening to book excerpts and giving feedback. On the trail together, weve experienced some of the most beautiful places on Earth and bonded over freeze-dried meals. I also wish to thank my family and a plethora of friends whove encouraged me to follow my heart and head as well as my dreams.

Special thanks to all of those who have made this book possible by offering advice, stories, and information including many folks at Mount Rainier National Park, among them retired trails foreman Carl Fabiani and his lovely wife, Dinni, museum curator Brooke Childrey, and wilderness ranger Daniel Keebler. I also acknowledge wildlife biologist and trusted friend Brian Kertson, King County Search and Rescue expert Wes Cooper, and good friend Lisa Peterson. Your resources and time have meant so much to me.

Lastly, special thanks to Summit, the big, sleepy beast at my feet who affectionately sat on my toes for months as I put together paragraphs. Hell always be one of my best friends.

SAFE AND HAPPY TRAILS!

MAP LEGEND

WONDERLAND TRAIL ELEVATION PROFILE

WONDERLAND TRAIL OVERVIEW MAP

A park sign near Indian Henrys Hunting Ground points travelers in various directions, while Mount Rainier, wearing a lenticular cloud hat, looks on.

INTRODUCTION: MOUNT RAINIER, NATURES MASTERPIECE

The Wonderland Trail is a spectacular 90-plus mile loop that encircles the base of Mount Rainier, gaining and losing about 22,000 cumulative feet along the way. It runs through fragrant subalpine meadows, angry river valleys, and mossy forest floors, leaving your head spinning and your eyes longing for more. Around each turn is something new, unique, and unusual. Nature is the masterpiece on display in the gallery that is the Wonderland Trail.

At the center of the gallery stands Mount Rainier at 14,410 feet. A Northwest icon and legend to mountaineers, Rainier has dozens of prominent glaciers, along with permanent snowfields and highly eroded slopes. The Wonderland wraps around Rainier, moving up and down, showcasing the many expressive faces of the volcano. At some vistas, Rainier appears decrepit, powerless, and crumbly, while at others she appears savage, forceful, and strong.

The Wonderland Trail is also changeable. In places the trail is wide and cushioned with decaying pine needles; in others its brushy, narrow, and exposed, where a fall would have serious consequences. Mount Rainier herself is the trails ultimate sculptor, and each year she decides to slightly change the trails location and landscape with trail and bridge washouts, keeping the Park Service and early season hikers on their toes.

The throngs of achy-backed, weary-muscled backpackers whove hiked the trail will tell you that the Wonderland is not, by any stretch of the imagination, easy. Its ups and downs put a roller coaster to shame: It gains elevation as quickly as some high-rise elevators, and the downhillsoh, the downhills. Even if your knees are good and strong, youll find them complaining on the steep descents.

But for as much challenge as the Wonderland Trail throws down, it lovingly gives back in the form of landscapes that will make you cry theyre so magnificent. This trail is worth every single step of demanding hill climbs and each strand of protesting muscle. Youll have memories that will linger long into the chills of the coming winter and stories to tell your grandchildren as they fall asleep.

HISTORY

Long before Mount Rainier became a national park on March 2, 1899, people had a deep history with the beautiful and challenging mountain. Five Indian tribesthe Nisqually, Muckleshoot, Yakama, Puyallup, and Taidnapam (or Upper Cowlitz)are known to have lived around the mountain, claiming various areas in the present national park as their hunting and berry-picking grounds. In fact, many of the same paths that make up todays Wonderland Trail were used by Native Americans for traveling to their harvesting grounds.

Native American legends swirled around Takhoma (renamed Mount Rainier in 1890), the most feared of the Pacific Northwest volcanoes, with an angry spirit that inhabited the lake of fire in the summit crater. One Native American in particular made history by acting as a climbing guide to the first party of white men to stand upon the mountains summit. The mans name was Sluiskin, and since he strongly respected and believed in the legend of the fire lake, he became nervous and uneasy as the climbing party approached the base of the mountain. He refused to travel farther. The night before the big summit bid, he pleaded with the white men to abort their mission, claiming that if they did not they would be punished by demons. The next day, Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump reached the summit and stopped briefly to enjoy the warmth of the steam vents, which they suspected was Sluiskins mistaken fire lake. Upon their return, Sluiskin, who had assumed the men were dead, hailed them shouting, Skookum tillicum! Skookum tillicum!, which meant strong men with brave hearts.