Doug Lorain - One Best Hike: Mount Rainiers Wonderland Trail

Mount Rainier over Mirror Lake

One Best Hike: Mount Rainiers Wonderland Trail

1st EDITION

Copyright 2012 by Douglas Lorain

All cover and interior photos, unless otherwise noted, by Douglas Lorain

Cover design: Larry B. Van Dyke and Scott McGrew

Book design and layout: Andreas Schueller and Annie Long

Cartography: Douglas Lorain

Editor: Amber Kaye Henderson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lorain, Douglas, 1962

One best hike : Mount Rainiers Wonderland Trail / by Douglas Lorain.

-- 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-89997-655-6 -- ISBN 0-89997-655-7

1. Hiking--Washington (State)--Wonderland Trail--Guidebooks. 2.

Hiking--Washington (State)--Mount Rainier National Park--Guidebooks.

3. Wonderland Trail (Wash.)--Guidebooks. 4. Mount Rainier National

Park (Wash.)--Guidebooks. I. Title.

GV199.42.W22W654 2012

796.5109797--dc23

2012018030

Manufactured in the United States of America

Visit our website for a complete listing of our books and for ordering information.

Distributed by Publishers Group West

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews.

SAFETY NOTICE: Although Wilderness Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. Readers are advised to recheck phone numbers, prices, addresses, and other material. You are responsible for your own safety and health while in the wilderness. The fact that a trail is described in this book does not mean that it will be safe for you. The potential for falls, heat exhaustion, dehydration, hyperventilation, or other problems are possible (though not likely). Be aware that trail conditions can change from day to day. Always check local conditions and the weather, and know your own limitations.

Acknowledgments

The help of many people made this book possible. Special thanks go to the following persons:

National Park Service personnel who provided information, read drafts, or otherwise shared their considerable expertise: Scott Beason, Dan Camiccia, Craig Cope, Geoff Walker, and James Ziolkowski.

The people at Wilderness Press/Keen Communications who continue to enthusiastically publish my books and do such a stellar job of turning my initial disjointed writing and mapping efforts into something usable and attractive for you, the reader. On this book, particular thanks go to Amber Kaye Henderson, Scott McGrew, and Molly Merkle.

Most of all, as always, I thank my wife, Becky Lovejoy, who stoically endured much time alone taking care of the dog and house while her husband traipsed off into the wilds of Mount Rainier. Her love and encouragement are invaluable to this book and to my life.

While the contributions and assistance of the persons listed above were significant, all of the text, maps, and photos herein are my own work and sole responsibility. Any and all omissions, errors, and just plain stupid mistakes are strictly mine.

Douglas Lorain

List of Maps

Mount Rainier from Eagle Cliff viewpoint

Introduction

Mt. Rainier, or Tahoma (the Indian name), is the noblest of the volcanic cones extending from Lassen Butte and Mt. Shasta along the Cascade Range to Mt. Baker. Rainier surpasses them all in massive icy grandeurthe most majestic solitary mountain I had ever yet beheld.

John Muir, Travels in Alaska, 1915

Opposite: Indian Bar from trail up Cowlitz Divide

Mount Rainier and the Wonderland Trail

A s any Seattle area resident looking up and admiring their mountain can attest, John Muir, as usual, had it right. Mount Rainier is truly a majestic sight that dominates its surroundings like no other peak in the lower 48 United States. Given the mountains size and prominence, it is not surprising that this geographic wonder is defined by superlatives. It is the tallest mountain in the state of Washington, and, for that matter, in the entire Cascade Range, making it the undisputed king of the Pacific Northwest. It supports (by far) the largest glacier system of any mountain in the United States, outside of Alaska, and proudly displays its permanent mantle of white to awed viewers who are as far as 100 miles away in every direction (at least on days when clouds dont block the view). It is protected in what was only our nations fifth, and what is still one of its best, national parks, established all the way back in 1899. It is the largest volcanic mountain in the lower 48 United States and one of the largest in the world. It supports thriving populations of some of the continents most impressive wildlife and grandest trees, as well as some of the most abundant displays of wildflowers of any area in the country. And, admittedly more of an opinion than a quantifiable fact, it is simply one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring peaks you will find anywhere.

But, for all that, this book is not about the mountain itself. Instead, this book highlights what is, in the opinion of thousands of amazed pedestrians over the years, the best way to see, feel, and appreciate this grand mountain: hiking all the way around it.

Like the mountain it encircles, the Wonderland Trail is defined by superlatives. With a length of 92.2 miles (or thereabouts, depending on which measurement you believe) and, perhaps more significant, with nearly 4 vertical miles of uphill along the way, this is one of the longest and toughest trails in the entire national park system. The trail passes through every life zone in the park, so hikers enjoy everything from cathedral stands of low-elevation old-growth rain forest to starkly beautiful above-timberline landscapes of rocks and glaciers. In between are numerous waterfalls, some of the grandest mountain wildflower displays in the world, plenty of wildlife, dozens of small lakes, idyllic mountain meadows, rushing glacial torrents spanned by frightening swinging bridges, meandering clear brooks crossed by quaint logs, and countless opportunities for side trips to little-known glories high on the slopes of the mountain. It is hardly surprising, then, that virtually every list of the greatest hikes in North America places the Wonderland Trail near the top.