THE NORTHERN LOOP (9.17-9.21.2012)
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington
~37 miles, ~9,200 feet elevation gain
Ladies and gentlemen, please tighten your shoe laces for the
journey before you.
Although only three hours north of Portland, I haven't spent
any time at all hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park. Earlier this summer, I
read about the Northern Loop in Craig Romano's Backpacking Washington, described as a lonely and isolated,
strenuous backpacking loop in the northern section of the park. It got put on
The List. Andy and I almost went there for our annual Perseids trip but
kaboshed the idea due to heinous bug reports in the high country. I haven't had
a solo trip this year yet, and the Northern Loop seemed to fit the backpacking
bill perfectly while giving me a chance to explore an area I've never hiked in
before.
At 14,410 feet high,
Rainier is the king of the
Cascades and the most glaciated peak in the lower 48. The mountain is a
gloriously beautiful beast, and the trails surrounding it are no exception.
Hiking is tough here- the incredible diversity of the landscape from temperate,
old growth rainforest to barren, high alpine zones means you are constantly trekking
in and out of deep glacial valleys. There's no straight route to your
destination- just when you think you're done, the trail throws you another
curve ball. The Northern Loop would take me through all these life zones while challenging
legs and lungs alike.
DAY ONE: A haze of wildfire smoke. (Sunrise to
Berkley Park, ~4 miles).
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| I *think* these are the Sourdough Mountains from near Sunrise, with Huckleberry Park below |
I arrived at the White River Ranger station at 12:30pm on
Monday, banking on securing permits for the loop based on my phone conversation
with Ranger Gavin the day before- he assured me that so long as I remained
flexible, my chances of getting permits were good. In the end, I opted for a four
night trip comprised of two short and three longer mileage days, primarily
because I wanted to stay at least one night at Yellowstone camp. Mileage-wise,
the loop is perfect for a three night/four day trip but arriving without a
permit already in hand means you take what you can get. Turns out, it was a
great decision, and at 4 nights/5 days, gave me my longest solo trip yet into
the backcountry.
By 1:30, I was setting off from Sunrise for Berkley Camp,
some 4 miles away. I was stunned by the haze surrounding the mountain; huge wildfires
burning east in the Wenatchee National Forest were sending smoke directly into
the park. I felt like I was hiking in a campfire snow globe. Still, I was
determined not to let it ruin my trip, even if the views were hazy with a
strange, eerie light.
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| Mt. Rainier in a haze of wildfire smoke |
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| Just past Frozen Lake on the Wonderland Trail. Skyscraper Mountain (7018') is the peak on the right. I would pop out on Friday at Skyscraper pass, the tiny notch just to the left of the mountain. |
1.5 miles from Sunrise, I started to leave behind the hoards
of fresh-faced tourists. Soaking in the feel of the barren alpine, I left the
Wonderland Trail and began the long descent into Berkley Park, an expanse of
meadow nestled between Skyscraper Mountain and Mount Fremont. Alone at camp
that night, I spent the afternoon wandering Berkley Park, whistling back to
countless pikas and marmots, and watching wildfire smoke create strange
patterns with the light.
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| Dropping into Berkley Park |
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| fall color on false hellebore |
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| wildfire smoke light play in Berkley Park |
DAY TWO: Rollercoaster. (Berkley Park to James Camp,
~9 miles).
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| Day Two: I'm going to drop into the White River Valley, then climb up and to the right of the burn (far right hand side of the picture) to James Camp. On Day Three, I'll pass Windy Gap, just above the burn area and beneath the peaks in the right of the photo. On Day Five, I'll cross just below the glacier near the headwaters of this creek. |
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| Day Two: this is the face of here goes nothing. |
Today, the rollercoaster elevation gain and loss Mount
Rainer trails are so famous for began. From Berkley Park (elevation 5600'), I
would first gently descend to the banks of Lodi Creek, then climb up and over a
small knoll at 5750' before finally entering beautiful, fall-colored Grand Park
(5650'). I saw lots and lots of bear sign on the approach to Grand Park but no
bears.
From here, the trail took off for
the White River, dropping 2400 feet
through beautiful old growth hemlock forest. I took an hour break at the
river, filtering silt-heavy glacial melt water, rinsing off trail dust, eating
lunch, airing out my feet, reapplying sun block, and beginning the process of
becoming very, very well acquainted with moleskin.
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| Grand Park is grand indeed |
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| beautiful old growth forest on the way to Fire Creek |
(I would learn a lot about blister management over the next
four days. If I was going to complete this loop, I was gonna have to stay on
top of these little boogers.)
I should also mention that the nine miles between James and
Berkley Camp are dry, unless you a) have a filter than can handle glacial flour
or b) are willing to hike another round-trip mile to Fire Creek Camp (1/2 mile
off the trail) in hopes that it has water (seasonal).
After crossing the White River on a foot log (looks like the
river here went nutzo during the 2006 November floods), I began the two mile,
1250 foot climb to James Camp, again through beautiful old growth hemlock
forest.
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| crossing the White River |
James Camp is quiet, set away in the trees with no view of
the lake nestled 0.1 miles away. I was learning this about MRNP- enjoy your
walk. As far as backcountry sites go, the camps leave much to be desired in the
way of views or beauty. They are really nothing more than 'home' for the night.
Still, I found myself respecting the thoughtfulness of the park in an effort to
truly practice low impact, leave no trace (LNT) backcountry camping.
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| James Camp |
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| James Lake |
Until James Camp, I had seen only four people all day, all near
Grand Park. The three individual sites at James Camp were full, but it was
quiet. I spent some time at the nearby creek chatting with a woman from Seattle
hiking the loop clockwise with her husband; she seemed surprised I would
consider hiking by myself. I assured her that I receive a significant amount of
grief from family and friends alike regarding that very same issue.
I love hiking alone. Not always, but I find myself more and
more enamored with it. The feeling of just me out here, hidden within the
silence of the world.
DAY THREE: Pure alpine bliss. (James Camp to
Yellowstone Camp, ~4 miles).
When I first obtained permits on Monday, I really wanted
Yellowstone Camp, mostly because I had heard it was one of the prettiest backcountry
sites in the park. With only two individual sites, it fills up quickly, and at
twenty miles from Sunrise, it makes a really great second night stop on the
loop. Since it was full Tuesday night, I opted to have a short day this day so
I could stay there.
Fantastic call. I took about five hours to walk from James
Camp to Yellowstone because it was just that damn ah-awe-some.
The basin before Windy Gap (5800') and the wild, high alpine
meadows beyond just before the descent to Yellowstone Camp, are some of the
most glorious alpine wandering I have ever experienced. I spent
hours wandering around up here, making stupid
ooooohhh and ahhhh noises around every corner. I found myself extremely
reluctant
to leave and really,
really, really hoped against hope that the park service had situated
Yellowstone Camp somewhere up here. Alas, it was not to be- I had to drop some
700 feet in elevation, out of the most spectacular area, down some surprising and
unexpected switchbacks, before I finally found Yellowstone Camp nestled a
quarter mile off the main trail. I was the first to arrive and snagged my first
(and only) campsite of the trip with an actual view.
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| campsite with a view |
I spent the remainder of the afternoon doing camp chores,
reading, soaking my feet in bone-numbing creek water and repackaging my feet/blisters
for the serious elevation rollercoaster ahead of me tomorrow.
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| fall light on the Yellowstone cliffs from camp |
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| repackaging my feet for tomorrow |
I would share camp that night with a gal named Kat, on her
first solo backpacking trip ever. [Grin].
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| alpenglow on the Yellowstone cliffs |
DAY FOUR: Hallucinating that a marmot is a bear.
(Yellowstone Camp to Mystic Camp, ~11 miles).
4am and to say that I am wide awake is an understatement. No
idea what this weird sleep pattern is about.
I lay in my tent, watching stars fade in the pre-dawn glow
over the Yellowstone cliffs before finally shimmying out of my bag at 5:45. I
actually love hiking at dawn, but decided against hiking by headlamp in an area
with high bear activity- the Yellowstone cliffs have a resident bear family in
the area and sign was
everywhere.
Scat, smashed meadows, chewed grasses and berries, tree markings.
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| leaving the Yellowstone cliffs just past dawn |
Funny thing is, I must have some sort of natural bear
repellent. I saw NO bears this trip, at all. That means I have spent a total of
8 days in the Olympic backcountry (no bears ) and 5 in Mount Rainier. No.
Bears. I know I smell bad, but really?
Today, the trail quit screwing around. Almost immediately
upon leaving Yellowstone Camp, I entered the beginnings of the dark, old growth
temperate rainforest that characterizes Mt. Rainier's Carbon River Valley.
Twenty-three switchbacks and less than 2.5 miles later, I had lost 2150 feet of
elevation and found myself sitting near the banks of the raging Carbon River,
airing out my howling toes.
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| if you listen closely enough, you can actually hear my toes yelling at me |
Overall, this, and the day before, were to be my favorite
parts of the loop. Alongside the Carbon River, the trail reminded me of the Gorge,
all lush and green and rocky. It soon spit me out of cool forest, however, and
began a baking hot climb on an exposed, rocky shelf alongside the Carbon
Glacier.
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| suspension bridge over the Carbon River |
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| beginning the climb out of the Carbon River Valley |
Cool trivia: the terminal moraine of Mt. Rainier's Carbon
Glacier makes it the lowest elevation glacier in the lower 48.
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| the Carbon Glacier and Mt. Rainier |
About this time, I started to feel queasy and nauseated. I
had run out of fuel this morning (not sure how I miscalculated that one so
badly), which left me with a dilemma. I could make it to Mystic Camp and try to
bum a burn off someone to cook dinner. I could also try my Esbit emergency fuel
tablet to try to cook dinner (I had enough for a dinner and morning cup o'
joe). Or, I could save my remaining no-cook food for the just-in-case scenario
that neither worked. Which left me with a granola bar and a snickers bar to sustain
me through 11 miles of hiking with a lot of elevation gain and loss. So let's
just say it made for an interesting day.
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| nearing Moraine Park |
The miles were beautiful though. As I gained altitude I left
behind the toaster oven of the Carbon River Valley and entered cooler, sunlit
dappled forest with tiny creeks and waterfalls scattered here and there. By the
time I reached Moraine Park though, I was very low on energy and noticed I was
walking in a bit of a daze. I was focused on little details: the fall colors of
the brush, the way the light came through the trees, the enormity of Rainier
over the landscape. Somewhere in that daze, I thought to myself that I wasn't
paying enough attention to my surroundings from an animal standpoint...
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| the face that says 11 miles is too much in Rainier |
...cue GIANT hoary marmot jumping right in front of me on
the trail to scramble into his hidey hole.
My first thought, as I was pulling my best Michael Jordan
moves up and backwards on the trail, was: "BEAR!"
My second, rational, thought, following close on the heels
of that one was: "Bears don't live in the ground, Amanda. And I'm pretty
sure they are a helluva lot bigger."
Time to find camp and food. Now.
Just beyond Moraine Park, the trail decided to screw with
me, throwing in a steep climb over a 6060 foot pass. Really, Rainier? Are you kidding
me?
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| Rainier near Moraine Park |
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| Moraine Park from that little surprise pass I had to climb....grrrr |
Beyond the pass, Mystic Lake is another mile down trail and
what a beautiful area it is. Funniest part is, I was on complete autopilot at
this point, and I have no pictures of the place. It was also the biggest camp I
was to stay at on the loop with seven individual sites and a group site another
0.1 miles down the trail.
Later, on the shores of the lake with my meager Esbit tablet
and dehydrated meal, I asked to borrow a lighter from two gentleman heading
back down to camp. They recognized me first (we passed each other on day two
near Grand Park), and upon discussing my dinner dilemma, refused to loan me the
lighter. Instead, introducing themselves as Ed and Michel, they insisted that
I come back to camp to boil dinner at their site.
Trail. Angels.
I spent the evening with them, filling my belly and
listening to them exchange stories of their thirty-eight years hiking together.
Friends for a very long time, every year Ed and Michel take a minimum six day
backpacking trip together, somewhere. They've done the Wonderland Trail twice.
I had a fantastic evening with these two gentleman, and I couldn't thank them
enough. Michel even loaned me his fuel canister to make coffee in the morning
and drop off at his tent doorstep before I left.
I fell asleep that night with a cozy, warm feeling of trail camaraderie.
I absolutely adore the backpacking community.
DAY FIVE: Destinationitis. (Mystic Camp to Sunrise,
~9.5 miles).
There comes a point in the backcountry, when you are again
ready for the comforts of modern living. Today, I wanted a shower, beer and a
steak. In that order. Upon arriving home, a good friend corrected me:
"No, the CORRECT order is beer, shower with said beer
in hand, then steak."
Fueled by 600ml of instant espresso (thank you, Michel!), I
left camp by 6:45 am and powered down the trail through beautiful forest,
occasionally stopping to snap pictures of Rainier in the dawn.
Shower, shower, shower. Beer, beer, beer. Steak, steak,
steak.
(My hallucinations this day were different, mostly
consisting of dreams that my wonderful husband would be cooking rib roast when
I got home. Alas, it was not to be.)
From Mystic, I initially lost a 1000 feet of elevation on my
way to crossing Winthrop Creek at the base of the Winthrop Glacier. Although
the temperatures had (finally) cooled, the creek was still raging. Watching the
birth of a river from the snout of a glacier is quite the sight, let me just
say. Rainier was awe-inspiring in the early morning light, the ice fall from
numerous glaciers visible in fine detail from the trail.
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| good morning, mountain |
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| Winthrop Creek and the Winthrop Glacier. I'll cross the creek below the glacier (lower left hand corner of photo). |
From here, it was all up, gaining over 2100' on the way to
my goal of Skyscraper Pass, which would spit me out just some three miles from
Sunrise. Compared to the Northern Loop trail though, this section of the
Wonderland Trail was well-graded.
This close to Sunrise, my legs took on an attitude of their
own, and I hit the parking lot by 12:00pm, passing dozens of tourist in loafers
and sandals on my way down the trail. They gave me wide berth, as I'm sure I
looked like I was possessed by the steak/beer devil and evidently stunk enough
to ward off bears.
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| Skyscaper Pass, 6750' |
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| Leaving Skyscraper Pass on the Wonderland Trail, only 3 miles now from Sunrise |
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| Goats! |
Sometimes, trips are just everything that you need them to be.
For me, that was this trip. Previously, I had avoided MRNP like the plague
because, quite frankly, I find the rules and regulations of the National Park
Service to be obnoxious. However, the Northern Loop really, really gave me a
lovely and addictive sampling of the Mt. Rainier backcountry...I *may* just
have to actually start thinking about a Wonderland trip...
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