The Wonderland Trail

I've been pretty lazy all summer, and now that I have one week left before school, I am bound for an adventure that has been on my mind for a few years now. The Wonderland Trail. It circumnavigates the 14, 410 foot icon of Washington State, Mt. Rainier. With a total of 93 miles, this trail weaves up and down through rugged glacial deposit terrain, ancient fog soaked forests, and the key to every outdoor enthusiasts heart. I've worked two summers on the mountain, first at Sunrise and secondly at Paradise. I have explored several portions of the trail and even summited the mountain four times. I've never had enough time to backpack this trail until now. Whereas the majority of people backpack it in ten to twelve days, I will be backpacking it in six. That means, on average, I will be hiking fifteen miles a day. Also, since I've hiked a lot of this trail, I don't want to take it leisurely. My grandma Jean will be meeting me at the Longmire Lodge half way through. She will be bringing me my food supplies for the rest of the trip.



Another big aspect to this adventure is that I will be doing it solo. I was inspired to do this after meeting a few women, ranging in different ages, who backpacked this trail.  A couple of years a go I was walking across the White River parking lot and a woman asked me if I could take her picture. She must have been maybe in her 40's and just successfully completed the entire trail. The big smile on her face and sense of accomplishment is still with me to this day. Oh sure, I know the risks, and every single concerned family member gives me "the look." But I'm quite used to this look, since I'm always on some type of life risking adventure.

It's 9pm now and I'm getting tired. I will be getting up at 5:30am tomorrow and heading to the White River station to register, park at the White River Campground and head out on the open trail. If all goes as planned, I will write about the wonder's of this trail as soon as possible. I will return on Saturday, recover Sunday and go to my first day of school Monday. Until then!