Mt. Rainier National Park
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We took a five-day trip to Mt. Rainier National Park, including some of the Wonderland Trail. Our trip started in the afternoon after parking our car near the entrance of the Kotsuck Creek Trail off the road that runs through the White River Ranger Station. As the dark was already getting late, we hiked in a few miles and camped in the dense, moist, forest. This was still early in my outdoor experiences, so being fully immersed and alone in the wild was a little jarring.
The second day, we hiked further south on the Kotsuck Creek Trail. We stopped at Owyhigh Lake, refilled our water and enjoyed the views. In the late afternoon, we reached the Chinook Creek Trail and headed south on it. We got a few miles south of the Deer Creek Camp when we set up camp. It was October, so there was snow on the ground in many places. On the third day, we continued south on the Chinook Creek Trail until it intersected with the Olallie Creek Trail. This trail would take us west toward the Wonderland Trail. Before lunchtime, we reached the Wonderland Trail north. We started to see amazing views of Mt. Rainier to our west. We ascended a ridge with a peak of 5,930’ between Bald Rock and Indian Bar. It was an amazing location. We easily saw Mt. Rainer to our west and could see a distant peak to our south, possibly Mt. Hood. This location was above treeline and afforded wonderful views while the sun was setting to our west.
The fourth day, we descended into Indian Bar and took in the magnificent views of Whitman Glacier, Fryingpan Glacier, and Ohanapecosh Glaciers, with their glacial runoff flowing through Indian Bar. It was a beautiful location. Privy location was pretty amazing too, looking at the glacier unobstructed while doing your business. After the break, we started the tough, tough ascent up from Indian Bar, going above Ohanapecosh Park. Imagine taking thousands of steps upwards continuously for three hours. After a break or two, the Wonderland Trail leveled out. We went through the Panhandle Gap and crossed a few snowfields without crampons or spikes. By evening, we camped near Summerland Camp. Again, great views of Mt. Rainier and more closely Baker Point.
The last day, we packed up and continued on the Wonderland Trail until it reached the White River Road we started from. At the intersection, we hiked along the road for a few miles until we returned to our vehicle.