CELEBRATE THE OUTDOORS
40 years outdoors experience, extensive info on Mt. Rainier’s Wonderland Trail, original music, equipment reviews, off trail videos, other peaks in Mt. Rainier NP
Actually there’s a trail to First, Second and Third Burroughs mountains. I include Third Burroughs here because of the outstanding views to be had from this 7828 foot summit. Gazing down on the seracs of the Winthrop Glacier from a mere hike is a treat indeed! The first part of the video includes a short jaunt on the Emmons Moraine trail to check out the tarn downstream from the Emmons Glacier terminus.
Pinnacle Peak is generally described as a "moderate scramble." However, sustained class 3 scrambling on the upper approach makes this one of the harder peaks I've done. Slipping or falling here would not be pretty. My buddy sums up his thoughts on the climb on the summit shot, providing the "Mature" rating for this video. As usual, the downclimbing was more difficult than the ascent. However, all in all this was another magnificent peak in the Tatoosh range sporting expansive 360 degree views. Blog write up here.
Foss Peak (6524') lies in the Tatoosh range in Mt. Rainier National Park. The approach is short, climbing a short way on the Pinnacle Peak trail to 5200', then proceeding via a way trail to the saddle between The Castle and Foss. A well established trail leads across the ridge between the two with relatively mild terrain all the way to the Foss summit. As usual for the Tatoosh peaks, expansive views in all directions are on the menu for most of the day. Blog write up here.
Scarface is a relatively obscure peak in Mt. Rainier National Park that borders the northern section. It is accessed by driving FS 73 past Greenwater, WA. This is a fairly rugged road with deep potholes and ragged surfaces in some areas, but is generally OK for most vehicles that are not low slung. The peak itself is a wooded summit but sporting a sheer rocky face. Lake Eleanor is visible far below. I ascended via the ridge a bit past Lake Eleanor and descended via the south ridge (good boot track here), then intersected the Grand Park trail back to the vehicle. Although listed as an easy scramble, bashing through the woods and battling voracious mosquitos makes this a summit that one would probably only pursue because it's on a list. Stats: 8 miles/2400’
The most difficult part of summitting these two peaks (Mt. Rainier National Park) was the access portion, involving unpleasant steep forest and meadow hiking. I connected the peaks via a ridge between the two, which was not difficult. Buell was a mostly wooded summit but with enough open areas to take in the views. To regain the Owyhigh Lakes Trail I basically went straight down a wooded hillside, in some areas so steep that I landed on my bum a few times from slipping on the forest detritus. Luckily it wasn’t a long section and I sighed in relief when I popped out on the trail, enjoying mellow slopes and easy travel back to my waiting vehicle. A worthy day indeed!
Banshee Peak (7400’) is accessed from Mt. Rainier’s Wonderland Trail at Panhandle Gap (6780’). The way trail leads to gentle meadowy slopes on the way, abundant with wildflowers and mountain goat in summer. The fairly gentle final ascent to the summit reveals an airy drop down to the Sarvant Glacier and views of the Cowlitz Chimneys. On my iteration I was camped at White River so most of this sojourn was on trail, totaling 21 miles RT and 4600’ of elevation gain/loss.
Howard Peak is an easy scramble to a flat summit. There's a good boot path up the gentle slopes. Take the trail to Tolmie Peak (in view from Howard) starting at Mowich Lake. The steepest part of this hike was doing a direct line up to intersect the trail on the return. Another tick on the "100 Peaks at Mt. Rainier National Park" list.
First Mother Mountain (Mt. Rainier National Park) is accessed from Knapsack Pass. It is described as a moderate scramble. It is not the first peak one can see from Knapsack; there is a fairly steady boot path that takes the hiker beyond to the actual peak. My only difficulty was on the return; it took several tries to get beyond one section as I was obviously off route.
The title sums it up. I attempted a transit of the ridge between Castle Peak and First Mother Mountain, but ended up dropping down to the Knapsack Pass trail at the end when confronted by rocky outcroppings. But that's just me, I got it in my mind to "escape". Others may well stay high, skirting the outcroppings on the right to connect the two peaks without the short detour to Knapsack Pass.
Castle Peak can be accessed from Mowich Lake (Mt. Rainier National Park) by hiking the Wonderland Trail on the west side of the lake and taking to the woods, contouring around and up from the lake to a saddle. A nearer blocky peak is bypassed on the right side to climb Castle Peak. There is a boot path much of the way. Castle Peak has a flat summit area with two high points: the main summit at 6120', which requires a short scramble to get to, and the slightly lower peak on the opposite end of the plateau at 6110'. This one is relatively flat. At the end of this video I mention the transit across the ridge above Mowich Lake to continue to bag First Mother Mountain without backtracking. This transit is a separate video in the series.
Another summit from the Mountaineers' "Guide to100 Peaks at Mt. Rainier National Park" list, Paul Peak is a forested climb culminating in a forested summit....not much in the view department, but pleasant enough. This forest is easy to negotiate, pretty much void of thick entanglements. The access is easy to find: after entering the park boundary on the Mowich Lake road, there is the “Paul Peak” trail.
I’ve been off grid for a while since leaving Colorado on May 12th, occasionally resurfacing to check in with civilization. Lots of biking, skiing and hiking. Whilst hanging at Packwood with a retired friend of mine, I decided to bag one of the 100 Peaks in Mt. Rainier Mountaineers list, an easy one right off the Wonderland Trail between Box Canyon and Indian Bar. In fact the off trail section to Bald Rock (5904’) was easy going and more of a hike than scramble, but negotiating the Wonderland “Trail” above 4500’ was mostly on snow and rather tedious, requiring due diligence to stay in the vicinity of the trail. The western slopes are currently experiencing a record setting heat wave so the melt off should be accelerated substantially over the next week. I’m not complaining, I had the “trail” to myself and the views were unique on the spur that housed Bald Rock, looking back towards the mountain with the Cowlitz Divide in the foreground. This outing was 10 miles with 3100’ of climb, but the snow travel compounded the difficulty a bit.
Some maps still show the Wonderland Trail continuing on the right side of the Carbon River all the way to Carbon River Camp. However, this part of the trail was closed after the severe flooding in 2006; current trail use utilizes a lower Carbon River crossing (for the Northern Loop Trail) and continuing on to the suspension bridge on the left side. It is doubtful that the right side trail will ever be repaired or rerouted...it has been 15 years after all. In 2017 I checked out the old trail for some distance and present it here. Further up, the trail was eradicated right down to the bedrock.
Why post this in the Off-Trail section? Because the simple bridges over the North and South Mowich Rivers tend to wash out practically every year. In 2020 the park even diverted hikers to a large log to compensate for the loss of one of the major bridges. During the exceptional low snow year of 2015 I set out to hike the west 57 miles of the Wonderland (Longmire to Sunrise) on June 9. I had 3 areas of concern: the Mowich River crossings, the Winthrop Creek crossing and Skyscraper Pass area. No trail maintenance had been done and all the previous year's bridges over the Mowich rivers were out. I was able to cobble together enough logs to stay feet dry across the entire flood plain. I also show a nighttime crossing in 2020, which utilized the same log I used in 2015.
I’m chipping away at the Mountaineers’ “100 Peaks at Mt. Rainier National Park.” Now that I’m halfway through I’ve authored this short video in commemoration. Here’s to the next 50!
Steamboat on a Sunday after a dump….during COVID (Reddit)
I’ve been lift skiing since I was 8 Y/O. I don’t jump into couloirs or off cliffs, but I can handle most black diamond runs. With a background of extensive backcountry hiking, mountaineering and endurance sports, I decided to take up backcountry skiing at the age of 59….can old dogs learn new tricks? Indeed they can, and I’ve been enjoying off piste skiing now since 2014. Because I’m solo most of the time, I restrict myself to spring skiing on consolidated snow to mitigate avalanche hazards. I’m currently in Colorado; the photo above was on Sunday after a dump, during COVID. I’m saving my skiing for the spring when I am back in the PNW for lonely places. This short video is by no means a tutorial….just some of my experiences as a Senior with backcountry skiing. I better put the warning here: (Ski) Mountaineering can be a dangerous activity carrying a risk of potential injury or death. Don’t venture on a glacier unless you have the requisite experience, skills and knowledge!
Akin to the Dunes of Arrakis, enjoy expansive views and the rhythmic thumping of feet on sand. View the panoramic shot from the top of High Dune (8691’) in Great Sand Dunes National Park, and the expansiveness of the gypsum dunes in White Sands National Park. Next best thing to being there! Includes never before seen footage at the end! The blog post “Dunes and Cacti” can be found here.
As the Mowich Lake Road (November 10th, 2019) was nearing its closing date, I decided to bag 4 peaks in one outing, all basically accessed from the Boundary Trail. Surprisingly the Boundary Trail was in excellent shape all the way to a clearing marking a FS road end (out of the NP boundary). From this point the old Boundary Trail continues all the way to the Carbon River entrance, which I have yet to explore….perhaps in 2021. My sequence was Martin (4880’) first, then back on the Boundary Trail to August (4680’). In my iteration I back tracked on the Boundary Trail to then hit Virginia (4880’) and continuing on to Berry (5120’). However, one can choose to proceed directly to Berry from August. On my return from Berry I mistakenly started down the wrong ridge line ( see graphic) between Berry and Virginia; this path obviously led directly to August, which one could use to shortcut between these two peaks. I soon discovered my mistake and proceeded back the way I came. This was a good example of using GPS or compass to check position and direction of travel as wooded navigation pretty much looks the same. The blog post for these peaks can be found here.
The broad summit plateaus of Iron and Copper Mountains belie the effort involved to achieve them; steep gully climbs. Satulick was a milder cross country jaunt to a wooded summit. This 22 mile day involved a fair amount of off trail hiking, and totaled 6500’ of climb. A tough (for me) but very rewarding day. Satulick/Iron/Copper blog post here.
First I must caveat this hike/skin/ski with a caution from “Guide to 100 peaks in Mt. Rainier National Park.”
This is a climb and is serious in places. It can be dangerous without requisite skills and equipment.
Any travel on glaciers should be approached with caution. That said, on June 15, 2019 I set out to tag Whitman Crest (9323’) and ski the Fryingpan Glacier on a beautiful spring day. The Fryingpan Glacier is accessed by hiking above Summerland to Meany Crest (7280’) and ascending the Fryingpan Glacier. Little Tahoma dominates the view with Mt. Rainier hiding behind. The hike was somewhat strenuous but the ski was glorious. Stats: 12 miles/5400’. The Whitman Crest blog post can be accessed here.