2022 Wonderland Trail Prep

My goal this year is to do the Wonderland twice; once in 2 sections as a trainer, and once as a thru. Long term I’d like to do the Wonderland 50 times. To date I have hiked it 33 times, and at age 67 once a year would mean #50 at age 83. I’m optimistic that this is possible, but I might want to get a head start on the numbers.

The Hikes….my plan is to first section hike between Longmire and Sunrise, self supported by bike. By parking at Sunrise both times I can at least start at a high point, making the biking portion a little less strenuous. The eastern section hike involves 36 miles with about 6000’ of elevation, so I would do this one first. The western section is longer at 57 miles with about 16,000’ of elevation, surely making for quite a long day. Hopefully I can space these approximately 2 weeks apart, completing hike #34, then doing #35 as a thu hike before the season is out. The following map shows the distance and elevation on bike: 57 miles with 4400’ of climb and 8000’ of descent.

Biking from Sunrise to Longmire: 57 miles/4400’ climb-8000’ descent (Google maps)

Old Trek 5500 on Kikr Snap trainer

Training is paramount. For general fitness and leg strength, I am upping my bike game this year, utilizing a bike trainer. This allows me to target specific thresholds and allows for consistent training. If I’m traveling and unable to bike, I will run. As spring approaches I will concentrate on trail running, hitting the excellent local training ground of the Tiger Mountain complex. I have a background in running, mountaineering, ultrarunning, off trail travel and scrambling. I am very comfortable in the outdoors and this experience means I can pack appropriately. Most of my prior Wonderland hikes have been in 3 days, or shorter in sections. Last year I was comfortably able to cover the 30 plus miles and over 8000’ elevation days, usually turning in about 17 hours per day on trail. This leaves plenty of lounging time during the day.

Borah Gear bivy on the Colonnade, Mt. Rainier National Park

The Gear I’ve been “ultralighting” for quite some time, since the early 90’s. I constantly seek out improvements in gear that will make my outdoors sojourns more comfortable and/or safer (gotta love that InReach). My plans this year will not involve camping on the shorter Eastern section, and maybe one night on the Western section, probably utilizing Mowich Lake. Therefore I don’t need to get embroiled in the permit process, unless I do a walkup like last year. This also means that I can time my hikes for periods of good weather, as I have been doing for over 35 years. However, I always carry shelter and a sleep system, so this year I will probably use:

Shelter: Custom Borah Gear bivy (WPB): 9.1 ozs

Sleep: Timmermade Alpha Direct “overbag” (sized down): 8 ozs

Pack: Orange Mud 20L Adventure Pack: 22 ozs MAYBE I have been using a smaller Orange Mud pack of the same design for trail running and biking. The Adventure Pack is quite a bit heavier than my other options (the lightest being a zpacks DCF at 4.7 ozs) but the Adventure Pack is made for running, and I plan on these hikes to involve a bit more trotting than in the past. The higher riding pack with no hip belt will also fit well with the bike segments. I will have 2 bottles available in the shoulder holsters and a container of Tailwind plus gear, and this pack keeps everything centered high with little to no bounce. This will probably be a last minute decision, as I can always use my Zimmerbuilt (14 ozs) that I used last year. Decisions decisions.

Pad: MLD 1/4” Goodnight EVA foam pad: 6.6 ozs (or less if I cut to 3/4 length)

I really hate fussing with a bunch of individual items, so the system above is intended to be “throw down.” I will leave the pad and bag inside the bivy and just roll it up. If it doesn’t fit inside my pack I will strap it to the bottom. My system last year was fine, but extracting each item from its individual stuff sack (and keeping tabs on them) and blowing up the pad was still a PITA after a 17 hour day, along with doing this in the dark. My plan this year is unroll and get in. Although I have enjoyed the cush of blow up pads for a few years now, I always did OK with minimal padding in the past….and just a few years ago I had no pad, I just rolled out on some soft duff. I will probably cut the foam down to 3/4 size as I always put my pack under my feet/legs.

Even with the relatively heavy Adventure Pack, my “big 4” still come in under 3 lbs. This leaves plenty of room for food and clothing. I am making a few changes on clothing this year, namely my pants will be Beyond Clothing Avid Ultralight pant (oh so comfy but still with zippered pockets and no belt needed). For quite some time I’ve been using the ever popular OR Echo hooded shirt (I must be careful about sun exposure), but have found what I believe to be a better alternative: the Ketl No Fry sun hoodie. It fits better, has the front snaps for some ventilation, and has a higher UPF rating of 30. I am awaiting my Timmermade products, the above mentioned Alpha Direct overbag and an Alpha Direct 4004 Hoodie (hopefully not beyond the 14 week lead time). The Hoodie will be paired with an EE Copperfield wind shirt if needed. I will probably pack my trusty zpacks poncho/groundsheet (5.7 ozs) for rain and other uses.

Cycling: important cross training

Other Items: I use my iPhone 13 as a camera and pack along a shoulder mounted GoPro Hero 9. I may also bring my GoPro Max for 360 if it works out. Plus throw in the usual doodads like sunscreen, toothbrush, minimal foot kit and first aid, hat, gloves, sunglasses….sorry Redditors, I don’t weigh eveything out and post it on lighterpack, as I know that all my stuff, including clothing, food and 1 liter of water will not exceed 12 pounds, which I find unnoticeable. That has always been my guage.

My methods and gear list is obviously not for someone doing an 8-14 day hike of the Wonderland. Plus I know that, philosophically, many don’t understand fastpacking. But it’s what I do; I revel in being on my feet all day and into the night, carrying an unnoticeable load and spending practically no time in “camp.” I take breaks in fantastic places or just sit in the woods listening to owls hoot. I give thanks that I am able to pull off these longish days as I approach 70. I also spend a lot of time in Mt. Rainier National Park during the year; skiing, biking, hiking and peak bagging, so I’m not limited to enjoying the park only on a Wonderland hike.

Disclaimer: I have no professional affiliations with any of the products listed above and receive no benefit if the reader clicks on the links, which are provided only as a courtesy.

Mt. Rainier Grand Tour: Part 3 (North)

The first snows of the season hit some upper reaches recently, making me realize the time may be drawing short for finishing up the Grand Tour. With a few days of pristine weather prior to the end of my vacation, I finished the north section in one push of 33 miles and 10,600 feet of elevation gain and loss. After hiking for nearly a week in so so weather (Alpine Lakes), this day, Wednesday September 9th, proved to be one of the most incredible and satisfying days I have spent in the mountains. If I had one word to describe this experience it would be Glorious. Grand Tour Part 3 photo set here.

The points I chose for this part of the park continue to be representative of in-your-face glacier views, solitude from crowds, strenuous but not technical off trail travel and fabulous 360 degree vistas. The order and days traveled are irrelevant, but here are the points that I hit:

Mt. Ruth (8690') and slightly beyond (8750')

Third Burroughs Mountain (7828')

Skyscraper Mountain (7078')

Curtis Ridge (7000-8000')

next objective Third Burroughs in sight

For my long day I chose to start at the White River campground and proceed up the Glacier Basin trail to Glacier Basin. From there I easily crossed the Inter Fork of the White River by rock hopping and proceeded to scale the ridge further right, skirting some cliff bands but attaining the ridge higher than the usual climbers trail, which I used for the descent. Some fresh snow deposits on Ruth were easily negotiated in my trail runners and I enjoyed solitude on this summit with 360 degree views, spying many points (such as Goat Island Mountain, Banshee etc) that are also on the Tour. The Emmons Glacier is so massive that no camera can capture its immensity, nor can panos do the view justice in any direction. This is truly a place that needs your eyeballs for it to sink in. I finally tore myself away from the summit to proceed up the spine towards Steamboat Prow but was met by a rocky barrier barring access to the rest of the ridge. It seems the other times I have been up here I came via the Inter Glacier so perhaps hadn't noted this. I descended at this point a bit to see if I could scramble around but quickly decided that I should bag it and head back. It is still worth it to hike the spine this short ways to look back on the dramatic side of Mt. Ruth and stand approximately 60 feet higher than the Ruth summit. From here on it was downhill mode and I quickly found myself back at Glacier Basin and ready for the next ascent to Third Burroughs. This is all on trail and the view from Third Burroughs allows you to glimpse the other spine of Steamboat Prow and gaze upon the equally impressive Winthrop Glacier. I looked towards my next objective, Skyscraper Mountain, and scoped a cross country route that would take me there. This off trail section went without much difficulty and once I attained the open ridge it was an easy walk to intersect the Wonderland Trail at Skyscraper Pass and follow the obvious tread to Skyscraper Mountain. Once again I had the summit to myself and enjoyed equally impressive 360 degree views, spying more points on the Tour. From this point I joined the Wonderland Trail with the aim of making Mystic Lake before nightfall. The only glitch in my plan was a socked in Curtis Ridge, where I have been many times before, and I decided to skip foggy nighttime cross country travel here with questionable returns. I was carrying everything I needed with the plan of attaining Curtis Ridge and snoozing until sunrise for photo ops, then hiking out to be done before noon, but I decided to skip right to the return to reacquaint myself with endurance hiking and star gazing. It made for a long day but extremely satisfying being able to pull off this hike in this age 60 celebratory year.

Mt. Ruth from higher up on the ridge leading to Steamboat Prow

Mt. Ruth (center) on climb to First Burroughs Mountain

Whether I can finish the last part of the Tour (South) before winter sets in is up to the vagaries of weather and schedule. Once complete I will publish more particulars and possible ways to connect these hikes for the intrepid backpacker who wants to experience this park in ways far beyond the Wonderland. Stay tuned.