Wonderland Short: 2015
For every action there is an equal and opposite…..2011 was a huge snow year. 2015 was not, with Paradise measuring its lowest annual snowfall on record; 266 inches. On February 18th I was able to park at the Crystal Mountain turnoff, bike up the closed Mather Memorial Parkway (highway 410) and into the park, finally dismounting the steed a mere 1/2 mile from the Fryingpan Creek trailhead. From there I hiked an incredibly snow sparse Wonderland trail to Summerland. There was snow there, but consolidated enough for me to practically run back with no postholing, utilizing the winter route which bypasses the switchbacks below Summerland. Summerland camp had dirt showing around trees. But wait, there’s more! I hiked the west 57 miles of the Wonderland (Longmire to Sunrise CW) over June 9th and 10th. The Mowich Lake road wasn’t even open, and no maintenance had been done a’tall. To cross the bridgeless Mowich Rivers I found downed logs and stayed feet dry. There were a few problem areas, like a washout of the trail after crossing Winthrop Creek and I had to bypass Skyscraper Pass which did have snow with steep slopes. I was in the dark from Mystic Lake on but incredibly Sunrise Park road was open so was picked up by a friend late that night. A memorable year indeed!