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If You Go
Updated Monday, August 21, 2000
More information about completing the hike
Background, Related Info:
By Terry Wood
Special to The Seattle Times
How long is the trail?
Guidebook estimates range from 92.5 to 95.2
miles. I used the 95-mile figure found in Ira Spring and Harvey Manning's
``50 Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park'' (The Mountaineers). The
Earthwalk Map trail profile indicates 94 miles. Park literature regularly
refers to 93 miles. So apparently no one knows the precise mileage.
How much time do you need to cover the entire trail?
It depends on your
conditioning and your objectives. Being my first time around, I planned a
leisurely trip, 13 days, to accommodate side trips or bad-weather layover
days. Nine-day trips seem popular. I would suggest at least 10. Trail
runners can travel the distance in three or four days. The trail even has a
published speed record: 27 hours and 56 minutes, set in 1991; a couple of
rangers told me they are convinced a new record has since been set.
Where should you start?
Most guidebooks launch you from Longmire. Along
with Sunrise, parking and security are best here. A good option: consider
starting at Mowich Lake in the park's northwest corner. That assures you of
two encounters with civilization (piped water, snack bars) along the way.
Longmire and Sunrise are also the trail's handiest resupply points.
Which way should you go?
Either direction has its rewards and
drawbacks. Traveling counter-clockwise, as I did, kept the mountain in front
of me as I approached Indian Bar on the east side, and when I labored my way up
to dazzling Emerald Ridge on the west. Yet, that set me up for some stiff
west-side climbs, particularly the ascents to Klapatche Park and Ipsut Pass.
So, it's a toss up. Either option has its advantages. My 1999 trail pal Tim
Hillbrick has walked the Wonderland Trail four times, three times clockwise and, in 1999,
counter-clockwise. Tim says he prefers the counter-clockwise route and will travel in that direction on his 2000 trip.
When should you travel?
It depends on the preceding winter. The long-lingering snows of the 1998-99 La Nina winter made travel impractical for mainstream hikers until late August in 1999, but some ice axe-equipped travelers completed the loop this year in mid-July. Ordinarily, wildflowers peak in late July and early August, but snow and insects can be troublesome at those
times. Late August offers potentially warm weather and fairly long days -
but crowds, too. September can be superb, offering fewer people, fewer bugs,
less snow and more berries. Days are shorter then, however, and an early winter could take you by surprise. All factors considered, though, a hike planned for early to mid-September could be a
real winner.
Where should you camp?
You are required to spend nights in one of 18
designated trail camps scattered along the trail, or hike off the trail by
at least a quarter-mile into approved cross-country zones. Trail camps are
handy, equipped with pit toilets (in 13 days, I never dug a cathole) and
"bear poles" for hanging food high off the ground. Several poles are
probably not high enough to deter a determined black bear, yet they're all
tall enough to keep food safe from marauding rodents. My favorite camps:
Indian Bar and Klapatche Park; you'll rarely find a better view from
a pit toilet than at Indian Bar.
Can you reserve campsites?
Yes. Rainier deserves applause for
eliminating its fees for standard backcountry permits. Instead, it stings
hikers $20 for supplying advance trail camp reservations, available up to
two months prior to your departure date. That's palatable; at least you are
receiving a tangible benefit for your investment. One itinerary modification
is permitted prior to your departure. Free walk-up reservations can be made
in person up to 48 hours before your departure date. For more information, call: 360-569-HIKE.
Can you buy a shower along the way?
Only by detouring off the trail at
Narada Falls and hiking steeply about two miles to Paradise. Before 6 p.m.
each summer day, the Jackson Visitor Center's gift shop rents towels and can
direct you to shower stalls where five minutes of water costs four quarters.
The only overnight accommodations close to the trail can be reserved at the
National Park Inn at Longmire (single: $71 per night). The Paradise Inn also
rents rooms ($72 for a single). Book your rooms early. Note: From Narada
Falls, it's a little hard to find the path leading to Paradise after you
climb to the top of the Narada Falls walkway. Here's a hint: With the
parking lot to your left, look for the trail to Paradise to the right side
of the falls' vintage, knotty-pine restrooms.
Which is the Wonderland Trail's official route in the park's northwest corner - Ipsut Pass
or Spray Park?
Backcountry ranger JoAnne Germano believes the original
Wonderland Trail followed the picturesque Spray Park-Cataract Valley route
since it was closer to the mountain. At some point it was switched to the
Ipsut Pass route only because it melted out sooner and allowed people to
complete the "official" loop earlier in the year. Both routes, between
Mowich Lake and the Carbon River trail camp, measure almost the same, nearly
8.5 miles each. Spray Park is more scenic, yet involves more elevation
gain.
Is the trail complete?
Surprisingly, no. The trail still has a gap, a
1.5-mile section east of White River Campground. Hikers are required to walk
a paved, shoulderless section of Sunrise Road. Work on a gap-closing trail is in progress this summer could be complete before the first snow falls. The finished route will stay south of
the White River, take hikers across the river via a log footbridge, enter
the White River Campground, then connect with the existing trail near the
Patrol Cabin Museum and Wonderland Trail Exhibit (opened last year). One
additional gap will probably forever exist: A few hundred feet of pavement
walking found near the marshy east end of Reflection Lake.
How difficult is the trail?
The Wonderland Trail is a well-maintained footpath, but its
elevation profile looks like a wave pattern on an oscilloscope. Up, down,
up, down, up, down, up, up, up - a cumulative elevation gain of more than
20,000 feet. The incessant elevation changes can be disheartening, and any
multi-day stretch of bad weather will make things worse. If you're an early-season hiker, expect trail damage in random places. Fast-growing brush is a perpetual problem in Stevens Canyon, near the South Puyallup River and below Ipsut Pass. You must be in
decent physical condition to comfortably complete this trail, and a
resilient mental outlook during adverse situations will serve you well.
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