Wonderland Trail on Mt. Rainier - August 2010

Mt. Rainier peaks through the trees at Longmire.

This majestic mountain is nearly 3 miles high. It is the tallest and most significant snow-clad volcano in the United States. It has one of the largest glacial systems radiating from a single peak anywhere in the world.

We checked in at the National Park Service at Longmire to get our backcounty permit and get updates on the trail. They tell us there have been numerous bear sightings on the west side.

Then headed for the Wonderland Trail. It is 92.2 miles encircling magnificant Mt. Rainier and is one of America's finest wilderness pathways. It takes 10 to 14 days to hike the entire trail. Our plan was to hike 5 days of the trail from Longmire to Lake Mowich.

We are starting out to discover the wonders of this mountain.
"It is a tough trail!"
The tremendous elevation gains and loses of Wonderland Trail are a surprise to many hikers. Climbing and descending over 3,500 feet a day is not unusual. More than once we concluded that the only flat spots are the "parks" on the ridge-tops and the riverbeds at the bottom. It is for this reason the campsites are preselected. They are few and far between. Our first stop was Devils Dream - 6 miles, next night Klapatche - 10.2 miles, next night Golden Lakes - 7.7 miles, and last night Mowich Lake - 10 miles.

Elevation at Longmire is 2761 ft.

Olivia giving Daddy a good-by kiss!

A park ranger has been quoted "there's no summer up here, only ten months of winter and two of late fall." While we hiked we had highs in the 70's and lows in the 30's while back in Snoqualmie they had 4 days of 95! Any kind of weather can be encountered on Mt. Rainier at any time.

Purifing water.

The hike from Devils Dream to Klapatche Park was a "big" day. Two big climbs, two big decents, and some really spectacular scenery!! Elevation gain: 3786', Loss: 3386'

This narrow suspension bridge is 100' high, 253' long and swinging! It crosses the Tahoma Creek.

"It is not a bridge for the faint hearted!"

This area shows the destruction by a 1928 wildfire. 60+ years later, the tragedy of the major burn continues to be seen first hand as the trail passes through the still charred remains of a once majestic and dense old-growth forest. Miles of silver snags amidst the fresh new sub-alpine forest are grim reminders of what one small spark can do. No campfires are allowed on the trail.

We drank water, water and more water! We purified water at every stream.

The wild flowers were phenomenal!

The "rock flour" from the glacier causes the water to be white.

Old growth Douglas Fir

(see trail in foreground)

The trail is a great equalizer. Our trail companions came from all walks of life. But we all shared the same hardships, weather, tough trail, bugs, sweat and toil, and the kinship and mutal respect that comes from participating in this special adventure.
Eleven year old Josefina and her father Peter will always be remembered!

Sunset on the trail!

Mt. Rainier reflecting in the lake at sunset.

One can't describe this breathtaking, panoramic view of the glacier water running down the mountain. The many glaciers radiating off the mountain have carved deep valleys separated by high ridges. The Wonderland travels up and down these ridges, crossing the rivers and valley floors at the bottom, before going up and over the next ridge, to repeat the process again and again.

The trail was narrow with very few markings. A good topographical map is essential for this hike.

There are other beautiful places but Mt. Rainier is special! Photos can't adequately capture the raw beauty, nor can words convey the sense of peace and contentment of just being there.

Studying the much used map!

Campsite at Mowich Lake was back to civilization! The other campsites were not this elaborate.

Mowich Lake

Bonny & Olivia picked us up at the Mowich Lake Campgrounds. We needed a shave and some "not freeze dried food". We saw NO bears!

This mountain has you by the heart!

Thank you Mt. Rainier for a wonderful 5 days!!

Jim & Jason

Olivia and Jason visit Snoqualmie - August 2010

Charlie welcomed Olivia to Snoqualmie!

We drove Daddy and Bestefar to Longmire on Mt. Rainier for their 5 day hike.

Besta and Olivia stopped to see Mt. Rainier and walk on the trail. Olivia was really hoping to touch the snow but we didn't go high enough for that.

Back at home Olivia drew pictures for me.......

And she spent many hours playing at the little "red" table that I played on when I was a kid! My Bestefar built it for me! My kids played on it, then it turned white and went to college as a TV table, fish aquarium table etc. Now our grandkids enjoy it! Fun!

It was 95 degrees for 4 days....but then it cooled down and we spent the day at Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA, a short drive form Snoqualmie.

They sell all kinds of fruits and veggies, crafts, toys and souvenirs here.
The truck was inside the store!

We took a ride on the train with a steam engine that went through a dark tunnel

There was a fire engine, school bus, and many tractors to explore.

Olivia loved it!

Then we went on to the hay maze and trampoline.

This was our favorite spot!

It was a great photo stop too!

Olivia jumped into the hay and made "hay angels!"

She threw hay into the air!

And climbed on the wall and jumped into the hay!

She crawled into the hay maze! And found her way back out!

Olivia went on every ride. When we got off of the roller coaster she said, "Besta, I want to go again but this time I want to go by myself!"

This was her first experience with an amusement park and had no fear!

Next Olivia had a pony ride on Blackberry. He was just her size.

She got off all by herself!

This farm was so geared to 4 year olds and it was a very special day for both Olivia and I!!

Thank you Remlinger Farms!!

On August 19th we drove to Mowich Lake on Mt. Rainier to pick up Bestefar and Jason!

What a beautiful lake! The pictures do not do it justice. It was breathtaking!

There were trails all around the lake to hike on. Olivia told Jason, "I just LOVE it here!"

We watched the clouds come and go. They were awesome!

The aqua glacial water was so clear we could see the bottom of the lake.

Olivia said, "I missed my Daddy!"

The wild flowers were so pretty and smelled so good!

Happy Birthday to Besta!

We were happy to find the hikers and all be back together again!

Good bye Mt. Rainier! Olivia said, "I love that mountain!"

When we got back to Snoqualmie Olivia had fun playing with all of Besta's Beanie Babies. Here they are having a candlelight dinner on the little table and chairs that Bestefar built for Olivia.

Next we went to North Bend and picked blueberries! They were right next to Mt. Si.

When Olivia tasted her first blueberry she said, "Oh, these are soooo good!"

What a fun treat! I think she got more in her mouth than in her pail! ( :

These blueberries are raised with no fertilizer and no water. All natural.

Amazing!

They are scrumptious!

What a picture! Yum!

Snoqualmie Falls was our next stop!

They were rushing, rumbling, tumbling for August!!

Next we walked the tracks to the Snoqualmie Railroad Museum.

We took a ride on the old train!

Then we had a hot dog at Snoqualmie Days and ate by the river before walking back to the car.

Right next to the car were many bushes with wild blackberries.

Besta picked several handfuls for Olivia to eat. She said they were even better than the blueberries! Our lucky day!

On our way home we stopped at the golf course for a picture. Too bad it wasn't one week later and Jason could have been here for the Boeing Classic Golf Tournament! He would love it!

The park is close to our house and we went at least once a day. Olivia would have been happy to campout there. She spent so much time on the monkey bars that she got a blister on her hand.

Olivia mastered pumping "really high!"

But the sad time came that we had to head to SeaTac Airport.
It was a wonderful week for us.

We miss you Jason & Olivia!

Thank you for coming to WA!

Love, Besta and Bestefar