Wonderland Trail 2009 Journal

Day One:

September 16th, 2009
12 Down, 87 To Go

I left Paradise at 8:30am after a hearty breakfast and blessings of good luck from friends and coworkers. On the way to Longmire, I met folks also on the Wonderland. One gentleman was finishing up the trail that afternoon, filling me with the idea that I could do it too just as he had. When asked about wildlife, he told me it's not a question of "If I'd see a bear, but rather WHEN," adding to my excitement in my endeavor. Got to Longmire around 11:15am. Met up with Hillary as I promised I'd drop by before I set off. She bought me a tarp and this journal. Had my lunch and left Longmire around noontime for the Devil's Dream Camp, my first campsite on the trail. The hike was more difficult than I thought. Having a forty-five pound pack on one's back as opposed to a day bag would do it, I imagine. On the way, it rained a little. I started to think about people who come to the park and call themselves "Nature Lovers" and how a lot of them stay inside during the rainy times. I think a true "Nature Lover" would go out regardless and enjoy the outdoors, be it the bright colors of the flowers in a meadow dancing against a clear blue sky or the smell of fresh rain that mingles with the tall pine. Got to Devil's Dream Camp at around 4:15pm. Along the way, I met some more folks along the Wonderland Trail, each taking a unique itinerary. Some plans were longer and some were shorter. It just goes to show that all people, no matter who they are or what they're doing, head to the same place in the end. My friend Andrew showed up at the camp site about an hour or so after I'd arrived. Company is always welcome on a solo hike for a morale boost, especially when I wasn't going to see a familiar face for a few days, at least until I got to Mowich Lake.

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Day Two:

September 17th, 2009
24.6 Down, 74.4 To Go

Much harder day than yesterday. Started hiking with Andrew at 8:20am. He followed me to the South Tahoma River Bridge where we parted ways at 10:15am. The hike was strenuous, with pleas of retirement, but I pressed on. Had lunch on top of Emerald Ridge. Saw a bear near Klapatche Park, but it ran away after a few seconds. Thought about how aesthetically similar a drop of water on a dry surface evaporates and how bees react when exposed to freezing temperatures. Bees huddle together to protect and preserve body heat for the queen in the center with drones on the outer layers of the circle freezing to death and dropping off, shrinking the circle, as does the drop of water on the dry surface, giving credence, perhaps, that water, along with all things in nature, is a living organism? Got to North Puyallup Camp at 6:15pm. The tent and some of my gear are still wet from last night. I need to get these dried out as soon as possible, else I risk water damage. Also worried about my camera's wonky behavior with batteries. More pressing, however, is my iodine supply. Half of my supply is missing from my pack, however I should have enough to get me to White River. Feeling cold, but satisfied I made it this far. Feeling sore. Hoping I'll "fly" either tomorrow or the day after. Missing Julia. The tent's a little empty without her. Hope she liked the roses. Also observed today that my career choice depends on my mood. A good mood brings about ideas of being a National Park Ranger or a Teacher. Depression brings about indifference. Something to mull over. Thought about the Coast Guard. That one goes either way, as either a step to better things or just something to do. Not feeling so arbitrary for another seasonal job. I would love to go back to school, serve my country somehow, and find a career. However, a lot of folks are saying that I have all the time in the world to find my niche.

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Day Three:

September 18th, 2009
35.6 Down, 63.4 To Go

Officially one-third of the way around the mountain! It was a very short day today. Left North Puyallup River Camp at 8am and arrived at the South Mowich River Camp at around 2pm. I think my body's finally acclimating to the trail. Feeling a little hard pressed to continue the extra four miles to Mowich Lake to meet Natalie and get my Cache early. Deciding to settle here for the night as I'm feeling a little sick. Ate a bad blueberry, perhaps? Interesting how simple or easy something is, there's always an inherent challenge. Such is life, after all. I had lunch at Golden Lakes, the west side's answer to the Three Lakes on the east side at Ohanapecosh. Saw a family of deer on the trail today. The South Mowich River's shelter is the Wonderland's Independence Rock, with a facebook of names of passed travellers throughout the years. It's an honor to be a part of the Trail's fabled history of adventurers. Really happy to be here right now.

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Day Four:

September 19th, 2009
48.7 Down, 50.3 to Go

Rained this morning. The wooden shelter has a leaky roof near the walls, but I slept near the center so I stayed dry for the most part. Lot of gear got wet, but what I kept in plastic bags stayed dry (thank you Steven for the tip). Camera's nearly ruined. It will not turn on anymore. Ah well, since when did you need a camera to enjoy a hike? Met Natalie at Mowich Lake and got my Cache. Great to see a familiar face. Also enjoyed a blueberry pancake that some folks were making in their Westfalia. After Natalie left, I walked around the lake and took photos. Moments later, my camera would act up. I did the Tolmie's Peak Fire Lookout. Now I've visited all four of the fire lookouts here at Mt. Rainier. However, the hike was a lot tougher than I thought. Extra weight of the Cache, maybe? Ipsut Pass is one of those places that reminded me of Machu Piccu, with the rolling green hills and stony cliffs. As such, I was nearly hit by a falling rock on my way into the valley. I made it to Ipsut Camp and found I had Scouts for neighbors, making me evaluate if I've been worthy of "Eagle" as of late. They seem friendly though. Weather forecast calls for nice weather for the rest of the trip, but I think I hear thunder so I got my rainfly up. My poncho is destroyed. Boots are getting holes. Sleeping bag had a broken zipper, but I did fix that. Ipsut is a graveyard for campgrounds. A lot of them were destroyed in the flood twenty years ago. The Ranger's Station had a tree uproot and fall through it, destroying half of the structure. The park was talking about reopening the camp recently with different options on how to deal with the river and its occasional flooding. Nearly halfway through the trek. Had Macaroni and Cheese to celebrate, breaking the routine of Ramen Noodles for dinner. Feet hurt, back and shoulders sore, but great otherwise. Fifteen miles until I'm in familiar territory.

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Day Five:

September 20th, 2009
56.7 Down, 42.3 To Go

Started hiking at a little passed 9am, giving my stuff time to dry. It didn't rain, but the condensation in my tent from the rainfly got a lot of my stuff wet. Really wish my camera was working, because today had some of the most beautiful scenery yet. I saw the mighty Carbon Glacier and its destructive river. Rainier need not erupt to be devastating as it knocked out a part of the Wonderland Trail with recent flooding, so I was forced onto a detour. However, the detour was welcome as it followed near the Yellowstone Cliffs and its awesome sights. Ate lunch at Carbon Glacier and pondered my little Odyssey. In the past 200 years, people my age have panned for gold, fought in world wars, cured diseases, and landed on the moon. I want do to something great with my life, but for now, this is me landing on the moon. I'm sure there will be others, tougher as life goes on, but for now, this will do nicely and the view is terrific. Winston Churchill said to do something interesting while in your twenties. Would this count? Yet, some call the Wonderland the adventure of a lifetime. To them, I say "Go live life more." This is literally just a walk in the park. As I got closer to Mystic Lake, I reached a prairie which I call "Marmot Country" due to the high number of these majestic ground squirrels. Looking to the east, I saw Skyscraper Peak and the Burroughs, trails that Julia and I conquered two months ago. I walked around Mystic Lake and can officially call it the most beautiful lake in the park. The ranger's station has a great view of the mountain. Arrived at the campsite a little before 4pm. Slow day, but not hard. This is the benchmark for the last day. Happy the sleeping bag is fixed because I heard Mystic Camp get cold. Maybe I'll wake up to frost as another party I met had. Officially halfway through. Smelling very bad, but feeling good.

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Day Six:

September 21st, 2009
68.4 Down, 30.6 To Go

Very cold night, but no frost. Left Mystic at around 8am and headed towards Granite Creek. On my way, I saw Mt. Baker for the first time, which made me happy. Met a dude named Kyle who's doing the trail in four days, which blew my mind, until he told me of the guy who did it in twenty hours. Would see Kyle later at camp with a bad knee. Offered him my Ibuprofen. Had lunch at Frozen Lake. Finished the first bag of gorp, making me rethink what I'll pick up when I get my next cache. Talked to a lot of folks today doing day hikes in Sunrise. Some were amazed at what I'd accomplished so far and offered congratulatory praises. I'm not finished on the trail yet. Met a guy with a topographical map and I essentially saw what I'll face in the last stretch of the trail. Tomorrow promises to be difficult, but it looks like nothing I haven't already done this summer. Met up with Natalie, Sean, and Branigan and got my cache at White River about 3:30pm. I changed my clothes. The new socks feel heavenly. We talked, joked, and had a beer. After forty-five minutes, they were on their way. I tried a freeze-dried camping meals. Not bad, but a tad overrated. Chili and Pasta tasted like Chili and soggy crackers. Met up with Kyle and we chatted about hiking and adventure. White River is nice. There's a campsite for Wonderlanders, away from the RVers. We all have access to the running water and flush toilets. One could get spoiled on this after nearly a week of pit toilets and iodine pills. The camera works again! Just in time for Indian Bar. Also celebrating that I'm officially two-thirds of the way through. I've found reasons to celebrate every night, no matter how pointless they seem. Like the day has its trials, there are also reasons to be happy. People should celebrate their lives more as there can be so much happiness to be found in their day to day lives.

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Day Seven:

September 22nd, 2009
79.6 Down, 19.4 To Go

Left White River a little before 8am. Enjoyed the returned use of my camera. The first leg of the trek, between White River and Summerland, went by quickly. 6.7 miles in a little under four hours. Had lunch at the Summerland's stone shelter and took in the vista. The latter part of the day was tough, very steep and rocky. When I got over Panhandle Ridge, I was greeted by a lovely valley and Mt. Adams. It's comforting to see familiar places. Got to camp a little before 4pm. Even though it was downhill from the gap, it was still steep. Indian Bar is a beautiful valley nestling a tiny cabin, which has been called the "Hilton of the Wonderland" due to its four walls and built-in bunk beds. If Indian Bar is the Hilton, I'd wager that South Mowich River's shelter is the Travelodge and Summerland is the Super 8. The grand vistas and the rustic nature make this a popular spot on the Wonderland. The site I put my tent has a nice view. I've officially been on Wonderland for a week now. Has it been that long already? The day after tomorrow, I'll be back at Paradise. I'm amazed I've gone this far as I've never hiked or camped like this in my life. It's almost over. I can do it!!! While Indian Bar is amazing and lives up to its reputation, I think Mystic Lake give it a run for its money. Indian Bar doesn't disappoint, like folks suggest, but I think it's better to let life surprise you.

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Day Eight:

September 23rd, 2009
99 Down, 0 To Go

Finished!!! I left Indian Bar a little before 8am and caught glimpses of the Tatoosh Range within an hour. I began to ponder just how far away from home I really am. More to the point, I wondered if I could make it to Paradise tonight instead of spending the night at Maple Creek, the last site on my itinerary. I told myself if I could make it to the Ollalie Trailhead by 11am, Nickel Creek Campsite by noon, Box Canyon by 1pm, and Maple Creek by 2pm, that would give me five and a half hours of daylight to finish the final nine miles. Well, I got to Ollalie at around 10:30am, Nickel Creek at 11:15am, and Box Canyon at 11:45am. I had my lunch at the Canyon and reorganized some of my gear for lighter and easier travel. At 11:55am, a bus rolled in from Seattle and my friends Cathy and Charina were on it. Again, I was happy to see familiar faces and we talked about the events of the past week. I'd told them I was contemplating finishing my trek a day early. To which, they asked what time they should expect me. I replied I expected to be there at around 8:30 or 9pm at the latest, assuming the worst case scenario of going one mile per hour due to extreme fatigue of hiking an extra nine miles. To which, they replied "Okay, see you tonight." They left on the bus at around 12:05pm. At this point, coming home tonight was almost an obligation, but I missed seeing everyone so I didn't mind so much. I started hiking soon after the bus took off. I arrived at Maple Creek at 1:15pm. With nearly an extra hour of daylight, I was all the more anxious. The Steven's Canyon leg of the Wonderland wasn't hard so much as it felt extremely long, and the fatigue didn't help alleviate conditions. I found myself singing Flogging Molly near Lake Louise to help pass time. Part of me wishes I'd stayed at Maple Creek as my fatigue prevented me from enjoying the Canyon as much as I'd wanted. I still enjoyed the Fall Colors, but some of the majesty and ambiance was robbed. I reached the familiar sights of Reflection Lakes and Narada Falls, the latter of which was the official start of the Wonderland. I had completed the loop. Words cannot express the joy that was shooting through my body. I walked to the edge of the lookout and thanked God for the trip, for the lessons I'd learned, and for the overall experience. It was 5:30pm and I had less than two miles to go. The final leg was long, ending at 6:15pm at the Paradise Inn. I went into the EDR and surprised everyone. It was great seeing everyone again. I had dinner and told stories of my trip. The one of the bear was a popular one. In nature, there are no conquerors, only survivors. I definitely felt stronger and wiser from the experience. I'd landed on the moon and returned to tell the tale. Currently looking for the next moon to land on. The next opportunity to become wiser and grow as a human being. Whatever may come, I hope to challenge it with my head held high, leaving only boot prints and a brighter disposition.