In early July 2004, Jim Slade contacted me with the offer of a grand adventure with no desperate climbing involved: He suggested we hike the Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile circuit around the base of Mount Rainier. The Rainier National Park map of the area recommends 10 to 14 days to complete the circuit, but Jim thought we could handle the task in less than 10. I guessed it would depend on snow conditions, particularly negotiating the numerous moraine gully walls. The map indicated we could re-supply at two points around the circuit, translating into 3 to 4 days maximum carry of food and fuel. Quoting from the back of my Rainier map, it states that "the Wonderland Trail encircles the mountain, passing through deep forests and crossing mountain passes, alpine meadows and glacial streams. Maximum elevation is 6,800' at Panhandle Gap; lowest elevation is 2,400' at Isput Creek. Because the trail crosses many ridges and valleys, daily elevation gain changes of over 3,500' are common. There are 17 trailside camps and three campground options located at 2 to 8 miles apart, providing a good day's hike for most backpackers given the terrain. Camps are mostly in forested areas to mitigate damage to meadows. The Wonderland Trail was built in the early 1900's”.

That's the official story. In reality, it's an extremely tough assignment to complete the circuit in less than 10 days, as we did; pushing on each day without layovers, averaging 10 miles daily and recording elevation gains on some sections of 4,500'. And we wondered how successful was the average hiker who sets out to complete the Trail in one trip. Jim Slade and I met a number of small groups during the first few days of our journey; moving counter-clockwise against our clockwise progress. We expected to pass them again on the other side, but nary a sign, with the exception of one hardy couple from Minnesota and a small party of US Army Rangers. We suspected the success rate was quite low with many folks electing to do the Trail over a period of years, breaking it down into quarters or thirds.

The forest camps are no fun; buried in big trees and alive with mosquitoes. I would far rather have camped on the high alpine meadows, but that's not permitted and anyway there's very few flat spots along the trail. It's all ravines, steep ridges, glacial streams in flood with moving boulders sounding like thunder beneath the raging water ... and rickety bridges that frequently get washed away. The weather wasn’t brilliant, but we kept reminding ourselves that this was the Pacific Northwest and not California. We experienced little rain, but sadly the mountain stayed hidden under layers of cloud for most of the trip. I lost ten pounds during the trip which tells me that our daily calorie burn was in the 4500 - 5000 range, because our fixed daily intake was no more than 2000 calories, limited by pack weight and re-supply arrangements.

It lacks the vistas and great weather of the John Muir Trail, but the Wonderland is a unique and demanding long distance hike ... and much closer to home. Lucy and I plan on trying it again next year, in September, when people and mosquitoes have left the area.

Peter Tremayne. Vancouver, WA July 2004