30 June - 4 July 2008
Pictures from the Trip!
I left Seattle uncertain of exactly where I would go and what I would do, as there is an unusual amount of snow this late in the season all over the Pacific Northwest. My general plan was to enter the park from the SW side and leave through the NE, seeing what I could see and camping wherever I could, be it frontcountry or backcountry.
The drive in was uneventful, and included a brief stop at the "Little White Church" in Elbe, Washington, which is on the National Historical Site register. It is a tiny church that was built by the town so that they could have their own place of worship; the priest arrived by train and bicycle for the monthly church service.
Upon entering Rainier I stopped at Longmire to talk to the backcountry rangers about the conditions of backcountry sites. They were very helpful, providing lots of information. Unsure as to how crowded the campground would be, I drove 2 miles up the road to it, got a site, and then biked back down to Longmire to explore the trails, check out the museum, and get a backcountry permit for the following night.
The short interpretive trail in the Longmire area goes around the Longmire meadow and through the mineral springs baths that were originally set up in the area by the Longmire family when they ran a resort in the area. The springs were interesting, but I think I'm a bit jaded from Yellowstone. It was nice to get out and walk through the woods, although I had trouble remembering that not much higher up everything was snowcovered.
That night I went to the evening ranger program at the campground. I was very impressed with it; usually I already have a solid background in whatever the ranger is talking about. That particular evening the talk was on the "5 senses... no the other ones," which turned out to be Adventure, Wonder, Honor, Ownership, and Place. He presented well, and I really feel like he got to the heart of what OEE and interpretation is all about. He did a great job of starting with the familiar 5 senses and drawing from there, and overall I was incredibly impressed with the content and the presentation.
I spent most of Tuesday exploring the Paradise area and the main visitor center there. They still officially had 11 feet of snow on the ground, which did put a damper on the wildflower ranger walk I went on, however we did find some wildflowers at the edges of walkways, where the snow had already melted out.
My "major hike" of the day didn't cover much mileage, but I went up about 1,600 feet to 5,800 feet over the course of just over a mile & 1/2, and all of it was on snow. I'd forgotten how much hiking up snow sucks. Thankfully going back down was a lot easier, and a few short sections I was able to glissade down (kind of like skiing, but without skis... basically sliding down on your feet in the snow... the trick is to not fall over!) Upon returning to Paradise I went on another ranger walk - this time focused on the geology of the area. We walked the Nisqually overlook trail, which leads to an overlook where you can see the terminus of the Nisqually glacier. This also gave me a good view of my earlier hike, and verified that I had been looking down at the glacier; it was just covered in snow. Upon my return to Pardise I wandered about the visitor center and then headed off to my first night in the backcountry at Nickel Creek backcountry site.
The hike in to Nickel Creek, while only about a mile, was snowy for the last 1/3, despite the "snow free" map having indicated otherwise. I successfully reached my campsite despite all the snow, however I only knew I was there because I found the pit-toilet. All in all I had a good night - my tent did fine being pitched on snow and my little soda-can stove that I built didn't seem to melt down at all (it was on a thin metal piece), which kind of surprised me. I spent a solid hour working on setting up a bear bag, as trees that shed snow well aren't too conducive to holding up ropes.
Wednesday's highlight was by far the Grove of the Patriarchs, and old-growth area with 1,000 year old trees. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the old, giant trees are. Their presence can be felt throughout the grove of trees.
While I was unsure of the snow conditions I'd find up at my 2nd backcountry camp, at lower Crystal Lake, I was pleasantly surprised to find very little snow, despite the fact that I was up at 5,400 feet (Nickel creek was only at 3,400). I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon exploring the area, however my night was filled with thunderstorms. While I was in quite a safe area, it is hard to sleep amidst massive pyrotechnics going on all around.
Thursday marked the opening day of the road to Sunrise, and I migrated upwards. While I had planned on staying in the frontcountry campsite, there was a question of water quality and no one was sure if it would actually open or not. I opted to get another backcountry permit to spend the night out at Sunrise walk-in site, just over a mile from the Sunrise visitor center. I spent most of my time at and around the visitor center learning about glaciers. I went on yet another ranger walk, as well as a ranger talk on glaciers. The walk was led by someone who spent the winter working in outdoor environmental ed with someone who I used to work with down in California, yet again proving that the world of OEE is a small one.
During the glacier talk I learned a lot of cool things. In particular, there are ice worms that live in the glaciers on Rainier, as well as on glaciers in other mountains in the cascade range, up north through Alaska. They aren't found anywhere else in the world (as far as is known), and they can only survive at 32 degrees Farenheight. Above or below that they die. They regulate their body temperature by moving up and down in the glaciers through the small spaces between the ice crystals. They feed on the bacteria & algae that grow in the glaciers, and will occasionally travel into snow, but will not venture far from the glaciers. Very little is known about how they reproduce or repopulate areas. However, they have repopulated Mt. St. Helens post-eruption and now live in the new glaciers that have formed there. It is suspected that they may travel via birds which frequent both areas and eat the worms. However, due to their specific temperature needs no one knows how this would actually occur.
My last night in Rainier was by far the best. The hike out was quite enjoyable, I managed to find enough snowless ground to pitch my tent, despite the fact that the area was largely covered by snow, I had a relatively easy time setting up my bear bag, and went for a nice post-dinner walk. I also slept like a rock with near-perfect sleeping conditions.
Friday the rest of life called me back to Seattle to prepare for my next trip - 3 weeks in Costa Rica.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Mt. Rainier National Park - Vital Stats
5 day trip to Mt. Rainier National Park
30 June - 4 July 2008
Click on heading to read details.
Monday
30 June
Seattle to Cougar Rock Campground, Mt. Rainier National Park
Park Entrance Fee - $15 (good for 7 days, or "America the Beatuiful Parks pass"
Camping Fee - $15
Drove: 105 miles
Hiked: 3/4 mile - Longmire interpretive trail
Biked: ~4 miles, from Campground, down to Longmire, and back up to the Campground
I got lots of good info from the backcountry ranger station in Longmire, including a backcountry permit to camp at Nickel Creek the following night. There is no charge for backcountry permits, but you must register with the park to spend the night in the backcountry. They had a map of highlighted trails where snow was known to have melted out, which was quite useful.
Cougar Rock Campground is your standard National Park frontcountry campground, including evening ranger programs. However the layout was such that some of the sites were quite far from the bathrooms; I cut through an unused site that was behind mine to shorten my hike.
Tuesday
1 July 2008
Cougar Rock Campground to Nickel Creek backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 21 miles
Hiked: about 5+ miles
Hike in from road to site: Slightly less than a mile, took about 1/2 hour each way due to snow and swampy areas.
Nickel Creek backcountry campsite is along the wonderland trail, about 1 mile from the box canyon parking area, just east of a short tunnel on the road. There are two box canyon parking areas, however the eastern one is directly across from the trailhead. The hike is fairly easy, gaining most of its 400 foot gain early on. About the last 1/3 of the trail was snow covered, and the bridge across Nickel creek (which was about 20 feet wide and running fast) was missing a handrail, which I had been warned about. It was still a fairly easy crossing, but the bridge was only about 2 feet wide. With snowmelt full-on upstream (despite having 2-3 feet of snow on the ground) I had to do some route-finding to get past a very marshy area and up onto dry land. The toilet for the site was easily visible, and my only indication that I was actually there. The bear pole had probably fallen over and was under snow.
I spent most of the day at Paradise, hiking upwards on snow and learning things in ranger programs. I hiked up to near Panorama point, up to around 6800 ft, gaining something like 1,600 feet over just over 1.5 miles. Thankfully going down on the somewhat wet snow was much easier than going up.
Wednesday
2 July 2008
Nickel Creek backcountry site to Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 19.7 miles
Distance from road to campsite: 2.3 or 2.5 miles to lower crystal lake, 3 miles to upper crystal lake. 1 hr 20 minutes to lower crystal lake, about another 15-20 minutes to upper crystal lake (Includes time to stop & check out lower crystal lake campsites.) The hike down took just under an hour.
Hiked: 7+ miles
Lower Crystal Lake campsite is near the NE border of the park on crystal mountain. When chatting with a ranger my first night I was warned that the parking area is one of the few places that they have had theft problems, as it is on the main highway (and by theft problems its been about 2 "smash & go" situations of small valuables over the course of about 5 years.) Hiking up I passed several dayhikers on their way down, as well as two backpackers who were going without a permit, and who didn't seem prepared for how hard the hike would be, possibly due to elevation.
The hike is fairly continually up, with an elevation of 1,900 feet (up to 5,400 feet) over 2.3-2.5 (signs & maps dissagree) to lower crystal lake, and a total of 2,300 feet over about 3 miles to upper crystal lake. The trail was almost completely snow free, which was a nice change from all my snowy hiking earlier in the trip. I went all the way to upper crystal lake, but decided to head back down to lower for more solitude (and thats where my permit was actually for, although I basically was told by the ranger I got it from that it didn't really matter.) I was glad of my choice overnight when massive thunderstorms rolled through, as the sites at lower crystal lake are a bit more protected than the ones at upper crystal lake.
On my way I stopped at the Grove of the Patriarchs, which is a 1.5 miles fairly flat trail that leads to a suspension bridge across the Ohenapacosh river onto a small island with 1,000 year old trees. The grove is amazing and I spent quite a bit of time there.
Ohenapacosh proper, one of the 4 visitor centers in the park (Longmire, Paradise, Ohenapacosh, and Sunrise) was a bit disappointing, as was the small guided trail there. I'm sure if I had just entered the park I would have enjoyed it more. The visitor center is quite small and in the midst of the campground there.
Thursday
3 July 2008
Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site to Sunrise walk-in backcountry site
Camping fee- free, backcountry permit required
Distance to campsite - 1.3 miles, -100 feet of elevation from parking lot. It took me around 30 minutes to go each way, with snow slowing down sections of the trail.
Drove: 26 miles
Hiked: ~5.5 miles
I slept in quite late due to lack of sleep from the massive thunderstorms overnight. I arguably chose either a really good or really bad night to test out a few things in how my tent was set up. I am continually impressed with how well it does in wet weather, even when not set up quite right (It is the Tarptent Contrail). It does MUCH better than the "standard" tents I've slept in under inclement weather, is super light weight, and was relatively inexpensive.
I spent the afternoon wandering about paradise and checking out ranger programs. I learned a lot of cool things about glaciers, including that there are ice worms that live in the glaciers in the cascade range. I got a lot of good info as far as finding my campsite for the night from one of the rangers.
A good portion of the trail out was snow free, and I managed to find a space just big enough to squeeze my tent into that was snow free in one of the campsites. I did the 1.3 mile hike in about a half hour. However, most of the ground in and around the campsite was covered in about 2 feet of snow.
Friday
4 July 2008
Sunrise walk-in backcountry site back to Seattle
Drove: 107 miles
Hiked: 1.3 miles
The hike back and drive back were both uneventful. There is NPR reception from Seattle for the entire drive back, and there are several forest service land campsites just to the north of the park, some of which are free.
30 June - 4 July 2008
Click on heading to read details.
Monday
30 June
Seattle to Cougar Rock Campground, Mt. Rainier National Park
Park Entrance Fee - $15 (good for 7 days, or "America the Beatuiful Parks pass"
Camping Fee - $15
Drove: 105 miles
Hiked: 3/4 mile - Longmire interpretive trail
Biked: ~4 miles, from Campground, down to Longmire, and back up to the Campground
I got lots of good info from the backcountry ranger station in Longmire, including a backcountry permit to camp at Nickel Creek the following night. There is no charge for backcountry permits, but you must register with the park to spend the night in the backcountry. They had a map of highlighted trails where snow was known to have melted out, which was quite useful.
Cougar Rock Campground is your standard National Park frontcountry campground, including evening ranger programs. However the layout was such that some of the sites were quite far from the bathrooms; I cut through an unused site that was behind mine to shorten my hike.
Tuesday
1 July 2008
Cougar Rock Campground to Nickel Creek backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 21 miles
Hiked: about 5+ miles
Hike in from road to site: Slightly less than a mile, took about 1/2 hour each way due to snow and swampy areas.
Nickel Creek backcountry campsite is along the wonderland trail, about 1 mile from the box canyon parking area, just east of a short tunnel on the road. There are two box canyon parking areas, however the eastern one is directly across from the trailhead. The hike is fairly easy, gaining most of its 400 foot gain early on. About the last 1/3 of the trail was snow covered, and the bridge across Nickel creek (which was about 20 feet wide and running fast) was missing a handrail, which I had been warned about. It was still a fairly easy crossing, but the bridge was only about 2 feet wide. With snowmelt full-on upstream (despite having 2-3 feet of snow on the ground) I had to do some route-finding to get past a very marshy area and up onto dry land. The toilet for the site was easily visible, and my only indication that I was actually there. The bear pole had probably fallen over and was under snow.
I spent most of the day at Paradise, hiking upwards on snow and learning things in ranger programs. I hiked up to near Panorama point, up to around 6800 ft, gaining something like 1,600 feet over just over 1.5 miles. Thankfully going down on the somewhat wet snow was much easier than going up.
Wednesday
2 July 2008
Nickel Creek backcountry site to Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 19.7 miles
Distance from road to campsite: 2.3 or 2.5 miles to lower crystal lake, 3 miles to upper crystal lake. 1 hr 20 minutes to lower crystal lake, about another 15-20 minutes to upper crystal lake (Includes time to stop & check out lower crystal lake campsites.) The hike down took just under an hour.
Hiked: 7+ miles
Lower Crystal Lake campsite is near the NE border of the park on crystal mountain. When chatting with a ranger my first night I was warned that the parking area is one of the few places that they have had theft problems, as it is on the main highway (and by theft problems its been about 2 "smash & go" situations of small valuables over the course of about 5 years.) Hiking up I passed several dayhikers on their way down, as well as two backpackers who were going without a permit, and who didn't seem prepared for how hard the hike would be, possibly due to elevation.
The hike is fairly continually up, with an elevation of 1,900 feet (up to 5,400 feet) over 2.3-2.5 (signs & maps dissagree) to lower crystal lake, and a total of 2,300 feet over about 3 miles to upper crystal lake. The trail was almost completely snow free, which was a nice change from all my snowy hiking earlier in the trip. I went all the way to upper crystal lake, but decided to head back down to lower for more solitude (and thats where my permit was actually for, although I basically was told by the ranger I got it from that it didn't really matter.) I was glad of my choice overnight when massive thunderstorms rolled through, as the sites at lower crystal lake are a bit more protected than the ones at upper crystal lake.
On my way I stopped at the Grove of the Patriarchs, which is a 1.5 miles fairly flat trail that leads to a suspension bridge across the Ohenapacosh river onto a small island with 1,000 year old trees. The grove is amazing and I spent quite a bit of time there.
Ohenapacosh proper, one of the 4 visitor centers in the park (Longmire, Paradise, Ohenapacosh, and Sunrise) was a bit disappointing, as was the small guided trail there. I'm sure if I had just entered the park I would have enjoyed it more. The visitor center is quite small and in the midst of the campground there.
Thursday
3 July 2008
Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site to Sunrise walk-in backcountry site
Camping fee- free, backcountry permit required
Distance to campsite - 1.3 miles, -100 feet of elevation from parking lot. It took me around 30 minutes to go each way, with snow slowing down sections of the trail.
Drove: 26 miles
Hiked: ~5.5 miles
I slept in quite late due to lack of sleep from the massive thunderstorms overnight. I arguably chose either a really good or really bad night to test out a few things in how my tent was set up. I am continually impressed with how well it does in wet weather, even when not set up quite right (It is the Tarptent Contrail). It does MUCH better than the "standard" tents I've slept in under inclement weather, is super light weight, and was relatively inexpensive.
I spent the afternoon wandering about paradise and checking out ranger programs. I learned a lot of cool things about glaciers, including that there are ice worms that live in the glaciers in the cascade range. I got a lot of good info as far as finding my campsite for the night from one of the rangers.
A good portion of the trail out was snow free, and I managed to find a space just big enough to squeeze my tent into that was snow free in one of the campsites. I did the 1.3 mile hike in about a half hour. However, most of the ground in and around the campsite was covered in about 2 feet of snow.
Friday
4 July 2008
Sunrise walk-in backcountry site back to Seattle
Drove: 107 miles
Hiked: 1.3 miles
The hike back and drive back were both uneventful. There is NPR reception from Seattle for the entire drive back, and there are several forest service land campsites just to the north of the park, some of which are free.
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