Two things you should never fully believe: the weather report and the elevation data in a hiking book.
Weather forecast: cold, rainy, and possibly snowy.
Actual weather: cold, windy, moving clouds, a bit of mist.
Trail info as reported in the book: approx. 8 mi, 1100 ft elevation gain.
Actual hiking data as reported by GPS: 9.2 mi, 2392 ft elevation gain. (Extra distance and part of the extra elevation was due to our route changes/additions, but not 1200 ft!)
Leaving from the Sunrise lot, we took the Sourdough Ridge trail to Frozen Lake, where it starts to branch out. There are lots of possibilities from this beginning – Berkeley Park, Fremont Lookout, Burroughs Mountain, Dege Peak, etc. There’s something great for any hiking skill level. We took the Wonderland Trail from there, past the Berkeley Park turnoff, all the way to Skyscraper Mountain. Lots of pretty flower fields (perhaps a bit past their peak, but still in great shape) and views of Mount Rainier. Not a ton of people on the trail, and probably over half of the people we saw were people on multi-night backpacking trips.
I think it would be pretty hard to top the conditions during my trip to Mount Rainier last year (pics), and the overcast weather on this hike definitely made for more challenging picture taking. However, there were two things that were better: no mosquitoes (because it was so cold) and marmots! I saw no wildlife last time, and this time our group sighted about five marmots, all eating. One was so hungry that he came up really close to the trail and posed for pictures.
There was a great viewpoint where the unofficial trail up Skyscraper Mountain branched from the Wonderland Trail. A few small groups were hanging out here, taking photos of Mount Rainier, which kept peeking in and out of the clouds. The four of us were the only ones who went up further during the time we were there. The makeshift trail (pictured: above left) up was extremely steep and rocky, with short, random switchbacks. We ate lunch at the top but didn’t stay long. It was windy and cold up there, and it was a bit scary looking so far down. We were above the low layer of clouds, and at one point, they completely engulfed the mountain, leaving us on a small rock island surrounded by pure white. Creepy!
This being the first cool weather hike of the season, I took the opportunity to try a little experiment. My dad got me a Ms. Bento jar during one of his trips to Taiwan, and I’d been itching to try it out. (I also have the Mr. Bento jar, but it’s a little big and heavy for hiking use). I packed my lunch 7 hours before eating it, and my risotto and mac & cheese were still very warm when lunch time came. Not piping hot, but warm enough. Definitely more nourishing than a cold sandwich. I think this has great potential for ski season as well!
Overall, this hike went a lot better than I was anticipating. I think the weather forecast and the cold (it was probably 40 degrees or below for our whole trip) kept most people away, and I’m not used to Mount Rainier being a solitary experience. It’s another plus that Skyscraper Mountain isn’t listed as a trail on the map at the lodge – but definitely worth doing. There are so many hiking possibilities at Mount Rainier National Park, and I hope to return next year to explore more of them!
~N
No comments:
Post a Comment