NOTE: this report accompanies photos available for viewing at the following Web site. There are 132 photos; I recommend using the ‘slideshow’ function.
Following business in Washington state, I was fortunate to spend the weekend of July 10-12 in Mt Rainier National Park, my first visit to that park. The preeminent trail there is the famous Wonderland Trail, 93 miles around the great mountain. After studying trail options, I first decided to backpack the Northern Loop trail, a 36 mile hike northwest of Rainier. However, advice from members of a hiker forum convinced me to camp at the White River campground, near the Sunrise section of the park, and take day-hikes from there. This offered a few important advantages: I could see a more diverse section of the park, and could travel faster without a full backpack. This was a good decision; the campground, at about 4100 feet elevation, is near important trailheads and is shaded by heavy forest; several creeks ran through it, and Rainier is visible from sections of the campground.
For my first day hike, I chose a portion of the Wonderland Trail: to the Summerland meadow, to Panhandle Gap above that, and to Indian Bar and Ohanapecosh Park (meadow) beyond that. An out-and-back trail, the total distance was about 17 trail miles; I added another mile or two with two off-trail scrambles, to the tops of Meany Crest and another unnamed small peak. The trail is a largely unbroken ascent on the way out, descending on the return. Highest elevation gained was about 7700’, for roughly a 3600’ ascent and the same on return. I entered the trailhead at 0630 and came out at 3:30 that afternoon. I saw only one other hiker beyond Summerland – a backpacker hiking the Wonderland Trail – until returning past Summerland, where I passed several people going up to Summerland. Thus, I had the best part of the trail – to Panhandle Gap, Meany Crest and beyond – to myself.
From the trailhead to Summerland is 4.2 miles through forest dominated by tall Douglas fir, with sections of dense underbrush . This is a popular trail, and most of it is a wide and well-trodden dirt path. Several times it crosses Fryingpan Creek, whose headwaters I would later reach and which is a rushing river by the time it reaches the trailhead. This section is lush, quiet and peaceful. Until a length of steep switchbacks approaching Summerland, the trail is a mostly gentle ascent.
Summerland, a mix of forest and sub-alpine meadow, is a popular destination; a small three-sided shelter makes it a welcome camp for Wonderland backpackers. Though beautiful, I found it less impressive than expected. The remainder of the hike I found far more remarkable.
The first mile beyond Summerland took me through the transition from sub-alpine meadow, to treeline and high, thin rocky meadow of alpine vegetation, to partially glaciated and moraine-covered alpine zone. This is the section to Panhandle Gap and on the Indian Bar, my destination for the day.
To the crossing of the upper Fryingpan Creek, just below its glacier headwaters, the trail narrows but is easily followed. It passes near Fryingpan Glacier, tucked within a steep cirque, and several large snowfields, one of which feeds a small lake which, being still unnamed, I dubbed, in honor of my parents, MurrGil Lake.
Beyond the creek crossing the trail begins a sharper ascent, passing mostly through rock and moraine. A few passages were marked with rock cairns, but much of it was scarcely traceable; I spotted far above me what I believed to be Panhandle Gap – a smooth sloping saddle between a peak trimmed in andesite columns and Meany Crest – and bushwhacked my way up to Panhandle Gap. As I ascended, views of Mt Rainier and the sharp peak of Little Tahoma grew grander, until the glacier-covered slopes of Rainier were clearly visible. (This would be the only day of the weekend clear enough to view the full Rainier cone.)
From the gap, the view is unbroken in all directions. I could even see the Cascade range in the distance. Instead of immediately continuing to Indian Bar, I chose to climb Meany Crest, a sharp ridge that climbs north from the gap. The first several hundred yards were marked with a slight dirt trail; beyond that was an unmarked scramble across rock and scree to an edge that rose above Fryingpan glacier, MurrGil Lake, and looking out across Summerland far below. Though treacherous in a few places, I found this to be the highlight of the day, with views unmatched by anything I saw all weekend.
Returning to the gap, I continued on the Wonderland Trail section to Indian Bar, another backcountry stop for backpackers. The way is entirely through an alpine zone, dotted with snowfields, alpine flowers clinging to the ground, and expansive view. About half way to Indian Bar, I spotted two herds of mountain goats loitering in a series of snowfields.
Upon reaching Indian Bar, a pretty but unremarkable spot, I returned the way I came.
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