Klapatche and Aurora We woke up today to low clouds, the gorgeous rocks above the river now obscured from view. Leaving camp at 6:15am, we made our way over the bridge and started the long climb up out of the valley. We had been told by the ranger station that this section would be dry,…
Tag: adventure
My 6 Day Adventure Hiking The Wonderland Trail-Day 2
The Spray Park Alternate Route Packing up as quietly as possible so as not to disturb others in camp, we donned our headlamps and started up the forested trail out of Cataract Valley at 4am. Within the hour, we came out into more open terrain and the sky began to slowly brighten and illuminate the…
My 6 Day Adventure Hiking The Wonderland Trail-Day 1
And We’re Off! Waking up with the sunrise, we broke camp and climbed up the Wonderland Trail towards Granite Creek. Our first steps were in the cool shadows and the ridge lines with lingering snow brightened by the sun. Lavender lupine lined the trail as we moved into sections with more vegetation. We had 15.3…
My 6 Day Adventure Hiking The Wonderland Trail-Prelude
In 2015, I set out to complete the Wonderland Trail in 6 days. The 93 mile loop circumnavigates Mount Rainier and is a rite of passage for many Pacific Northwest locals and backpackers from around the world. I had already completed the Washington State section of the Pacific Crest Trail (and 200 miles of the…
A Two-fer Hiking Weekend: Rock Mountain and Meadow Creek To Pear Lake
As my mind wanders towards this summer’s backpacking trips, I can’t help remember my last overnight trip this past October. I so wish the snow was a tad bit more melted out right now so I could visit these two hikes again before I depart for Spain, but come fall they will be on my…
How To Hike with Others (And Love It)
This post was originally shared on November 21, 2016. A post of this kind has been brewing in my head for a while now and after reading something infuriating this last week, I decided to put it to words. If you came here just to learn how to hike with others, you may need…