2013.07.30-Pyramid Creek Campground to Klapatache Campground (Day 4):
As long as day 3 seemed, we learned how fast we could cover flat land. However, day 4, while not as many miles, had us trekking over three ridges at over 1,000 feet each for a total elevation climb of about a mile without all the descending. On the west side of Rainier, the Wonderland Trail went up a ridge and then back down before climbing another ridge. It definitely would make one heck of a roller coaster ride, if there was one.
Another interesting fact about the west side of Mount Rainier is the amount of flies and mosquitos. Pyramid Creek gave us a slight introduction, but the word through the Hiker Grapevine was that Devils Dream campground was by far the worse. One set of hikers said they didn't bother to cook anything, just got inside their tent, zipped up, and ate a Cliff bar for dinner. The Paradise Hotel hikers said they skipped their reservation there to get to Pyramid Creek which was just 2 miles further. On our hike-by, we noticed Devils had the most sites than any other with 7 or 8. Which didn't really make sense since it was the less desirable. Like one of my teammates mentioned, you can't trust a place named 'Devils.'
A little over a mile up the trail, we come across a Patrol Cabin at Indian Henry's Hunting Ground. It is not manned with Rangers, instead there is a Mother with her children there. She told us this was her 5th time! They were headed a few miles up the road to South Puyallup River Campground, which is the campsite at the base of the ridge from ours. At the Patrol Cabin, we rested, ate some snacks, and I left another treasure for a passing hiker. A book about a flood that may have formed the surrounding area. I hope someone reads it and gains an education. My lesson here is that when carrying an iPad Mini that is battery efficient and I don't use very often, it is better to download the book, because it is lighter and easier to transport.
Once we were well rested or the bugs became too much, we continued our ridge hoping. What happened next became a highlight in our adventure. It can almost be told through the voice of Bambi and her mom. Because a family of deer were hanging close to the trail. We paused as to not disturbed them and watched as they groomed each other and the children played. The young ones would jump from one side of the trail to another. Then when we started to walk, a doe and her fawn walked the trail in front of us for about a quarter to half mile. Yes, they just walked right in front of us. At one point, mom and baby got separated, we stepped back, and very soon they were reunited. I wanted to pet them and say you can trust us, but they have their right to keep a safe distance. I am not sure how that day could have gotten any better.
From that point on, I was on a natural high for the rest of the day and then came the suspension bridge. Only one person can cross at a time and it is best to walk right down the center. You can look down or up or all around, but stay in the middle. Half way across, it may rock a little. No worries, just keep walking, everything will be alright. Of course, I had to go back to the middle without my pack to catch a glimpse of Mount Rainier.
Now we were headed up our second ridge of the day. Going up 50 feet of elevation at a time really made the climb more manageable and it also felt like we could get over it quicker. To relate, think about the tallest building being about 2200 feet and our total climb that day being twice that with backpacks on. That sure is a confidence builder!
What this also meant is that we probably smelled pretty bad. At least, we hoped we didn't smell as bad as the fellow we talked to after the suspension bridge, but it is quiet possible we smelled worse. This brings up hygiene and the tricky part of bathing in glacial water. But we figured out we can boil water and sure enough, our cleaning became more comfortable. Warm water cures stinky me on the trail.
At the base of the next ridge is South Puyallup River Campground, where the experienced mom and her family were staying for the night. We spotted them having a meal in chairs and were fascinated that they brought chairs with them. Our packs were overstuffed with items we needed or thought we needed, but they brought chairs. So jealous.
Our next ridge climb was the one that brought us home for the night. However, this time it seemed like it just kept getting higher and higher. At a rest stop, a couple on a day hike passed us. Turns out, she did the Wonderland 19 years ago while 5 months pregnant. Then off they went flying over the ridge.
The body is a fascinating work of art. I didn't bring any pants for our hike and for the most part didn't need any because while we walked up hill we got so warm that I was taking off layers regardless of the amount of snow around us. On this last ridge before camp, we even picked up some snow and rubbed it across our hot heads to cool us down. But while standing around in the chilly evening or morning, it would get down right cold. The lesson here is to stay in motion, even when it hurts.
When we make it to camp we are amazed at the view. For my teammates, Klapatche Park is the best campsite because of the way Mount Rainier reflects off Aurora Lake. It also doesn't hurt that the water in the lake is warmer than the streams. Still cold by my standards, however warm enough for frogs to live. While sitting there looking up at the snowy giant, there is no doubt, this is beautiful!
Also staying here, were 4 men, who we played leap frog with part of the day. They were dressed in camouflage while sleeping under a larger A-Frame tent. I had a flashback to basic training. It did not look fun. Then again, neither were my Army Pop-UP Tent days.
Turning in for the night, I felt a sense of accomplishment that another hard day was in the history books. I still can't get over how much elevation we overcame that day. Imagine all the steps at Willis Tower, Empire State Building, and Reunion Area combined all together and then some.
Total Trail Miles hiked on Day 4: 13.20 miles (51.10 miles total)
Total Blogged miles: 174.27 miles.
Another interesting fact about the west side of Mount Rainier is the amount of flies and mosquitos. Pyramid Creek gave us a slight introduction, but the word through the Hiker Grapevine was that Devils Dream campground was by far the worse. One set of hikers said they didn't bother to cook anything, just got inside their tent, zipped up, and ate a Cliff bar for dinner. The Paradise Hotel hikers said they skipped their reservation there to get to Pyramid Creek which was just 2 miles further. On our hike-by, we noticed Devils had the most sites than any other with 7 or 8. Which didn't really make sense since it was the less desirable. Like one of my teammates mentioned, you can't trust a place named 'Devils.'
A little over a mile up the trail, we come across a Patrol Cabin at Indian Henry's Hunting Ground. It is not manned with Rangers, instead there is a Mother with her children there. She told us this was her 5th time! They were headed a few miles up the road to South Puyallup River Campground, which is the campsite at the base of the ridge from ours. At the Patrol Cabin, we rested, ate some snacks, and I left another treasure for a passing hiker. A book about a flood that may have formed the surrounding area. I hope someone reads it and gains an education. My lesson here is that when carrying an iPad Mini that is battery efficient and I don't use very often, it is better to download the book, because it is lighter and easier to transport. 
Once we were well rested or the bugs became too much, we continued our ridge hoping. What happened next became a highlight in our adventure. It can almost be told through the voice of Bambi and her mom. Because a family of deer were hanging close to the trail. We paused as to not disturbed them and watched as they groomed each other and the children played. The young ones would jump from one side of the trail to another. Then when we started to walk, a doe and her fawn walked the trail in front of us for about a quarter to half mile. Yes, they just walked right in front of us. At one point, mom and baby got separated, we stepped back, and very soon they were reunited. I wanted to pet them and say you can trust us, but they have their right to keep a safe distance. I am not sure how that day could have gotten any better. 
From that point on, I was on a natural high for the rest of the day and then came the suspension bridge. Only one person can cross at a time and it is best to walk right down the center. You can look down or up or all around, but stay in the middle. Half way across, it may rock a little. No worries, just keep walking, everything will be alright. Of course, I had to go back to the middle without my pack to catch a glimpse of Mount Rainier.
Now we were headed up our second ridge of the day. Going up 50 feet of elevation at a time really made the climb more manageable and it also felt like we could get over it quicker. To relate, think about the tallest building being about 2200 feet and our total climb that day being twice that with backpacks on. That sure is a confidence builder!
What this also meant is that we probably smelled pretty bad. At least, we hoped we didn't smell as bad as the fellow we talked to after the suspension bridge, but it is quiet possible we smelled worse. This brings up hygiene and the tricky part of bathing in glacial water. But we figured out we can boil water and sure enough, our cleaning became more comfortable. Warm water cures stinky me on the trail.
At the base of the next ridge is South Puyallup River Campground, where the experienced mom and her family were staying for the night. We spotted them having a meal in chairs and were fascinated that they brought chairs with them. Our packs were overstuffed with items we needed or thought we needed, but they brought chairs. So jealous. Our next ridge climb was the one that brought us home for the night. However, this time it seemed like it just kept getting higher and higher. At a rest stop, a couple on a day hike passed us. Turns out, she did the Wonderland 19 years ago while 5 months pregnant. Then off they went flying over the ridge.
The body is a fascinating work of art. I didn't bring any pants for our hike and for the most part didn't need any because while we walked up hill we got so warm that I was taking off layers regardless of the amount of snow around us. On this last ridge before camp, we even picked up some snow and rubbed it across our hot heads to cool us down. But while standing around in the chilly evening or morning, it would get down right cold. The lesson here is to stay in motion, even when it hurts. 
When we make it to camp we are amazed at the view. For my teammates, Klapatche Park is the best campsite because of the way Mount Rainier reflects off Aurora Lake. It also doesn't hurt that the water in the lake is warmer than the streams. Still cold by my standards, however warm enough for frogs to live. While sitting there looking up at the snowy giant, there is no doubt, this is beautiful!Also staying here, were 4 men, who we played leap frog with part of the day. They were dressed in camouflage while sleeping under a larger A-Frame tent. I had a flashback to basic training. It did not look fun. Then again, neither were my Army Pop-UP Tent days.
Turning in for the night, I felt a sense of accomplishment that another hard day was in the history books. I still can't get over how much elevation we overcame that day. Imagine all the steps at Willis Tower, Empire State Building, and Reunion Area combined all together and then some.
Total Trail Miles hiked on Day 4: 13.20 miles (51.10 miles total)
Total Blogged miles: 174.27 miles.
2013.07.31-Klapatache Campground to Golden Lakes Campground(Day 5):
I woke up on Day 5 feeling pretty rested, but wanted to spend some solo time. While my teammates were getting their stuff together, I was fully packed and started the down hill hike to North Puyallup alone. It felt good going off on my own, but a little risky. Within 15 minutes, one of my teammates caught me and at North Puyallup all of us were together again. 
It was here that we met up with a young couple that were doing part of the Wonderland. They seemed pretty young and I am not sure I could let two young people of the opposite sex hike alone for that distance. But who am I to judge. It looked like they were having fun and that is all that counts. Life is too short to not have fun!
Like other parts of the trail, the bridges over the springs and waterfalls came in different shapes and sizes. A few looked like a tree had fallen and the park rangers sliced it in half for footing adding some rails for stability. Other times the bridges were pretty and a work of engineering art. The good thing is we never fell in the treacherous ones and on some small ones, we got our shoes wet.
We had a daily climb to get to Golden Lakes Campground, but nothing like the day before. Instead it was a mere 1500 feet, piece of cake. As a matter of fact, we got to camp in the early early afternoon. We debated about moving on or staying put and decided it was best to keep with our itinerary. Besides we had a great view of the lakes below. Another lesson, however, is that whenever a campground ends with lakes, it translates to bug pool. 
That evening there was a threat of rain with dark clouds that scared the bugs away, but soon passed. We went to see the sunset and talked with some kids that had just graduated high school and were about to embark on their college lives. They were so young and I was happy that they decided to spend time on the trail together before their lives go in separate directions. One was going to Lewis and Clark in Portland, which impressed me, because I am huge fan of those two explorers.
Before bed, we talked about the days to come. What we had left and what was left ahead of us. By the next day's end we will be going East and on the homestretch. We were beginning to sense the end.
Total Trail Miles hiked on Day 5: 7.80 miles (58.90 miles total)
Total Blogged miles: 182.07 miles.
Total Blogged miles: 182.07 miles.
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