Day 1. With a permit in hand, I parked in the appropriate spot for overnights and spent some time cleaning out the vehicle, taking a shower and packing for my 2 day trip. There was a possibility of climbing two more peaks, Tyee Peak and Old Desolate, which would require a transit of the Elysian Fields. However, upon waking the following morning and starting off, it soon became clear that I was still somewhat thrashed from my previous two days so I soon came to grips with doing a pure backpack, kicking back and basically doing active rest. Unlike my previous Wonderland trip, I packed my burly eVent roomy bivy and a NeoAir xTherm. I did retain my Nunatak 40 degree quilt tho, based on the predicted freezing levels. With food and water I was probably more than 12 pounds, but not by much….although I did have my 2 pound camera this time. Let’s call it 15 pounds, as this will become a factor on the following day. Once past Windy Gap, I took the way trail towards Tyee and set up to bivy on a higher spot above the tarns. Basically it never got dark. As soon as the sun went down, a glow appeared behind me portending the moon’s arrival. Despite somewhat smoky skies, this bivy in the open with a constant cool breeze and bugling elk though out the night was supremely enjoyable and relaxing in my comfortable warm cocoon. I was still thinking an early getup would allow me to do Tyee Peak, but I didn’t wake until 7 AM. Todays stats: 18 miles/4000’

*Grand Park on the Northern Loop trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Sunset in the Tyee cross country zone, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Smoky bands on the Northern Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

Day 2 (rescue). On this CCW loop I soon came to the Yellowstone Cliffs, always a highlight. Despite lingering smoke, they were sublimely lit by the sun. The rest of the trail is hard on the quads with almost 3000’ of constant down, but the trail is quite pleasant with no foot impedimenta (like rocks, roots etc). Once I reached the intersection with the rerouted Wonderland, I was essentially repeating ground I did two weeks before. Upon arrival of the meadow in Moraine Park, at least the mountain was visible this time, although with ghostly lack of details. The day only really got interesting at Mystic Lake, where I ran into a woman asking if there was a ranger at the cabin. I said highly improbable, being this time of year and not on a weekend, but I soon learned why she was asking. Seems a woman had just arrived at the camp but fell and possibly broke her wrist. The couple attending to her had contacted the rangers through InReach to her mom who in turn called them. It was now late in the afternoon and there seemed to be only one good option, for her to hike back out to her car at Sunrise. I gave my InReach address to the couple and prepared to escort her out. Our best guess was she severely dislocated her thumb, rendering her left hand useless. Unfortunately for me, her 35 pound pack was an extra small, which we somehow got on my back with my pack on my front. Her pack straps were so short that they barely covered my clavicle. The poor thing was in a bit of pain but was a real trooper, so with one pole in hand and the other tucked into her jacket, we set off for Sunrise. The only real problems I faced was the inability to high step with my pack in front, and a bit of discomfort from her teeny pack straps and super tight hip belt (on purpose). On a stop at Granite Creek I had to help put on her jacket, pants and set up her headlamp. It’s amazing how something that at first glance might not seem so bad, but in reality severely hinders your ability to do anything. Tie your shoes? Nope. Zip up your jacket? Nope. Set up a tent? Nope. And so on. We labored up to Skyscraper Pass and even took a minute to enjoy the fabulous evening. Let’s just say that dropping those packs at the vehicles was…liberating. On the way in the park service got in contact with me via InReach so they knew she was exiting that night. I even got a message saying to use the SOS button if the rangers were needed before morning. We arrived at 10 PM and she felt good enough to drive out then, wanting to avoid traffic to get home to Seattle. Good for her to be in such great shape and obviously have a high tolerance for pain. I gently suggested that she might want to look into lightening up her load, which was a contributor in slamming her to the ground when she tripped. I also think she became a convert on getting an InReach. Y’all be careful out there! Stats: 22 miles/6200’

*Windy Gap, Northern Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Yellowstone Cliffs, Northern Loop Trail, Mt. Rainier NP*

*Ghostly view of the Willis Wall, Mt. Rainier NP*

It seems with current weather trends that I am not going to be able to complete the last part (West) of the Mt. Rainier Grand Tour in one shot, as forging high on the divides and cleavers really should be done in good weather to take advantage of expansive views. A short decent weather window allowed me to at least get up the Success Divide to 7800 feet on Wednesday, September 23, and allowed for expansive views south and west, but a lingering cloud layer over the mountain proper down to about 8000 feet blocked any views upward. Nevertheless, this was a highly rewarding and somewhat tough day. The straight forward part is following the Wonderland Trail from Longmire to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground, and there is a well established trail leading to Pyramid Peak from the Mirror Lakes Trail. After this, travel becomes somewhat more complicated as one skirts the base of Pyramid Peak to acquire the Success Divide. This is one instance where I actually was glad to have a GPS to check my return track a few times in this section. See the complete photo set for this Success Divide hike here.

The Success Divide is the lower part of a ridge that leads to the Success Cleaver. This is the only climbing route on Rainier that doesn't step foot on a glacier, but it is long and tough. As part of the Grand Tour I wanted to climb high enough to get close up views of the South Tahoma Glacier, Glacier Island, and numerous peaks to the west and south. Travel on the Divide was fairly tough, with loose rock and scree combined with route finding to choose the best line whilst skirting steeper areas. When I think of all the different areas and off trail portions of the Grand Tour, this was perhaps the toughest after the Elysian Fields/Moraine Park transit. However, it fits well in the crafting of my self concocted Grand Tour, taking the intrepid hiker well beyond the manicured trails in the park to areas visited by (statistically of all hikers) the few. And keeping in line with my criteria of non technical travel and/or specialized equipment, climbing the Divide was done with my usual light trail runners, in this case Inov8 Trailrock 235s.

By dividing the West portion of the Grand Tour I am actually putting in many more miles than the original plan of 150, but so it goes. This day didn't disappoint on this first day of fall, with some patches of vibrant fall colors, cool temps, and solitude once I left the Wonderland. On my way back there was a one camper at Devils Dream camp, and I enjoyed perhaps 30 minutes of comraderie and libations while the chap from Wisconsin was making dinner, a pleasant respite indeed. After that it was a matter of retracing my steps in the dark back to my vehicle in a mostly downhill trot, enjoying the moon peeking through the trees in the process. Despite the weather not cooperating in its usual September style, snatching days like this when the opportunity arrives is still a treat for the soul.

Mt. Rainier NP: Northern Loop Trail 9/30-10/01/20

Mt. Rainier Success Divide