Mt. Rainer - Sunrise Visitor Center

Rainier

Mt. Rainier, Sunrise Visitor Center - 2nd week of September 2013
Mileage: Various
Elevation Gain: Various
Mt. Rainier Nat'l park
NOT Dog Friendly
Difficulty: Various

So, you've got family in town. You've done the obligatory trip to the market, maybe you were lucky enough to talk them out of a $20 elevator ride in the Space Needle. You've gone to the Zoo, the SAM, Boeing's Future of Flight tour (not to be missed by the way) and viewed downtown from Gasworks park. What the fuck do we do now?

Left to Right: My Mom, Chris, Me, Chris' Mom

Get in the car and drive for 2 hours and go to Sunrise Visitor Center. The drive out is actually fairly pleasant especially once you pass Enumclaw. On the way out of town be sure to take note of the miniature castle on the left. It's the most bad ass church playground in history.

Shadow lake seen from the trail to Frozen Lake

After Enumclaw it's pretty gorgeous. Initially it's pastureland with lovely views of Mt. Rainier all dressed in white. As you're going through the more forested areas be sure and stop at the vista point to stretch you legs. You can get a pretty photo of Rainier framed with trees Once you enter the park the views get more spectacular. The viewing area below the lodge has a some amazing vistas. Including a very pretty view of Sunrise lake framed by the surrounding peaks. Nice place to for a family photo-op.

Then you're at Sunrise Visitor Center. It's bloody gorgeous. the thing you have to remember about visiting Rainier is that you actually get to the mountain itself. you're on surrounding mountains. Which makes sense since it's hard to see a mountain you're standing on. Some how prior to going there I had never made that connection which made me feel like a huge doofus.

We decided we were going to Frozen Lake. I won't spend too much time describing it since it wasn't too impressive. I'm guessing it's more picturesque earlier in the summer when there's more snow. The walk to Frozen lake is quite pretty, Rainier of course looms over you but some of the other views are pretty stunning, including a peek at Shadow lake

If the folks you've brought aren't terribly athletic, or you've already worn them to a frazzle. They can enjoy the views from a lodge. In late September though, the lodge is only half open.

Everybody who is fair should also take note that if the weather is bright and sunny you should be layering your sunscreen, cause you're going to buuuurn.

Overall, I think Sunrise was gorgeous and I wish I would have had more time to check out some of the other day hike trails.

Chris and I heading up the hill from Sunrise

View just outside of Enumclaw

Chris' Mom looking out over the valley behind the ridge above Sunrise

Trail Review: Ingalls Creek Trail - Part 1

Ingalls Creek Trail - July 19-22nd

Lower Ingalls Creek

32 miles
4,544ft of elevation gain, highest point 6,500ft
East of Snoqualmie Pass; I-90 Corridor
Dog Friendly (except for Ingalls Lake)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Someday I am going to learn to carry a topo map, and I think if nothing else this trip will be the catalyst for me actually doing that. I'll get to that though...

So congratulations to me, this was my first multi-night backpacking trip and it was AWESOME.

The original plan was to go to Image Lake, however there was some concern about snow on the trail and the road being out 11 miles before the trailhead and we just did not want to have to deal with it. I realize that dilemma could have been solved by a simple call to the correct ranger station, but Chris and I hate the phone, so we went with a simpler back up plan. Ingalls Creek to Lake Ingalls and Stuart Pass.

Our first view of the mountains, wait a second is that.....

Ermahgerd, it's Mt. Doom!!!

We started out on the trail about midday which was a mistake. I think Chris and I have become totally spoiled by always hiking on the west side of the Cascades because no matter what time of year it is it really rarely gets hot. Ingalls Creek trail is on the Eastside and it might as well be a completely different state. It actually reminded me a lot of the Sierra Nevada: dry and scrubby with a lot of pine and fir trees. We had to stop fairly often to get water and cool off. We ended up stopping about 6.5 miles in at Falls Creek Campground.

This campground was wonderful for the first night because it was really well protected from light and heat exposure, which was really great since you never sleep too well the first night and it let us sleep in a little.

Day two was pretty rough, there had been a forest fire fairly recently so the next 4 miles were almost totally exposed and the brush started to get REALLY bad. Not far into the hike we had been warned by a couple we met that they had actually planned on going farther but turned around because the trail was so overgrown.

I don't know what it is about hiking that makes me think that everybody around me is a total wimp, but it does. Every time somebody warns me about trail conditions I just think to myself, well they're obviously big babies. To some extent I think I'm right, I mean, if I drive two hours to do some hiking, I'm going to do it. Unless it is actually impossible, not even dangerous, but IMPOSSIBLE, I will try. This was no different. When the couple we met told us about the overgrowth, I thought to myself, it's can't be THAT bad, besides I grew up in the woods, I'm used to trail blazing. Which is all true, what I forgot it how completely exhausting trailblazing and even walking on overgrown trails can be. Not to mention painful.

Here is how thick the brush was, I am in both of the pictures below, standing on the trail:

In the one on the right I simply just lifted the brush out of the way.... Yeah, pretty damn thick.


Between the brush, the heat, and Chris feeling kinda poorly we probably only did another 6-7 miles on day two. This was starting to get me worried, it meant that between days 3 and 4 we were going to have to do at least 18 miles, which would normally be completely fine, but I was definitely concerned about our pacing, especially since day 3 would also include some elevation gain.

We camped on the edge of this beautiful meadow with a bunch of pretty gorgeous views (up-right, left, bottom right) and had a spectacular view from our tent (Up-Left). Aside from our first view of the mountains while we were walking through the fire section, we had been in lowland and there hadn't really been much to see. So it was wonderful to get out in the meadows and sub-subalpine areas. There were also tons of wild flowers and blooming fire-weed that was out all over the place during day 2.

The only other remarkable thing about day 2 was that the bugs came out in force. I had brought bug spray with me, but these biting flies we're like "DEET? What do you think we are? PUSSIES?! NOMNOMNOMNOM."

I went to sleep and during the night I had this dream: I got badly hurt, to the point that Chris couldn't stretcher me out. He would have to leave me to get help, I kept telling him to go slow and not rush, so that he wouldn't hurt himself in the process. As soon as I finished telling him he sprinted away.

I didn't know then how prophetic that dream would be...

Link to Part 2!

Trail Review: Annette Lake and Trail Etiquette

Annette Lake - June 23rd
7.5 miles
1400 ft Elevation gain
Alpine Lakes Wilderness; I-90 Corridor
Dog Friendly

Difficulty: Easy

God I hate people. You do too? Thought so. I hate people all the time. Person’s, individuals are okay, I like them just fine. The more individuals there are though, the more unhappy I become

For the most part hiking mellows me out, but I think it actually increases my general misanthropy. I get on the trail and if it’s at all crowded I start to get really irritable. I think I just subconsciously pick a group of people to bitch about in my head. The more crowded it is, the more internal bitching.

When Katie and I (Chris’ ankle was hurt) hiked Annette Lake it was one of those wonderful summer days in the Pacific Northwest. Which meant of course, that everybody and their mother was out doing stuff in the nice weather, and apparently we all had the same idea to hike the same trail. We had two dogs with us this time since Katie was dog sitting. His name is Tucker and he’s AMAZING.

The trail itself is pretty easy, or it would have been if it wasn’t so hot. When I say hot I mean 86 degrees with mild-moderate humidity. Judge me as you like I’m pale and there’s a very good reason I moved to the Northwest. The sun and I are frenemies.

The group of people who I decided to berate internally on this particular day was a family of four. Here are the reasons why I chose them:

1. Even though we were hiking faster than them, we took a few breaks to water the dogs during which they would pass us. Afterward we’d catch up to them and as soon as they saw us they would leap up from where they were resting and go. Which meant I had to stare at their backs until we were finally able to pass them. Which brings me nicely to number 2.

2. THEY WALKED SIDE BY SIDE ON A FAIRLY NARROW CROWDED TRAIL. I apologize for the caps, but I can’t begin to express how much this irritates me. I won’t even try. If you do this. Stop. Just stop.

3. The daughter was wearing jean shorts (separate issue) and every time I passed her she had this look on her face like “I totes hate being in nature, especially with my parents! GAWD.” Now, I understand, because her parents are stupid, but I don’t want to see anybody on a trail, especially stupid teenager faces. 

There was one other person who irritated me.
We stopped to let this old couple come down a rocky section they had started, even though we had the right of way. While we were stopped this guy walked around us and plowed right through old people. Who the hell does that?!

Anyway aside from all the stupid people the hike was really nice. There were some really beautiful views of the mountains on the way up. The lake itself was gorgeous, and I got to play in it with a really big puppy.

WTA Link

Note: A few of these photos were taken by Katie, not me.

Trail Review: Pratt Lake and Temporal Shenanigans

Pratt Lake - June 23rd

8 miles

2300 ft Elevation gain

Alpine Lakes Wilderness; I-90 Corridor

Dog Friendly

Difficulty: Moderate

Hikers beware! Pratt Lake has a temporal distortion on the trail! Wait, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, let me go back...

You start your hike up to Pratt Lake, in the same way as most hikes in the Alpine lakes wilderness. It’s a nice walk through an Evergreen forest with a mild-moderate incline. The highlight of the hike for me was the view from a ridge above Talapus Lake. I think if it had been a bit clearer we would have been able to see Rainier very prettily situated.

You continue up, there are some super cute bridges that you cross over, and if you did the hike early in the season (like we did) you’ll be walking through some snow. There was some crazy mist that was hanging out over the snow that I’m a little sad I did not take pictures of.

Till now everything proceeds as it ought to. Time does nothing out of the ordinary and you are just happy hikers!

You hit the saddle and start descending into Pratt Lake basin, we had to do some scary-ish skirting over snow/ice fields on an incline (not recommended without ice axes, we’re just idiots). Pass over some rocky/boulder fields. You walk through a little bit of forrest and you’re at the lake.

And it takes a fucking year to do all that. No really, it looks like a long descent and it is. Until you start to go back up.

The lake itself is pretty ho-hum (so ho-hum our whole group forgot to take pictures), or at least it was for us on this particular day. I think if it had not been so very cloudy and overcast that would not have been the case since I’ve seen pictures of the lake on sunny days, and the color and clarity of the water look pretty stunning.

Then you start ascending up out of the basin and it takes like 15-20 minutes. What in the holy hell is going on here? It took us an hour to go down and 20 minutes to go up. While the terrain was not the smoothest, I have never in my life had this happen. I have some knee issues so I’m a little slow going down but it never takes less time.

The only conclusion I can come up with is that there is a temporal distortion. If this happens to you, keep calm, call the Doctor.

WTA Link