Hike around Mount Rainier is worth the punishment

I heard a soft rustle as I soaked in the afternoon warmth of a mountain meadow. A small doe moved along the edge of the clearing, browsing as she went.

I longed for my camera, which I had left at the camp. It amused me to think of my camera, the fanciest piece of technology I would use for the next week. I could hear no human sounds, other than my own breathing. A week in the wilderness sounded like heaven.

My husband, Jerry, and I planned to hike 65 miles around Mount Rainier on the Wonderland Trail, and an offshoot of it, the Northern Loop Trail. After a year of happy planning and impatient waiting, it felt good to be back.

Part of the motivation for this year's trip was to challenge ourselves on the Northern Loop Trail. The loop is an offshoot of the Wonderland. According to our guidebook, “The hiker will be impressed by the punishment it inflicts.”

First, though, we had to finish the part of the Wonderland we missed last year.

We started our trip at Longmire, after leaving a car at Sunrise and spending the night at Cougar Rock Camp, a busy drive-in campground.

Our first true view of Mount Rainier was a shock. From the west the mountain is rocky, and barren, especially after such a dry year. It was a sharp contrast to the snow cone we had seen on the hike last year.

The first few days took us up and down a lot. We'd climb one ridge, stare down into the river valley beyond and prepare ourselves to hike the ridge on the other side.

The whole time, we had purple fingers and tongues. We hit the trail at just the right time to enjoy the bounty of huckleberries.

Our second day included one of the best hikes we've ever taken. We knew the day would be challenging, and it was. We had two big climbs. The first took us to Emerald Ridge, where I loved the wide-open areas and fascinating, hardy plants. We drank in the view of the mountain and Tahoma Glacier while we ate trail mix with macadamia nuts and dried cranberries.

The hike down from the ridge was steep. The loose rocks on the trail, which my guidebook described as “ball bearings to hell,” made the descent tricky. After the descent, we climbed again until we passed through St. Andrews Park.

In Mount Rainier National Park, anytime you see something on a map called a park, you know it's going to be beautiful. They might as well put a stop sign on the map. We've never been able to pass a park without pulling out the camera. This was no exception.

First we watched a pica. When it scampered off, we moved along, only to be stopped by a marmot. A few more minutes down the trail, we laughed while a chipmunk gorged itself on seeds. Its cheek pouches were so full it looked like a Chip and Dale cartoon.

The rest of the west side of the trail was just as satisfying as we'd been dreaming all year. We were slightly surprised by how many people we saw at the campgrounds, however.

The stretches of trail were still isolated and we could go nearly all day without seeing another hiker.

The hike into Mowich Lake — our halfway point — turned out to be our least-favorite section of trail. The book called it “persistent.” My husband called it several less polite words.

By the time we reached the lake, we were sweaty, sticky and grouchy.

A quick dip in the lake — cold, but so worth it — improved our mood dramatically.

That night we woke up to pouring rain and lightning that left spots dancing in my vision. We changed our plans for the next day, deciding to hike a shorter route to the next camp. It meant fewer views, but we weren't going to see much from the inside of a cloud.

Changing our plans turned out to have an unexpected benefit: a bear.

The bear was below us in the riverbed, trying to cross the stream on a log.

We watched as it searched for a way across. Eventually, it decided to take the path of least resistance and headed for the man-made log bridges.

Giving the bear a respectful head start, we followed it across the bridge.

The next day we reached the Northern Loop Trail, the star attraction.

Yellowstone Cliffs Camp — on switchback 23 of 40 if you're counting, which we were — is worth a visit all by itself.

While we were there, I saw eagles tumbling together at the edge of the cliff and am almost certain I heard a peregrine falcon calling.

The trail down into Lake James, our planned camp on the Northern Loop, includes the most orderly section of trail we'd seen. Beyond Windy Gap, the trail looks like it's posing for a photo in Sunset magazine. Small stones lining the path and larger stone steps create an image of perfection.

We woke up on the last day of our trip to the sound of rain. We waited for it to ease up. It didn't.

I cannot objectively tell you what the next section of trail was like. In my memory it's a vicious downhill section, followed by a punishing climb with no views. OK, there was a waterfall, but I was too wet to appreciate more falling water.

After what felt like 20 miles of the Northern Slog, as Jerry called it, we finally reached Grand Park. From here on I can only say glowing things about the trail.

Grand Park is glorious, wide open and stunning. The mist lifted long enough for a dramatic view.

The trail from the park on is easy. We hit Berkeley Camp, a couple of miles down, in what felt like minutes.

We had planned to spend the night at Berkeley, but the rain made us question our plans. The forecast of snow that we heard from fellow hikers sealed the deal.

From Berkeley it's 4 miles to Sunrise. The last miles seem long. The last miles always do. But there are marmots to watch and gurgling streams to enjoy. A collection of baby marmots delayed us by at least 20 minutes.

It wasn't too hard to leave the trail. The rain and dripping gear made sure of that. It was easy, though, to begin planning our next trip.

After all, we've seen Grand Park in the rain. If if took our breath away like that, imagine what we'd think in the glory of a sunny summer day.

Permits

You need a permit to camp along the Wonderland Trail. Plan ahead, especially if you are picky about where you stay. See www.nps.gov/archive/mora/trail/wonder.htm for more information. Permit requests are accepted beginning in March.