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Friday, September 6
Wonderland Trail Day #3
Start: Klapatche Park
Stop: Eagle’s Roost
19.54 miles
4,370′ ascent
5,018′ descent

I set my alarm for 5:30 am but had unknowingly unset it. Thanks to my internal clock I awake at 5:37 am and launch into action. The last thing I do before I leave camp is to collect my food bag from the pole. The group of guys used carabiners to lash their food bags together and were so sweet not to block in my bag. Bless their hearts! Foot is on trail by 6:30 am and it’s time to crank some miles. Animals scurry from the trail’s edge as the morning starts to brighten.

I try to push the speed but the trail is pretty steep and rocky. Thousands of cobwebs reach across the lush vegetation causing me to wipe my face about every 10 seconds. The effort is draining and only slows me down more. Despite hiking downhill and early in the morning, it is warm enough that I’m in a full sweat.

After descending 1,765 ft., I approach the roaring North Puyallup River. After a little searching I finally find the wooden bridge that spans the river. I find a nice mossy spot for a short 10 minute breakfast break. It’s taken me 1hr 15 minutes to hike the first 2.8 miles of my day. The trail easily ascends up and away from the North Puyallup River where I actually meet a hiking couple. We have a nice chat about the trail and they warn me that they saw a bear just a few miles ahead.

Their description was perfect and I’m on alert as I round a ridge corner. I’m grateful for their tip because I would have virtually walked right up on this bear. My friend bear is perfectly hidden at the top of a rise in the trail. As I veer off trail away from the bear, it takes a break from eating huckleberries to glance up at me. “Hey bear, it’s me Lionheart. I’m just walking by here. Such a nice day to be getting ready for winter. Hey bear, it’s me Lionheart. I’m just walking by here.” And so it goes until I circle around and I’m back on trail.

It’s cruiser trail now and the miles are clickin’ by. I notice some elk tracks and expect to see them at any minute. I continue with my “Hey bear, it’s me Lionheart” just in case there are any more trail friends hiding nearby. During the last weeks of August, Mt. Rainier National Park received a significant amount of rain. The mycelium took this signal that Fall had arrived and sent their fruiting bodies to the surface. The trail has been filled with all kinds of aging mushrooms whose fragrance is often pungent and strong.

I cruise around several lakes before it’s time to descend again. The trail is littered with Douglas Fir and Western Hemlock cones that I can’t help but crush under my shoes. I weave down through the forest as I hit 11 miles by noon. Might as well keep pushing before I take a lunch break. I’m able to take my attention away from every foot placement and listen to the forest. Chestnut-backed chickadees, golden crowned kinglets, brown creepers all sing hello. A Pacific Wren even pops up to say hi before flitting away in silence.

I’m near the bottom of the 2,600 ft. descent and find a well-timed lunch spot. It’s 1pm and I have completed 13 miles. Now, this normally wouldn’t be very impressive but I’m stoked to get this on the Wonderland Trail! I’ve got perfect, ice cold water just over my shoulder and a cushy spot to lay out my mat. I take off my dirty girl gaiters, socks and shoes and let my feet breath. I stretch out my legs, lay down flat and gaze up at the trees. As I munch on my lunch, several younger guys hike by and I give them a friendly greeting. They kind of mumble a response and don’t have much to say. It’s all good – hike your own hike. But I’ve started to notice a trend that may or may not be real. I have nice, friendly conversations and greetings with people that I perceive to be ‘older.’ Greetings with those I perceive to be ‘younger’ are virtually nonexistent. Have the youngins not learned to communicate?

I’m back on trail by 2 pm and hike a short distance to the South Fork of the Mowich River. The first wooden log bridge is easy to find and then I start myself onto a second log that leads into an alder thicket. This certainly doesn’t seem like the way since it only leads to more raging water. I back track and then notice a faint pathway trailing downstream through the rocks where I find another log. I hike downstream and think I’m done with the crossings. But the trail angles back towards the water and I’m out on the rocks again. I stand there a quick minute before I notice the red flagging in the trees ahead. I rock hop a few more easy fingers and then before me is the longest log bridge I’ve ever seen. Spanning the North Fork of the Mowich River, the bridge has a couple questionable logs giving support in the middle. I start across and just as the hand railing becomes unreachable the log starts to bounce and sway. Somehow, I safely bob my way off the bridge and then look back in awe at those two little support branches. Thank you.

The trail meanders briefly through the forest before switchbacking sharply uphill. Thus starts the next 2.5 hours of grueling and hot climbing. 2,000 ft. up through steep, hot, south-facing and sometimes exposed trail. It’s hard to capture this forests steepness, but if I fall off this trail I’ll probably have to push my SOS button. Even the roots are hanging onto each other for dear life. I’m not sure how many times I stop for a break. But once, I feel so nauseated that I sit and drink electrolyte water for as long as my little sliver of shade holds out. At the beginning of the climb I met a hiker who had a small, non-backping pack. I keep wondering about what the heck he is doing out here. Then I keep hearing strange noises. Like, is that a bear or what? Then I come to a tree that has obvious and fresh bear claw marks on it. I stop and listen but now the forest is silent. What the heck is going on in this crazy forest or is it all in my head?!

The trail flattens slightly as I get closer to the top. I pass what looks like a father son team and they are crumpled on the side of the trail suffering. We commiserate about the climb and then I move on to get water. As I approach a rocky outcrop, I can hear two pikas having a chat. I go into quiet mode aka “all stop quick quiet” and sneak up on them. I imagine it’s grandma and granddaughter who have now frozen in place allowing me to snap some pictures. At about 5 pm, I stop for a full water resupply since there’s no water at Eagle’s Roost. I splash cool water on my face and arms and legs. Father and son come lumbering by still not looking well.

I’m feeling a bit refreshed after my ‘bath’ and sucking down ice cold water. I don’t hike very far before I find father and son heaped on the side of the trail again. There is audible vomiting which turns out to be the son. As I approach I keep saying “I’m so sorry.” I check in with the father to see if there is anything that I can do to help. Maybe the son has a stomach bug and it’s more than just that brutal climb? They are from Florida and Texas and admit that they are not in shape for this kind of hike. They plan to leave the trail at Mowich Lake Camp. I open up the far out app and try to encourage them that it’s only .4 miles to the camp. It’s also Friday, which hopefully increases their odds of finding a weekend warrior to help shuttle them back to their car.

As I approach the Spray Park Alternate the trail is steep stairs. A very large sounding insect starts to aggressively circle me which launches me into a run up the stairs. I charge down the alternate but the buzzer is still with me. I swing my poles around violently but this does not deter what I’m pretty sure is a large wasp. I try to get a look at it but it comes at me hard and I start swinging again. I run and I run. I think I’ve finally lost the fucker and start to walk to catch my breath. Nope. It’s back and then I’m swinging and running and acting like a crazy person. When it seems that I’ve lost it again, two day hikers approach me and I hope that they’ll take my insect with them.

I switchback up before the trail flattens in front of a massive talus pile. The cool air coming out of this pile of rocks stops me in my tracks. Still a bit dazed and confused from my insect run, I stand there soaking in nature’s air conditioning. Just down the trail, a couple hikers have decided it’s a good idea to filter water ON the creeklet bridge. I wait for them to maneuver themselves off the bridge and then bounce down the trail. I almost miss a gleaming view of Tahoma through the trees, whom I have not seen since this morning. I roll into Eagle’s Roost Camp at 6:30 pm, exactly 12 hours after I started hiking this morning. And, my watch tells me that I hiked the 19.54 miles in exactly 10 hours. I’ll take it!

I start to look around for a campsite and the call “Lionheart” echos from the trees. OMG yay it’s Ledge Girl!! Truly folks, there’s nothing better than getting into camp after a long day and having someone rejoice in the Lionheart call. Ledge Girl has primo spot #2 and we chat a bit before I go set up my camp. I get a central campsite not far from yet another entertaining food pole. I get my camp all set (no fly tonight!) and head back over to Ledge Girl’s camp to have dinner together. The sun has set and it’s getting dark as we finish dinner. Hanging a food bag on the pole is definitely a bit harder in the dark!