Spray Park, Spray Park Loop, Seattle Park, Northern Loop, Wonderland Trail - Ipsut Creek to Mystic Lake, Skyscraper Pass, Sunrise to Mystic Lake, Wonderland Trail & Carbon River to Ipsut Falls — Sunday, Jul. 26, 2020

This is a trip report for a combination of the Mother Mountain Loop and Northern Loop in Mount Rainier National Park.  I combined the two routes in a figure-eight pattern, starting at Mowich Lake, up to Spray Park, down Seattle Park to the Wonderland and then joining the Northern Loop off the Wonderland, climbing to Windy Gap, on to Grand Park, Berkeley Park then re-joining the Wonderland from that area back to Mowich Lake.  Route totals were 43 miles with just over 13,000’ of cumulative gain.   This route gives the trail traveler a fantastic sampling of the park without the time commitment one would need for the entire Wonderland.  Highly recommended for either a very stout day for the efficient trail mover or as a multi-day backpack as it has plenty of campsites along the way.

As I recently posted a trip report for the Northern Loop, I won’t go in to many details on that portion unless there was a significant change since my last report.

First off, road to Mowich which usually is pretty rough was in the best shape I have ever experienced. Minimal potholes and washboard.  Any car should be able to easily get up to the road.  I didn’t know it was even open until a friend clued me in and the website says it’s still closed as of my writing this.  However, based on the 20 or so cars up there when I pulled in, it felt like it’s probably been open for a while.   Hit the trail at 5:45 to 42 degree temps.  Was glad it was chilly as it got me moving!   Even that early in the morning, I crossed paths with several backpackers on the way to Spray Park.  Some small patches of snow as you enter the park and as you climb up, larger patches of snow cover the trail but not so much that you lose sight of the trail.  

I did gamble on this one and left the spikes at home.  I may seem obsessive about weight but when you travel that many miles in a day, every ounce counts.  I knew Spray Park would be my only questionable spot, specifically dropping down into Seattle Park and I hoped by the time I got there, the morning sun would have warmed up the snowfields a bit.  But as I climbed through Spray Park, I noticed a sheen of ice on the puddles and the snowfields were rock hard.  Like, jabbing them with a trekking pole and not making any marks hard.  This could be “interesting”!

The snow wasn’t a problem climbing to the high point of the park as most of the snowfields were mellow.  But as I approached the point where I dropped down into Seattle Park, my trepidation grew a little.  Fortunately, there was just enough old bootprints that I was able to use them to get enough traction to descent the snowfields.  Tedious but it worked.  For the most part, the runout is fine but there is one particular traverse that was a bit spicy.  If it had been later in the day, this wouldn’t have been even an afterthought given the snow would have been soft. 

Once down in Seattle Park, there are some snow patches but nothing major.  I gave a sigh of relief and went into cruise mode from there.  Lots of wildflowers in Seattle Park, plenty of water sources and the trail is in good shape.  I had forgotten how technical the upper portions were before giving way to smoother buffed out trail below the trees.  A short overgrown section to deal with as well.

Crossed the suspension bridge to the Wonderland, turned left and made my way to the Northern Loop.  Nothing major to note here other than lots of water sources which is good as there are no water sources on the climb to Windy Gap until near the very top.  Windy Gap has melted out considerably since my last visit and Monday will probably take care of the rest of it ( 94 degrees!!).

The descent to the North Fork of the White River has some blowdowns to work around.  Only major water source is near the Lake James campsite.  Bridges remain up over the river, just follow the cairns and footprints in the sand.  Climb to Grand Park has nothing major to note, no water sources though until Berkeley Park.

The stretch between Grand Park and Berkeley was busy but most folks were in good spirits and showed good trail etiquette. I did hear a weird buzzing sound that I couldn’t figure out what was causing it.  Then I looked up and saw a drone.  Thousands of miles and hours on the trail and this was my first drone sighting.  I looked around to see if I could find the operator to let them know that drones weren’t allowed in the park in case they didn’t know this but I couldn’t find them.  Not a huge nuisance, just sounded like a giant mosquito.  Speaking of, bugs didn’t bother me on this trip at all.  I know they are out there but I guess they just don’t like me much.   

Plenty of water in Berkeley to draw from and the wildflowers are showing well.  Then it was back on the Wonderland for the rest of the trip.  Some snow at Skyscraper Pass but everyone I saw navigated it without traction as the snow was soft.  Cruised down past Granite Creek Campground, good water source there and then down towards the snout of the Winthrop Glacier.  Was able to experience firsthand the glacier calving (for lack of a better word) right above where the river comes out of it and marveled at the power.  This quickly turned to concern as the giant chunks of ice and rock plunged into the river causing some pretty drastic flow issues.  Immediately, my attention was focused on getting to the bridge and ensuring it was still up.  Fortunately, it was though the river was almost touching the bottom of the bridge. A good reminder that on any day, the mountain can wreak havoc!

Then it was the mellow climb up to Mystic Lake.  Snow has melted out through here. Flowers continue to be plentiful in the meadows around the lake and above it.  The area below Moraine Park is now melted out with only small (less than ten yards) patches here and there.  Lots of water sources throughout this area.  Crossing Dick Creek is aided by a couple of small logs.  One small rockslide to deal with near the suspension bridge.

Carbon River was roaring from the late afternoon heat but the bridge is solid.  Then it was an easy cruise to Ipsut Creek and the beginning of the last climb of the day.  Usually I am not a huge fan of this section of the Wonderland but on this evening, the sun was hitting it just right that everything was glowing gold and green and it was absolutely sublime.  It might also have something to do with a solid days worth of endorphins pumping through my system! The first two miles went quickly and then it was the brute switchbacks to make the final climb to the pass.

Some very overgrown sections on the swithbacks but the pretty flowers help take your mind off the burning quads. Also, I have never seen so much bear scat on a trail and I thought, “Maybe I will finally get my first bear sighting of the year!”.  About halfway up as I rounded a switchback, I saw an odd sand colored rock nestled among the overgrowth.  It was odd as I didn’t remember one being up there.  I took a few more steps and the rock moved.  I instantly thought someone had brought their dog into the park and continued ascending wondering where the owner might be.
Then the “dog” stopped and looked up and it wasn’t a dog but a bear.  It had a black face in all that sand colored fur and oddly resembled one of those lemur things in Madagascar.  We both just stared at each other for a second, then I went to reach for my camera as I had to get a shot of this unique colored bear.  But at that point it did the typical bear, “I’m outta here!” move and was gone.  What a treat though!  It was small and I figure it just hasn’t shifted to more normal colored fur yet.

Anyway, what a fun little ending to my day!  Well, not quite, I still had to get up the last 500’ to the pass and then back to the lake. 

I have to point out here, if Bluetooth speakers, poor trail etiquette and crowds bother you, you probably want to skip a weekend jaunt to the Tolmie lookout.  What a drastic difference to the rest of the trip!  I weaved my way through the trail traffic as best as I could and was quickly back at my car at Mowich which felt a bit like party central.  Good to see so many out enjoying the lake in the beautiful weather but my mind wasn’t quite ready to flip from the solitude I had on the earlier stretches of the trail.

A very stout day but well worth all the effort.  I’ve given the park a lot of attention this month but now it's time to turn elsewhere as we wind down towards the August hike-a-thon!