Mount Rainier first fall snow hike 2019

A deer browses near the path between White River Campground and Sunrise Visitor's Center.

Woke around 8 a.m.; packed almost from scratch for a day at Rainier. Weather report said 10 percent chance of rain and maybe 10 degrees for a high. It was warmer than that when I arrived, but overcast, and the road to Sunrise hadn't been cleared of snow. Maybe another day, but today I was not going to get to Sunrise by car.

I hiked part way from the White River Campground, gaining about 320 meters according to my phone App. That comes out to about 1,000 feet. I was a bit winded, possibly due to long underwear restricting my legs. I turned around when the snow on the trail made ascending dicey. I should have packed Yak Trax.

Stats for the day:
Distance: unk
Conditions: Overcast, snow on trail
Load: 13 pounds
Elevation gain: 1,000 feet 

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 234.1 miles 
Elevation Gain: 72,178 feet

View from the bridge just before the campground turnoff

This campground tree, hollow from the stump up, was likely cut as a preventive measure.

A glimpse of the trail. Snow closed over it at elevation.

Note on White River Campground:

Located five miles up from Highway 410, the White River Campground sits at 4,232 feet, making it the highest of the three drive-in campgrounds at Mount Rainier. The high elevation often makes this the last of the campgrounds to open and the first to close.

Mount Rainier's Plummer Peak with Roger and Tammi

A pika paused his darting for a few moments to munch on a salad.

Washington Trails Association says that the climb to Plummer Peak is a 1,500 elevation gain and the summit is 6,359 feet. I didn't make it to the summit yesterday, Sept. 2. The trail took me along a very steep drop off and I am always uncomfortable with those, particularly when I have a backpack on that shifts my center of gravity. Roger Matthews and Tammi Termann went ahead. I turned back and waited for their return. Ironically, it was Tammi who took a spill on the trail, banging her face and arm slightly and drawing a little blood, but otherwise weathering the storm well.slightly,  The altitude was affecting us a bit, so maybe that was a factor. Using my phone GPS I believe we were hiking above 4,800 feet, and were closing in toward 6,000 feet before I turned back. Even young people we passed on our descent were sweating and moving slowly. WTA says the trip is 4.5 miles, so I feel comfortable claiming 3.5 miles.

At the Grove of the Patriarchs, Tammi climbed among the roots of a fallen tree.

A patriarch yet to fall

On the Plummer Peak hike, a chipmunk prays for a morsel.

At this elevation, trees struggle to survive.

A view of the mountain during the descent

Mushrooms cower together at a switchback, below a menacing field of skree

Near the trailhead we found other mushrooms like this one at various life stages.

Noteworthy moments: 

Sworls on a burl on an old growth log

• A visit to the Grove of the Monarchs, a must every time you visit Rainier National Park.
• A big fat marmot browsing below the final ascent to Plummer Peak
• Several pikas darting around
• The accidental discovery of what appeared to be blueberries, but were probably blue huckleberries
• Discovery of some impressive mushrooms
• Feeling the effects of elevation

Stats for the day:

Distance: 3.5 miles*
Conditions: Clear Sky
Load: 18 pounds
Elevation gain: 1,000 feet 

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 234.1 miles 
Elevation Gain: 71,178 feet

Fifth Rainier on Mount Si!

Scene near the canal where I gathered and filtered water to drink.

August 26, 2019 --Today I surpassed 70,000 verticle feet for 2019, ascending the equivalent height of Mount Rainier for the fifth time -- my goal for the year. I was not high energy, but I made the summit lookout in three hours. Other noteworthy moments: Learning from a fellow hiker that water flowing straight from the rocks was safe to drink (I still filtered the water from the stream in the "canal" at the early part of the trail.) I got by with one large bottle of water and some trail mix. I had prepared tuna salad, which I finished when I got back home. My feet hurt, but not as much as they might have; I had rolphed them the night before.

A scene by the boardwalk at snag flats, a little past the first mile marker

A scene just above the canal where I filtered drinking water

Two large trees bookend the trail.

Distance: 8 miles*
Conditions: Clear Sky
Load: 18 pounds
Elevation gain: 3,000 feet 

Statistics, year to date:
Distance: 229.6 miles 
Elevation Gain: 70,178 feet -- my Fifth Rainier for the year!