I'm so excited to share with you how I backpacked the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park in 10 days. This was a trip of a lifetime and something that has been on my bucketlist for quite sometime. In this video, I wanted to introduce the trail and show you how we planned our trip and hiked our hike. I'm sure a lot of you will have questions about this trail so I figured I'd do my best to answer any questions you might have before starting the vlogging series. Is there a question about this trail you still have that I didn't answer in this video? Leave it in the comments below and I'll do my best to help answer it for you.
As a kid, my mom and I hiked every trail in Mt. Rainier park, including Camp Muir. My grandfather was one of the builders of the old stone cabin at Camp Muir. Of course, all of this was 60+ years ago. Really enjoying seeing it again through your eyes.
I love this! Thank you for sharing! Camp Muir was one of my training hikes this year. It was a tough one getting up there, but the views were amazing. I put together a short video of my hike up to Camp Muir on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheHungryHiker
The Wonderland is a beautiful trail. I highly recommend hiking this one if you can. Easily one of my all-time favorite trails to hike and Mount Rainier is, hands down, my most favorite volcano. :)
Awesome video once again as always! 😃 I agree with everyone else before me in the comments in that, I'm super stoked and love your videos/video series! You're always helpful and inspiring! Hike on!
Spent the afternoon, play listing the wonderland T. Beautiful thanks for sharing. We hopped on the northern loop years ago. So amazing MT Reiner rock slide from safety point ….
Your videos keep getting better and better!! Great, useful information delivered in the most well organized manner! I appreciate every bit. Thanks. I can't wait to get to that part of the country to do some hiking and camping. It's good to know that there's a bunch of rules to keep these areas in their prime. Will have to do my homework before going! Great stuff! Keep 'em coming girl! 👍
I'm SO excited for these series of videos! I'll be hiking the Wonderland Trail early September for 11 days. Tammy Asars book is currently sitting on our coffee table, and we're so excited. Fingers crossed for better air quality by then.
I'm so excited for your trip. All the bridges were up for us while we were out there. In fact, the trail crew had just finished putting in the South Mowich bridge the day before we came through. Get ready for the sketchy hillside portion in Stevens Canyon. That was my least favorite part of the trail. Everything else was awesome! Even the skeeters left us along at Devil's Dream and hikers had been warning us for miles about that one.
I love these kind of videos! They make me willing to plan a complete new hike we well. Can't wait for the awesome views and stunning nature while you are on trail.
Super informative and organized content! Great job expressing your fun of this excursion. Being older though I wouldnt mind if you slowed down on the content and pics you would show. I just have to hike this loop soon! Thank you again for your vid and I will make sure to thumbs up you on other vids too. It's nice to see you present so positively and happy.
Yay! I’ve been looking forward to seeing your wonderland adventures! The logistics seem so overwhelming, but you had a good handle on it. I hope to be in good enough hiking shape next summer. Still recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Thanks for posting awesome content Kathleen! You are such an inspiration!
OMG! I love this. Thank you! Yes, the logistics were super overwhelming to me at first as well. Just figuring out the lottery system was hard enough. Then it was a process to make and secure the reservation. There were so many steps to putting this trip together, but once we were out there on trail, all of the steps and hard work we put into making our trip happen were all worth it. It was really hard to have to get off trail though. I could have stayed out there for another 10 days, after a shower and a food supply of course!
Nice! I am going to have to watch your Wonderland Trail series to learn more about the trail. I am hoping to get a walk up permit this summer (didn't win the lottery). I don't have my trail legs right now so not sure what my pace / milage will be. I am also a thru hiker of the A.T('18), L.T.('19), C.T.('20), and PCT('22)
Awesome video series! Really gave a good section by section feel for the Wonderland Trail. I have done bits and pieces and a couple larger sections over the years but really want to do the whole thing at once. Got into the early lottery for this last summer but I guess my time slot was at the tail end of the early lottery because there were no camps left to string together by the time my turn came. Hoping for next year.
Thank you!!! Best of luck to you for the lottery season this year. Remember, there's always the option of trying to score a walk-up permit. Just have to have some flexibility and patience, but the rangers will help you put together an itinerary based on what's available.
I’m a brand new backpacker, and this video is sooo informative and helpful ! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us . This trip is on my dream list some day! Do they allow hammocks ?
Yay! Happy to share the information! As for hammocks, I’m not 100% sure. I never saw anywhere that you couldn’t hammock along the trail. I did run into a couple hikers who were using a hammock so I think it would be okay, but I’d reach out to a ranger first, just to be sure either way.
We hiked wonderland in 2020 but didn't finish (70miles of 93). We went in late September and ended up hitting some intense weather over the panhandle gap where the bridge to summer land was wiped out. It was amazing overall and I hope we make it again one day to complete what we started, but I hope people watching because they are planning a trip (especially late season) are prepared to expect issues and LOTS of water... Like all your waterproof covers may soak through haha. That said, 100% go and have an amazing, safe time (with many more waterproofing layer than you expect).
I could not imagine hitting intense weather going over Panhandle Gap. That must have been frightening!! You’re absolutely right. Anyone hiking this trail, no matter what time of year, should always be prepared for the weather to change at anytime. The mountain has her own climate and she does what she wants. Even in August, we got rained on for two days. You just never know what you’re going to get.
Pack out the TP!! I use a doggie poop bag. Bury the poop - collect and tie off the doggie bag. Easy peasy. I've never had a problem with smell or anything. I just add it to my regular trash.
100% agree!!! I use doggie bags to pack out TP/baby wipes. Never had an issue with smell, unless it was me, my sweat and body odor from hiking all day. 🤷♀️😂
I’ve been so excited for your Wonderland videos since you announced your trip! Really looking forward to watching these. There aren’t any restrictions or permits like this where I’m from, so the process is fascinating to me.
Yay! The vlogs from this trip are coming soon. I hope to launch the first one on Monday! Mount Rainier National Park is the most visited national Parkin Washington so I understand why there's a permit process and why there are so many restrictions. It was worth all the hassle to put this trip together and finally make it a reality though.
@@TheHungryHiker Totally makes sense. I was just in the Tahoe area and used the permit system there, and I can see how popular wilderness areas could get overrun without some regulation. Thanks for your efforts to share your adventures!
@@johnniesparkle There are pluses and minuses to the permitting system. After doing a trip like this and speaking to rangers out on trail, I have a much deeper appreciation for the work rangers do in our backcountry and the permitting system in general. It's not perfect, but it does serve a valuable purpose.This is also why I decided to use my platform to share all of the information about the permit system for this trail and explain why it's in place. Hopefully this will help others out there when planning their next trip and give them a deeper appreciation for why some of our most popular places need a permit to travel through them. Having this permit though definitely made me appreciate my time out there even more because it was sheer luck that I got my permit in the first place.
I have been looking for a video just like this and you're the first I've found! There are so many great backpacking channels, but I want to know about permits and all the little before details, parking etc. Awesome find!
Happy to help! Before doing this trip, I tried to find a similar video with all of the information I was looking for when I was in the planning process. When I came back, I decided to make the video I wish I had found before hiking this trail. Hopefully you found this one useful.
To the Hungry Hiker, as far as the permit, just does the group leader make the application, and if selected, just the group leader applies for the permit for all four in your group?
@@trisharbogast9119 Great question! Everyone in our group applied for an early reservation spot in the Wonderland lottery last year, but I was the only one in the group who won an early reservation slot. By winning the early reservation slot, I was able to book all of our tentsites for the trip to create our permit. As the group leader, I was the only one who could pick up the official permit that had our tent site reservations under it for the trip, from the ranger station. I then had to wear the permit on my pack and keep it on my tent the entire time we were out on trail.Hope this helps!
@@TheHungryHiker last question...coming from okc and wondering what’s the best option to get from the airport to the trailhead. Would a rental be my best option? Unfortunate to pay to let a car sit for 10 days. But obviously if that’s my only option I’ll definitely do it.
Rental car or Uber. I’d be careful with Uber though. You might not get service in the park for when you need to schedule an Uber on your way back. Unfortunately I don’t think there are any shuttles.
I just missed seeing you. I slept in the Sunrise parking lot on Aug 2nd and did a day hike the morning of the 3rd. The wonderland trail or part of it is on my list. Congrats!
This is also on our bucket list but seems so overwhelming to plan. The lottery system is just confusing to me. I’ll have to revisit this video when we eventually do muster up the energy to plan this thing.
At first, this one felt like it was overwhelming to plan too. I highly recommend the guidebook. It was extremely helpful throughout the whole planning process. You’ll want to build your itinerary before making your reservation and there’s quite a few sample itineraries in the guidebook to choose from. Good luck!!
@@TheHungryHiker good to know! We decided to do the Grand Canyon R2R hike instead next year after seeing your video. I’m originally from AZ and never did it so felt like it was overdue and will give me a chance to see family. Logistics and planning still needed, but seemed more likely to get a permit!
@@chemistryflavored You're going to love the Grand Canyon R2R hike. It's on my bucket list to camp down on the canyon floor at some point. Hopefully one day soon!
Not about the Wonderland Trail, although it would be a wonder if I could ever hike it. Do you have any suggestions for someone older (60+) who wants to start hiking? Books, videos, anything the is specifically geared to older beginning hikers? I'm a klutz so tree roots, etc. are my nemisis. Any exercise books, videos that can help get someone in shape to start hiking short hikes? Your enthusiasm is contagious and I'm so impressed by how well thought out your trips are. Congratulations on hiking that beautiful (at times?) trail. 🖖😊🥇
Thanks for watching! Where are you located? If you're in Washington, I have some great resources for you to check out. For anyone looking to start getting into hiking, I'd highly recommend using the WTA's website (Washington Trails Association) to find local trails based off of perimeters you can set like distance, elevation gain, features and location. Here's the link to help you get started: www.wta.org/go-outside/map If you're looking for people to go hiking with, I highly recommend getting involved with The Mountaineers. Volunteer hiking leaders post trips for members to join all of the time and there's a wide variety of trips available along with a variety of age groups. Check them out here: www.mountaineers.org/activities/activities#b_start=0 As for the tree roots, I stumble on them too. I call them toe picks and even with the amount of hiking I've done, they still get me every dang time. That's just a part of hiking for me so I completely understand. I trip over my own feet if I'm walking on a flat surface!
Im mid 40's and found rucking to be a great way to get in hiking shape in a safe manner. Rucking is essentially carrying a weighted pack around your neighborhood. Although if you live in a city you wont get the elevation gain like hiking.
Hello ~ I'm loving your channel and have been binge-watching your backpacking trips (especially all of your Wonderland videos) as I think ahead to the coming season. I'm planning to do a section of the Wonderland (3 nights) this summer if I can score a permit. The trail varies so much! Is there a 1/3rd of the trail that you loved most? -That's probably not an easy question ;)
My most favorite tentsites to stay at along the Wonderland Trail were Golden Lakes, Klapatche Park and Indian Bar. Really stunning scenery in this area and the lakes were amazing!
Rain wasn’t great, but for the sections we got rained on, it was perfect. We didn’t miss out on too many views. When were you out there and where did you start from?
I miss the PNW so much; we lived in Seattle from 2003-2009, and I wasn't into backpacking at the time. Such a lost opportunity. Perhaps, someday, we'll be able to move back.
Was it smokey at all? It looks like it might have been on some days but maybe that's fog - was it hard to hike in the smoke? Thinking about applying for an early sept permit but worried about smoke!
The first day was a mix of fog and smoke, but for the rest of the trip ended up being pretty clear, except for the couple of days where it rained on us. Overall, we got pretty lucky with nice weather while we were out there.
Great question! You can go back and pick up your bucket, but the better thing to do is to let the rangers know that you want to donate it to the park. They’re happy to take the unused buckets because they have a variety of uses for them within the park. We donated our buckets because we wanted to help give back to the park. 😀
Nice recap of how you completed this EPIC trip! Thank you. I'm flying to Seattle mid 2022 and was wondering how to get transportation for food drops and getting to the trail on day 1. Uber, Lyft, Hitching?
How exciting! Since you're coming from out of town, you'll probably want to rent a car or look into a car sharing service like Uber or Lyft. I wouldn't recommend hitchhiking around the park. You might be waiting a while and I'm not sure if hitchhiking is even allowed in the national park.Good luck!
@@TheHungryHiker I found at least one shuttle from Seattle to the visitors center for $20 each way. From there I might get an Uber or Lyft to one food drop and back. 🙂
Hey Kathleen, do you have any more information about the dispersed camping site you stayed at? I’m assuming it’s along SR 410. Is it a left or right turn coming out of the park on White River Rd? Is there any signage? Sounds like a great place to stay at to get up early and snag a walk-up permit 🙂 (PS thanks for the awesome videos!)
Yes, right off of SR 410 on the right hand side, just before entering the park. There’s no signage so you’ll have to keep a look out for the mile markers.coming out of the park from White River, the turn would be on your left. Good luck and enjoy!!
Did I miss the training hikes you did in preparation? A whole video (or lesson) on 'Embrace the suck" - or dealing with less convenient situations would be awesome. Also: do you use a quilt in cold weather camping? Love all these videos... We need more women represented in hiking!
You did! Do a quick little search on my UA-cam Channel and you should be able to find the playlist. If not, here's the playlist of some of my training hikes I did in preparation for the 2021 backpacking season: ua-cam.com/video/nOGI3St9_yI/v-deo.html As for a lesson on how to "Embrace the Suck", I will be including THAT in my upcoming online backpacking course for women I'm currently developing and putting together so stay tuned. Yes, I use my quilt all year round, along with my super insulated sleeping pad with an R-Value of 6.9, even in cold weather camping. Here are the details for each: Enlightened Equipment Enigma Custom Quilt alnk.to/gVDabHc ThermaRest NeoAir Xtherm Inflatable Sleeping Pad alnk.to/hsnr8dF
No, we chose to donate them to the park. The rangers have lots of needs for these types of buckets and donating them helps the park from having to purchase them in the future. I was more than happy to donate my bucket if it meant helping out the rangers and being able to give back to the park.
Not a silly question at all. You can either plan to go back to pick them up from the ranger station after your trip OR let the rangers know you want to donate them to the park. Buckets are expensive and the park has many uses for them so when you choose to donate your bucket, you’re doing a great service to the park and rangers. We chose to donate our buckets. 😀
To reduce the potential for unrealistic itineraries, Recreation.gov will not allow users to book sites along the Wonderland Trail that are more than 17.5 miles apart. The environment around many backcountry camps is fragile and very sensitive to trampling. It is very important that parties reserve trips that are achievable so that they can make it to their destination. Camping off-itinerary can create crowded conditions in already booked sites, or natural resource impacts from camping in undesignated areas. If a ranger finds that you're camped at a site you're not permitted for, you risk getting your entire trip permit revoked along with you and the members of your party escorted off of the trail by a Park Ranger.
I'd like to do this hike next year. What are the chances I'd get a permit in the lottery? Is this something that can take a few years of trying before securing one? I live in St. Louis so showing up the day before hoping one is available isn't an option.
I'm thinking the same thing. It's already pretty hard to organize the logistics of getting you and all you need halfway across the country for a long backpacking trip, add the confusion of permits is a lot to worry about. Still want to do it though. I also live in the STL area if you need a partner for some hikes closer to the area 😊
It's a lottery so your chances of winning are just as good as anyone else entering the lottery. The chances of winning one of the early reservation time slots really depend on how many people enter the lottery each year. For some people, winning a good enough time slot in the early reservation lottery so they can build their perfect, dream itinerary can take a few seasons. Some people score it (out of per luck) on their first try. The other alternative is scoring a walk up permit.
Planning any sort of backpacking trip that requires a sought after, hard-to-get permit can be tricky when it comes to navigating trip logistics, especially when you're traveling a long distance just to get to the trailhead. Your best bet is to enter the Early Access Lottery as soon as the lottery opens for the season and hope for the best. Good luck! www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wilderness-permit.htm
Awesome! Congratulations! My top three campsites that I stayed at along The Wonderland were: Klapatche Park, Indian Bar and Summerland. If I could do it over, I'd do the Northern Loop without snow and I'd start my first night at Sunrise. So bummed I didn't get to camp at Sunrise and it's one of my favorite areas in the whole park. Have fun putting your itinerary together!
People make it too complicated. You show up at the Longmire station early 90% chance you'll get a permit. Bang out as many miles as you can with all the food on your back like a real backpacker and fast pack in 5 days.. bring a few bells and whistles n your good to go
The nice thing about backpacking is there's no one right way to do it. Walk up permits are a great option for those who don't have to plan their trips in advance and have more flexibility in their schedule to be able to take whatever is available. In my opinion, if you put on a loaded pack and go anywhere out on trail to spend the night in the backcountry, no matter how much food you carry, how fast (or slow) you hike and how long you're out there, you're still a real backpacker.
Wow. I can see from this we wont be doing this trail ever. It is WAY too restrictive. We like to hike and camp on OUR schedule...not someone elses. Dont like to 'HAVE TO' stay at a certain place on a certain night. That doesnt work.
I get that. This is part of the reason why I like hopping on the PCT for a long section hike. You can go whenever, camp wherever and don't have to deal with the hassle of going through a permitting process. Mount Rainier National Park is the most visited national park in Washington, so I can completely understand why the permitting process is in place and why there are so many restrictions. It's a way to control how many people are on trail in an effort to protect the natural resources and keep the backcountry as pristine as possible without it getting overrun by large crowds and lots of human waste. You'd be surprised how much money and effort goes into managing human waste in the backcountry. I had a lot of really good and in-depth conversations about this with some of the rangers I met on trail while I was out there.
@@TheHungryHiker we all need to hike our own hike. We go to feel the freedom of the trail...the wilds...the woods. (Plus..we are seniors...we cant necessarily Get to a designated site someone else planned for us!!!!) We look for the freedom trails. Have fun out there
In order to camp anywhere in Mount Rainier National Park, you do need a permit which can either be obtained through the early registration lottery or as a walk-up the day before your trip from a ranger station.
I'm so excited to share with you how I backpacked the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park in 10 days. This was a trip of a lifetime and something that has been on my bucketlist for quite sometime.
In this video, I wanted to introduce the trail and show you how we planned our trip and hiked our hike. I'm sure a lot of you will have questions about this trail so I figured I'd do my best to answer any questions you might have before starting the vlogging series.
Is there a question about this trail you still have that I didn't answer in this video? Leave it in the comments below and I'll do my best to help answer it for you.
As a kid, my mom and I hiked every trail in Mt. Rainier park, including Camp Muir. My grandfather was one of the builders of the old stone cabin at Camp Muir. Of course, all of this was 60+ years ago. Really enjoying seeing it again through your eyes.
I love this! Thank you for sharing!
Camp Muir was one of my training hikes this year. It was a tough one getting up there, but the views were amazing. I put together a short video of my hike up to Camp Muir on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheHungryHiker
I am doing the Wonderland starting September 22nd!! So excited to go and to watch your videos!
Yay! The first vlog from my trip went live today on my channel: ua-cam.com/video/Q0OlwMzbdBY/v-deo.html
Can't wait to hike this myself
The Wonderland is a beautiful trail. I highly recommend hiking this one if you can. Easily one of my all-time favorite trails to hike and Mount Rainier is, hands down, my most favorite volcano. :)
Great video. Nice to see how all the logistics were worked out. Cannot wait to see more of the trail.
Vlogs coming soon! Working on the first one now! 😀
Cool trip!
yesss welcome back! looking forward to the series!
Thank you! Feels good to be back. I have a LOT of new videos coming!!!
Awesome video once again as always! 😃 I agree with everyone else before me in the comments in that, I'm super stoked and love your videos/video series! You're always helpful and inspiring! Hike on!
Yay!! Thank you! First blog from the trip goes live tomorrow morning!!
I love that trail! I need to do it again!
Did you do the whole rotation of the trail? Which direction did you go in? What was your favorite tentsite?
I’m beginning to plan this hike for my family and I and this is by far the most informative and helpful video there is…..thank you!
Awesome!!!
Thanks for sharing your story! I'm leaving for the Wonderland trial tomorrow- and this video is filling me with excitement :)
Have fun on your trip!
Spent the afternoon, play listing the wonderland T. Beautiful thanks for sharing. We hopped on the northern loop years ago. So amazing MT Reiner rock slide from safety point ….
Love this! So glad you enjoyed the series. This was a really fun trail to hike. 10 our of 10! I'd do it again. :)
Amazing job…I’m going to try to do a hike with your advice and suggestions. Thanx!👍🏼
Thank you and good luck. Have fun out there!
What a great series of videos you have put together on the Wonderland Trail. The amount of detail you include is amazing. Thank you for your content.
Glad you enjoyed this video series and found them helpful!
Your videos keep getting better and better!! Great, useful information delivered in the most well organized manner! I appreciate every bit. Thanks.
I can't wait to get to that part of the country to do some hiking and camping. It's good to know that there's a bunch of rules to keep these areas in their prime. Will have to do my homework before going!
Great stuff! Keep 'em coming girl! 👍
Thank you!!
I'm SO excited for these series of videos! I'll be hiking the Wonderland Trail early September for 11 days.
Tammy Asars book is currently sitting on our coffee table, and we're so excited. Fingers crossed for better air quality by then.
I'm so excited for your trip. All the bridges were up for us while we were out there. In fact, the trail crew had just finished putting in the South Mowich bridge the day before we came through. Get ready for the sketchy hillside portion in Stevens Canyon. That was my least favorite part of the trail. Everything else was awesome! Even the skeeters left us along at Devil's Dream and hikers had been warning us for miles about that one.
I love these kind of videos! They make me willing to plan a complete new hike we well.
Can't wait for the awesome views and stunning nature while you are on trail.
Yay! I love this! First blog for the trip goes live on UA-cam tomorrow morning!!!
@@TheHungryHiker looking forward to it.
Super informative and organized content! Great job expressing your fun of this excursion. Being older though I wouldnt mind if you slowed down on the content and pics you would show. I just have to hike this loop soon! Thank you again for your vid and I will make sure to thumbs up you on other vids too. It's nice to see you present so positively and happy.
Yay! I’ve been looking forward to seeing your wonderland adventures! The logistics seem so overwhelming, but you had a good handle on it. I hope to be in good enough hiking shape next summer. Still recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Thanks for posting awesome content Kathleen! You are such an inspiration!
OMG! I love this. Thank you! Yes, the logistics were super overwhelming to me at first as well. Just figuring out the lottery system was hard enough. Then it was a process to make and secure the reservation. There were so many steps to putting this trip together, but once we were out there on trail, all of the steps and hard work we put into making our trip happen were all worth it. It was really hard to have to get off trail though. I could have stayed out there for another 10 days, after a shower and a food supply of course!
This is wonderful. Looking forward to the follow up videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!!
Yay! Thanks for watching. More coming soon for the Wonderland vlog series. 😀
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a park ranger. Never gotten to visit a park though. I need to go camping when I get my Subaru. 😎⛺️ 🏕
After this trip, I definitely want to be a park ranger when I grow up!
This is a wonderful video! I’m starting to plan my wonderland trip and am a newbie at long through hikes- I love your channel!! Thank you so much!! 🥰🥰
Glad it was helpful!
Nice! I am going to have to watch your Wonderland Trail series to learn more about the trail. I am hoping to get a walk up permit this summer (didn't win the lottery). I don't have my trail legs right now so not sure what my pace / milage will be. I am also a thru hiker of the A.T('18), L.T.('19), C.T.('20), and PCT('22)
Awesome! Have fun out there and good luck scoring an awesome walk up permit this summer.
@@TheHungryHiker Will Do and Thank You! I hope I can score one and get another trail on my completed list.
Awesome video series! Really gave a good section by section feel for the Wonderland Trail. I have done bits and pieces and a couple larger sections over the years but really want to do the whole thing at once. Got into the early lottery for this last summer but I guess my time slot was at the tail end of the early lottery because there were no camps left to string together by the time my turn came. Hoping for next year.
Thank you!!! Best of luck to you for the lottery season this year. Remember, there's always the option of trying to score a walk-up permit. Just have to have some flexibility and patience, but the rangers will help you put together an itinerary based on what's available.
I’m a brand new backpacker, and this video is sooo informative and helpful ! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us . This trip is on my dream list some day! Do they allow hammocks ?
Yay! Happy to share the information! As for hammocks, I’m not 100% sure. I never saw anywhere that you couldn’t hammock along the trail. I did run into a couple hikers who were using a hammock so I think it would be okay, but I’d reach out to a ranger first, just to be sure either way.
We hiked wonderland in 2020 but didn't finish (70miles of 93). We went in late September and ended up hitting some intense weather over the panhandle gap where the bridge to summer land was wiped out. It was amazing overall and I hope we make it again one day to complete what we started, but I hope people watching because they are planning a trip (especially late season) are prepared to expect issues and LOTS of water... Like all your waterproof covers may soak through haha. That said, 100% go and have an amazing, safe time (with many more waterproofing layer than you expect).
I could not imagine hitting intense weather going over Panhandle Gap. That must have been frightening!! You’re absolutely right. Anyone hiking this trail, no matter what time of year, should always be prepared for the weather to change at anytime. The mountain has her own climate and she does what she wants. Even in August, we got rained on for two days. You just never know what you’re going to get.
Pack out the TP!! I use a doggie poop bag. Bury the poop - collect and tie off the doggie bag. Easy peasy. I've never had a problem with smell or anything. I just add it to my regular trash.
100% agree!!! I use doggie bags to pack out TP/baby wipes. Never had an issue with smell, unless it was me, my sweat and body odor from hiking all day. 🤷♀️😂
I’ve been so excited for your Wonderland videos since you announced your trip! Really looking forward to watching these. There aren’t any restrictions or permits like this where I’m from, so the process is fascinating to me.
Yay! The vlogs from this trip are coming soon. I hope to launch the first one on Monday!
Mount Rainier National Park is the most visited national Parkin Washington so I understand why there's a permit process and why there are so many restrictions. It was worth all the hassle to put this trip together and finally make it a reality though.
@@TheHungryHiker Totally makes sense. I was just in the Tahoe area and used the permit system there, and I can see how popular wilderness areas could get overrun without some regulation. Thanks for your efforts to share your adventures!
@@johnniesparkle There are pluses and minuses to the permitting system. After doing a trip like this and speaking to rangers out on trail, I have a much deeper appreciation for the work rangers do in our backcountry and the permitting system in general. It's not perfect, but it does serve a valuable purpose.This is also why I decided to use my platform to share all of the information about the permit system for this trail and explain why it's in place. Hopefully this will help others out there when planning their next trip and give them a deeper appreciation for why some of our most popular places need a permit to travel through them. Having this permit though definitely made me appreciate my time out there even more because it was sheer luck that I got my permit in the first place.
I have been looking for a video just like this and you're the first I've found! There are so many great backpacking channels, but I want to know about permits and all the little before details, parking etc. Awesome find!
Happy to help! Before doing this trip, I tried to find a similar video with all of the information I was looking for when I was in the planning process. When I came back, I decided to make the video I wish I had found before hiking this trail. Hopefully you found this one useful.
To the Hungry Hiker, as far as the permit, just does the group leader make the application, and if selected, just the group leader applies for the permit for all four in your group?
@@trisharbogast9119 Great question! Everyone in our group applied for an early reservation spot in the Wonderland lottery last year, but I was the only one in the group who won an early reservation slot. By winning the early reservation slot, I was able to book all of our tentsites for the trip to create our permit. As the group leader, I was the only one who could pick up the official permit that had our tent site reservations under it for the trip, from the ranger station. I then had to wear the permit on my pack and keep it on my tent the entire time we were out on trail.Hope this helps!
Will be hiking the WT next month from the 5th-13th! Super stoked
Have an amazing trip!
@@TheHungryHiker thank you! Looking forward to more of your videos to help with my prep. 🤙🏽
Yay!!!!
@@TheHungryHiker last question...coming from okc and wondering what’s the best option to get from the airport to the trailhead. Would a rental be my best option? Unfortunate to pay to let a car sit for 10 days. But obviously if that’s my only option I’ll definitely do it.
Rental car or Uber. I’d be careful with Uber though. You might not get service in the park for when you need to schedule an Uber on your way back. Unfortunately I don’t think there are any shuttles.
This video and you are amazing. Great step by step to having a wonderful backpacking trip so glad i found your station and subscribed. Peach
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this one!
I just missed seeing you. I slept in the Sunrise parking lot on Aug 2nd and did a day hike the morning of the 3rd. The wonderland trail or part of it is on my list. Congrats!
Oh no, I just saw that you got kicked out of the sunrise parking lot. I guess I got lucky that no one cared I was in there.
Yup, just missed us. On August 2nd, we were leaving Mystic Lake and heading to Mowich Lake.
It was actually a blessing in disguise. The rangers sent us to an epic dispersed camping spot that turned out to be way better than the parking lot.
This was a great video :) would you be able to share the dispersed car sites you stayed in?
You can find more information about the dispersed camping site we stay at on day one in this video: ua-cam.com/video/Q0OlwMzbdBY/v-deo.html
Awesome video.
Thank you!
This is also on our bucket list but seems so overwhelming to plan. The lottery system is just confusing to me. I’ll have to revisit this video when we eventually do muster up the energy to plan this thing.
At first, this one felt like it was overwhelming to plan too. I highly recommend the guidebook. It was extremely helpful throughout the whole planning process. You’ll want to build your itinerary before making your reservation and there’s quite a few sample itineraries in the guidebook to choose from. Good luck!!
@@TheHungryHiker good to know! We decided to do the Grand Canyon R2R hike instead next year after seeing your video. I’m originally from AZ and never did it so felt like it was overdue and will give me a chance to see family. Logistics and planning still needed, but seemed more likely to get a permit!
@@chemistryflavored You're going to love the Grand Canyon R2R hike. It's on my bucket list to camp down on the canyon floor at some point. Hopefully one day soon!
Not about the Wonderland Trail, although it would be a wonder if I could ever hike it. Do you have any suggestions for someone older (60+) who wants to start hiking? Books, videos, anything the is specifically geared to older beginning hikers? I'm a klutz so tree roots, etc. are my nemisis. Any exercise books, videos that can help get someone in shape to start hiking short hikes?
Your enthusiasm is contagious and I'm so impressed by how well thought out your trips are. Congratulations on hiking that beautiful (at times?) trail. 🖖😊🥇
Thanks for watching! Where are you located? If you're in Washington, I have some great resources for you to check out. For anyone looking to start getting into hiking, I'd highly recommend using the WTA's website (Washington Trails Association) to find local trails based off of perimeters you can set like distance, elevation gain, features and location. Here's the link to help you get started: www.wta.org/go-outside/map
If you're looking for people to go hiking with, I highly recommend getting involved with The Mountaineers. Volunteer hiking leaders post trips for members to join all of the time and there's a wide variety of trips available along with a variety of age groups. Check them out here: www.mountaineers.org/activities/activities#b_start=0
As for the tree roots, I stumble on them too. I call them toe picks and even with the amount of hiking I've done, they still get me every dang time. That's just a part of hiking for me so I completely understand. I trip over my own feet if I'm walking on a flat surface!
Im mid 40's and found rucking to be a great way to get in hiking shape in a safe manner. Rucking is essentially carrying a weighted pack around your neighborhood. Although if you live in a city you wont get the elevation gain like hiking.
I do the same, only I live closer to the mountains than the city so I put on my weighted pack and go hiking. 😀
Hello ~ I'm loving your channel and have been binge-watching your backpacking trips (especially all of your Wonderland videos) as I think ahead to the coming season. I'm planning to do a section of the Wonderland (3 nights) this summer if I can score a permit. The trail varies so much! Is there a 1/3rd of the trail that you loved most? -That's probably not an easy question ;)
My most favorite tentsites to stay at along the Wonderland Trail were Golden Lakes, Klapatche Park and Indian Bar. Really stunning scenery in this area and the lakes were amazing!
Sorry we missed you but we were hiking CCW also! Rain wasn’t great very rugged!
Rain wasn’t great, but for the sections we got rained on, it was perfect. We didn’t miss out on too many views. When were you out there and where did you start from?
Take a hike 🤍
That’s what I do. 😀
I miss the PNW so much; we lived in Seattle from 2003-2009, and I wasn't into backpacking at the time. Such a lost opportunity. Perhaps, someday, we'll be able to move back.
The backcountry in Washington is a big part of why I live here and don’t ever want to leave. ❤️
thank you!!
You're welcome! Hopefully this video was helpful for you planning your own trip.
Such an informative video. Great content.
Thank you!
Did UHaul hike the PCT in 2019? May have met him, or another UHaul. Loving your videos!
No, he only hike a couple small sections of the PCT in 2020.
Was it smokey at all? It looks like it might have been on some days but maybe that's fog - was it hard to hike in the smoke? Thinking about applying for an early sept permit but worried about smoke!
The first day was a mix of fog and smoke, but for the rest of the trip ended up being pretty clear, except for the couple of days where it rained on us. Overall, we got pretty lucky with nice weather while we were out there.
After you are done hiking the Wonderland Trail, do you pick up your food cash buckets at the ranger station? (Drop off and pick up method?)
Great question! You can go back and pick up your bucket, but the better thing to do is to let the rangers know that you want to donate it to the park. They’re happy to take the unused buckets because they have a variety of uses for them within the park. We donated our buckets because we wanted to help give back to the park. 😀
Nice recap of how you completed this EPIC trip! Thank you. I'm flying to Seattle mid 2022 and was wondering how to get transportation for food drops and getting to the trail on day 1. Uber, Lyft, Hitching?
How exciting! Since you're coming from out of town, you'll probably want to rent a car or look into a car sharing service like Uber or Lyft. I wouldn't recommend hitchhiking around the park. You might be waiting a while and I'm not sure if hitchhiking is even allowed in the national park.Good luck!
@@TheHungryHiker I found at least one shuttle from Seattle to the visitors center for $20 each way. From there I might get an Uber or Lyft to one food drop and back. 🙂
There you go!
Hey Kathleen, do you have any more information about the dispersed camping site you stayed at? I’m assuming it’s along SR 410. Is it a left or right turn coming out of the park on White River Rd? Is there any signage? Sounds like a great place to stay at to get up early and snag a walk-up permit 🙂 (PS thanks for the awesome videos!)
Yes, right off of SR 410 on the right hand side, just before entering the park. There’s no signage so you’ll have to keep a look out for the mile markers.coming out of the park from White River, the turn would be on your left. Good luck and enjoy!!
Did I miss the training hikes you did in preparation? A whole video (or lesson) on 'Embrace the suck" - or dealing with less convenient situations would be awesome. Also: do you use a quilt in cold weather camping? Love all these videos... We need more women represented in hiking!
You did! Do a quick little search on my UA-cam Channel and you should be able to find the playlist. If not, here's the playlist of some of my training hikes I did in preparation for the 2021 backpacking season: ua-cam.com/video/nOGI3St9_yI/v-deo.html
As for a lesson on how to "Embrace the Suck", I will be including THAT in my upcoming online backpacking course for women I'm currently developing and putting together so stay tuned.
Yes, I use my quilt all year round, along with my super insulated sleeping pad with an R-Value of 6.9, even in cold weather camping. Here are the details for each:
Enlightened Equipment Enigma Custom Quilt alnk.to/gVDabHc
ThermaRest NeoAir Xtherm Inflatable Sleeping Pad alnk.to/hsnr8dF
@@TheHungryHiker Found the links...
Did you go back to pick up your buckets?
No, we chose to donate them to the park. The rangers have lots of needs for these types of buckets and donating them helps the park from having to purchase them in the future. I was more than happy to donate my bucket if it meant helping out the rangers and being able to give back to the park.
This might be a silly question but what happens to the food cache buckets once you resupply?
Not a silly question at all. You can either plan to go back to pick them up from the ranger station after your trip OR let the rangers know you want to donate them to the park. Buckets are expensive and the park has many uses for them so when you choose to donate your bucket, you’re doing a great service to the park and rangers. We chose to donate our buckets. 😀
@@TheHungryHiker Thanks. Where do you get the canisters? I’d be flying in from the east coast and I think would need to get them once out there.
@@elisaadams2292 We used hard sided buckets with lids. You can find them at any hardware store or paint store.
How often and long do you hike to prepare for hikes like this? Like twice a week 5 mi each, for example?
It all depends on the big hike I'm preparing for. I typically like to hike at least once a week, with a weighted pack.
I'm new to the permit system. What if you don't/can't make it to the specific campsite on the day listed?
To reduce the potential for unrealistic itineraries, Recreation.gov will not allow users to book sites along the Wonderland Trail that are more than 17.5 miles apart.
The environment around many backcountry camps is fragile and very sensitive to trampling. It is very important that parties reserve trips that are achievable so that they can make it to their destination. Camping off-itinerary can create crowded conditions in already booked sites, or natural resource impacts from camping in undesignated areas.
If a ranger finds that you're camped at a site you're not permitted for, you risk getting your entire trip permit revoked along with you and the members of your party escorted off of the trail by a Park Ranger.
I'd like to do this hike next year. What are the chances I'd get a permit in the lottery? Is this something that can take a few years of trying before securing one? I live in St. Louis so showing up the day before hoping one is available isn't an option.
I'm thinking the same thing. It's already pretty hard to organize the logistics of getting you and all you need halfway across the country for a long backpacking trip, add the confusion of permits is a lot to worry about. Still want to do it though. I also live in the STL area if you need a partner for some hikes closer to the area 😊
It's a lottery so your chances of winning are just as good as anyone else entering the lottery. The chances of winning one of the early reservation time slots really depend on how many people enter the lottery each year. For some people, winning a good enough time slot in the early reservation lottery so they can build their perfect, dream itinerary can take a few seasons. Some people score it (out of per luck) on their first try. The other alternative is scoring a walk up permit.
Planning any sort of backpacking trip that requires a sought after, hard-to-get permit can be tricky when it comes to navigating trip logistics, especially when you're traveling a long distance just to get to the trailhead. Your best bet is to enter the Early Access Lottery as soon as the lottery opens for the season and hope for the best. Good luck!
www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wilderness-permit.htm
What were your Favorite Camp Sites. Just got my Permit after 3 years of trying!!
Awesome! Congratulations! My top three campsites that I stayed at along The Wonderland were: Klapatche Park, Indian Bar and Summerland. If I could do it over, I'd do the Northern Loop without snow and I'd start my first night at Sunrise. So bummed I didn't get to camp at Sunrise and it's one of my favorite areas in the whole park. Have fun putting your itinerary together!
People make it too complicated. You show up at the Longmire station early 90% chance you'll get a permit. Bang out as many miles as you can with all the food on your back like a real backpacker and fast pack in 5 days.. bring a few bells and whistles n your good to go
The nice thing about backpacking is there's no one right way to do it. Walk up permits are a great option for those who don't have to plan their trips in advance and have more flexibility in their schedule to be able to take whatever is available. In my opinion, if you put on a loaded pack and go anywhere out on trail to spend the night in the backcountry, no matter how much food you carry, how fast (or slow) you hike and how long you're out there, you're still a real backpacker.
do you need a bear canister?
Bear canisters are not required on the Wonderland Trail. You do have to hand your food on the bear poles provided at each tentsite though.
Wow. I can see from this we wont be doing this trail ever. It is WAY too restrictive. We like to hike and camp on OUR schedule...not someone elses. Dont like to 'HAVE TO' stay at a certain place on a certain night. That doesnt work.
I get that. This is part of the reason why I like hopping on the PCT for a long section hike. You can go whenever, camp wherever and don't have to deal with the hassle of going through a permitting process.
Mount Rainier National Park is the most visited national park in Washington, so I can completely understand why the permitting process is in place and why there are so many restrictions. It's a way to control how many people are on trail in an effort to protect the natural resources and keep the backcountry as pristine as possible without it getting overrun by large crowds and lots of human waste. You'd be surprised how much money and effort goes into managing human waste in the backcountry. I had a lot of really good and in-depth conversations about this with some of the rangers I met on trail while I was out there.
@@TheHungryHiker we all need to hike our own hike. We go to feel the freedom of the trail...the wilds...the woods. (Plus..we are seniors...we cant necessarily Get to a designated site someone else planned for us!!!!) We look for the freedom trails.
Have fun out there
@@waynerichards3025 The nice thing about the Great Outdoors is there's something for everybody. :)
Did not know you could not just camp freely the bums here in Minneapolis seem to be able set up camp where ever they feel
In order to camp anywhere in Mount Rainier National Park, you do need a permit which can either be obtained through the early registration lottery or as a walk-up the day before your trip from a ranger station.
sigh sounds like a headache lol but may be great hike... sigh
It’s a great hike! It’s hard, but if it were easy I don’t think it would be as special.