Backpacking Mount Rainier, the Northern Loop at Mount Rainier National Park begins in the beautiful Sunrise area of the park. Along the way it follows the Wonderland Trail and goes over Skyscraper pass, giving you a close view of Skyscraper mountain. It passes by Winthrop Glacier, a mass of glacier, rock, and dirt that is aww inspiring to see. I spent the first night at Mystic campsite. A short way from the campsite is Mystic Lake, a gorgeous mountain lake. The trail then climbs up a way, then down until reaching near the carbon river suspension bridge. Along the decent the Carbon Glacier appears. After veering right, following the Northern Loop trail instead of continuing onto the Wonderland Trail, the trail climbs for about 2.8 miles, up to Yellowstone Cliffs. The climb is well worth the view of the cliffs. Further down the trail is Windy Gap, which is one of the most beautiful places in the park, in my opinion. It feels isolated and far away from civilization. I continued on to James campsite, where I spent my second night of the trip. Once the evening started setting in the mosquitoes came out and I quickly dashed into my tent. On day 3 I awoke early to “ford” the West Fork White River. I had heard lots of rumors that the bridge was out and wanted to get that crossing done early. It turned out there was still a footbridge that was in good shape and I easily crossed. Perhaps during high water the water comes over the bridge, making it difficult to cross. I rounded out the trip with some great basins and meadows toward the end of the loop, passing through Grand Park, Cold Basin, and Berkley Park, a great way to end the trip.
#backpackingmountrainier #backpackingmtrainier #hikingmountrainier