I have a few ideas about how to start this blog post, but I can’t seem to decide. Do I start with, “We just got back from feeding the starving mosquitoes of the pacific northwest”? Or maybe “We just got back from a 93 mile eating contest around Mt. Rainier”?  Or perhaps it is best to start with how Josh proposed to me on Mount Rainier in 2009, and we spent the first couple of nights of our honeymoon there in 2010. Then we went back in 2014 for RAMROD, the 150 mile Ride Around Mt. Rainier in a Day. It is a special place for us and when we had a chance to run all the way around the mountain on the Wonderland Trail, we signed up.

For this trip to the mountain, we booked a 3 day running tour with Aspire Adventures. It would be 3 days of running, and Aspire would transport our gear, cook food, and even set up a couple of aid stations on the last day. All of Josh’s running, training, and even the Black Hills 50 miler, was to get ready for this adventure. As soon as his feet stop hurting, I think he will say it was worth it.

Last Tuesday we flew into Seattle and spent an evening with our friends Tom & Rhoda, whom we met on our first cycling trip to France. We also traveled with them to ride Vienna to Venice, where I crashed. They are gracious hosts, and it was wonderful to see them, even if it was a short visit. The following day, we drove Rhoda’s car down to Ashford to meet up with Aspire, and the 9 other runners. We camped just outside the park, enjoyed a wonderful dinner with salmon and grilled veggies, and talked about the coming days.

Day 1: Longmire to Mowich Lake – 34 miles and 10,600′ gain

This was a big day, with a lot of gain packed into 34 miles. The trail along this section is highly variable, from buff and loamy to rough, rocky, and overgrown, and everything in between. Anyone who has followed my blog knows that I still have a rough time with water crossings, and the Wonderland Trail has approximately 5 million water crossings, give or take a few. On this section of trail would be the two toughest crossings of the whole loop: the high, narrow, and forever long Tahoma Creek suspension bridge, and a thigh deep crossing of the South Mowich.

The Tahoma Creek suspension bridge is 165 feet high and almost 200 feet long. There is a sign that says “one person at a time”, but not wanting me to be alone out there, Josh followed me on to the bridge. He walked right behind me as I inched my way across. I would move a hand, then a foot, then a hand, then a foot. I kept talking to Josh, telling him I felt like I was going to pass out and if I did, I was afraid I would fall off the edge. Eventually we made it to the other side where I immediately sat down shaking, only to see Josh at the far side of the bridge, just starting across. I was incredibly thankful that I didn’t know I was alone on that bridge, I might have simply frozen up out there. The fact that the bridge is high, narrow, and long, would have made it enough of a challenge, but it also sways and rolls! After a few minutes I was able to stand up, and began drunk walking up the trail, staggering here and there for the next 30 minutes or so, until I found my balance again.

The scenery was beautiful, with some great views of the mountain. We were told that the recent high temperatures had led to deep runoff, and the bridges had been washed out at the South Mowich River. With the danger of the crossing, someone from Aspire planned to run down from camp and be waiting to help with the thigh-deep fast current. I was dreading this crossing the entire day, and was thrilled to arrive at the crossing and find brand new log bridges cut by the park rangers. Granted, I still have a hard time on the log bridges with the rushing water underneath, but I’ll take that over thigh-deep fast water any day.

As we slogged up the final climb of the day to camp the clouds had rolled in and it became a little misty and cold. We arrived at Mowich lake to find a big camp tent with heaters, and even a hot shower, which felt amazing! We may have been “camping”, but we definitely weren’t roughing it.

Day 2: Mowich Lake to White River – 27 miles 6,800′ gain

After a rainy, sleepless night, day 2 was tough. We started out with a tiny uphill before a long, relentless downhill, and an even longer climb back uphill. Although the fog spoiled any potential views of the mountain, it did make Mystic Lake look beautiful and pretty “mystic”.

Heading up and over Skyscraper Pass was a little anticlimactic, as we couldn’t see much of anything above us. The views through the valleys were still gorgeous, and at least it was only mist and not pouring rain. Although I started the day feeling good, by the time we rolled into camp I was in rough shape. Part of it was the physical fatigue, but a lot was cognitive fatigue. I didn’t sleep well the night before, and bad weather always makes my brain fuzzy. It is pretty common for people with brain injuries to be more symptomatic when the barometric pressure drops. With every log bridge crossing I was getting more disoriented and anxious, and there are so many crossings that it was mentally exhausting. Running usually makes my brain feel better, but even that has its limits. As we set up our tent that evening, Josh and I discussed bailing at the first aid station the next day and not finishing the loop. This wasn’t a race, it was vacation, and if I felt as lousy the last day, it wasn’t going to be worth finishing.

Day 3: White River to Longmire – 32 miles, 7,400′ gain

This was easily, hands down, the most spectacular day of the trip. The section from Summerland, through Panhandle Gap and Indian Bar across the ridgeline was breathtaking. I had to tell myself to stop taking pictures and keep moving. We had crystal clear skies and incredible views of the mountain. The snowfields had melted significantly, and were only sketchy for me in a couple of spots, but not too bad. The pictures could never do it justice.

The long downhill to Box Canyon would have been a blast, had we not had 75 miles on our feet already. We were thankful to have an aid station at Box Canyon and I stuffed myself with watermelon, Coke, and M&Ms before heading out.

Today was a new day, and we knew we could definitely finish the loop, but I did stop for a minute to soak my feet in cold water first. After a grind of a climb, and super sketchy section where the trail had been washed out, we stopped at the next aid station at Reflection Lakes. Aid stations are awesome. It is more than the snacks, it is the mental boost. When the entire distance seems too long to handle, you can break it into chunks and tell yourself, “I only need to make it 8 miles to the next aid station”. By that 3rd day, it was nice to have extra support.

From Reflection Lakes, it was only 6 miles back to Longmire. It is amazing how hard 6 miles with 2,000′ of elevation loss can become. At that point, my feet were killing me, and I would have gladly continued uphill rather than take one more step downhill. On fresh legs, this stretch of mostly buff trail would be fast and fun.

After 3 long days, 93 miles and 22,000′ (or my Garmin says 25,000′) of gain and loss, we rolled into Longmire, completing the Wonderland Trail. It was a gorgeous, hard, fun, face-stuffing, mosquito swatting, picture-taking sufferfest, full of wildflowers, waterfalls, gorgeous vistas, and lush forests…and now we could really use a vacation. If you are thinking of tackling this circuit, Aspire was a great crew to be out there with, and I would recommend the trip. The food was good and plentiful, but the heaters and showers were priceless. I’m so proud of Josh, and thankful for his company and hand-holding across more log bridges than I can count! It was pretty awesome to finish this together. For a non-runner, he has sure tackled some big challenges this year, and now he is blissfully looking forward to his “retirement” from running.

I have a day off today, and start back for an easy day of running tomorrow. There are only 9 days before I need to commit to Run Rabbit Run 100 or cancel my lodging. It is easier to commit to 100 miles when you have time to forget how much it hurts. As I sit here with my puffy feet and ankles, I’m not sure that 9 days will be enough time to forget that pain. If I do it, I have 5 weeks to recover and get in a little more training. At least there are no suspension bridges there.

If you want to see even more Wonderland Trail photos, you can check out the full (unedited) gallery here.

As always, thanks for visiting, and don’t forget to subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss any updates. Feel free to comment or contact me with questions.

-Kristin

5 weeks to the next TBI to 100…maybe.