Mt Rainier NP; Great Northern Loop Ultra Run

Wow…I just….wtf???? The scene in front of us was beyond words and comprehension, the glaciated massif of Mt Rainier glowed in the early morning light, fields of wildflowers surrounded us on all sides, and not a soul was in sight, this is what we had come for.

Running across the Sourdough Ridge Trail at sunrise, what a start to an epic run.

Mt Rainier National Park was created in 1899, America’s 5th National Park, to protect the glaciers, alpine meadows, roaring waterways and lush forests of the mountain known to the natives at Tahoma (or Tacoma). The last time I had visited Mt Rainier National Park had been in 2004, and on that trip I’d barely scratched the surface of what the park has to offer. This trip was to be a bit different, a whirlwind tour of the North side of the peak, somewhere in the range of 50miles on already tired legs, game on. I’d convinced my friend Ely Gerbin to join me for this epic adventure of stupidity, and what a day we were in for.

Mt Rainier as seen from the aptly named Sunrise parking lot.

We left the Sunrise parking lot at the crack of dawn, just as the pink alpenglow lit up the hulking massive in front of us. As we jogged our way across the Sourdough Ridge trail the views were nothing short of spectacular, and we were only a mile in! Our route consisted of combining two loops; the Northern Loop with the Spray Park Loop. We opted to start by traversing the Southern portion of the loop first along the Wonderland trail, finishing with the Northern section along the Northern trail. As we rolled along the Wonderland trail through fields filled with wildflowers, the mountain loomed above in the sunlight. The trails were buttery smooth, the morning air was cool and the views were ever changing and stunning. Past the toe of the Winthrop Glacier, the clear reflection of Mystic Lake and on to the bridge over the Carbon River and the looming Carbon Glacier (mm13.4, 3:05). As we started the long climb up from the Carbon River the sun began to bake and the flowers were again popping. The creeks in Spray Park were our own private oasis, and we filled our bottles, drank our fill and dunked out heads (mm17.3, 4:37). Even during our brief stop the mosquitoes swarmed, so we couldn’t stop to smell the flowers for too long.

Reflection in Mystic Lake along the Wonderland Trail.
Ely running through fields of flowers with Mt Rainier looming behind us.
Ely cruising up the single track above the Carbon River.

The views were spectacular as we rolled through the high alpine meadows, then began the slow descent back into the forest and Mowich Lake. Ely and I rolled past the masses at Mowich Lake (mm22, 5:50) and onward to Ipsut Pass (mm23.2, 6:06), the halfway point of our big loop. From the top of Ipsut Pass we stared straight down 2500ft to the Carbon River far below, time to get those quads working. We cruised down down down, through lush green forest, along cascading creeks and past towering evergreens, finally crossing the raging glacial grey Carbon River (mm28.7, 7:21). We took a few minutes to refill our water and to cool off in a small tributary before the long climb up to Windy Gap.

Trudging our way up into Spray Park, the flowers were poppin.
More fields of alpine flowers, all is good.
The alpine gardens of Mt Rainier NP, totally worth it.
Looking down from Ipsut Pass toward the Carbon River.
Ely taking pausing for a moment of serene splendor.

We plodded on up through the trees on what seemed like endless switchbacks, finally breaking out into alpine terrain near the Yellowstone Cliffs into a massive field of bear grass. It was a spectacular site, cruising through the green meadow dotted with white puff balls as far as the eye could see. We continued our trudge up to Windy Gap (mm33, 9:11) and down the other side on some beautiful single track to Lake James. After a little off trail wandering we hit the long and steep switchback descent back to the West Fork of the White River (mm36.7, 10:17). After another water refill we started our final climb of the day up the Northern Loop Trail. The long miles of the weekend hit me like a sledgehammer, and the death march was on. Ely was very patient with me as I slowly trudged up the trail, deep in the pain cave, but the scenery was too spectacular to be too grumpy (but maybe a little).

Ely crossing the Carbon River on the inbound part of our journey.
Ahhhhh, fields of Bear Grass!!!!
View of Mt Rainier from the final climb up above the West Fork of the White River. My grumpiness faded away pretty quickly.

After what seemed like an eternity, we crested the climb to a spectacular view point of Mt Rainier looming high above the White River (mm39.8, 11:32), glowing in the afternoon light….a perfect moment to remind me of why I was enduring all the fatigue, all the suffering, all the soreness in my legs. I finally gained a little of my strength back as we rolled through the flat open plateau and down to Lodi creek. One last final little climb would take us back to Sunrise, and while it seemed to drag on, ambling along the creek through fields of wildflowers was a pretty spectacular way to end the day. As we neared Frozen Lake I was very ready to be done, and just at that moment Ely and I rounded a corner to a herd of mountain goats lazily grazing with the looming mass of Mt Rainier as the backdrop. The day wasn’t over, and the constant reminders of how spectacular the mountain and it’s surrounding environment was kept slapping us in the face. The final traverse back across the Sourdough Ridge trail was a fitting finish to an unbelievable day. Spectacular views and amazing trails start to finish, we’d been thoroughly brutalized (me more so than Ely) and had come out the other side, beaten but with our souls fully filled with an amazing appreciation for all that Mt Rainier National Park has to offer.

The amazing just didn’t stop, running our way up Lodi Creek to the finish of the loop.
Yeah that happened. A herd of mountain goats casually grazing along the Wonderland Trail in the shadow of Mt Rainier.

In the end our route totaled 46.5mi and 13,500ft, taking us a little over 13:30 (because of my slow death march finish). Without a doubt, my first real adventure in Mt Rainier National Park was a resounding success, and the route had been more than I’d ever have hoped for. For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of experiencing Mt Rainier National Park either half of our super loop would be spectacular, or any portion of the Wonderland Trail well worth the effort. I’m incredibly grateful for experiences like this, and for the fact that places like this have been protected for me to enjoy, hopefully for many years to come. Run fast, run healthy, but most importantly run happy.


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3 thoughts on “Mt Rainier NP; Great Northern Loop Ultra Run

  1. Pingback: Ultramarathon Daily News | Mon, Nov 11 | Ultrarunnerpodcast.com

  2. Dale Freeman

    I backpacked that area when I was a teenager (50 yrs ago). Our boy scout group made a three day trip of it overnighting on the Carbon river and at Mystic lake. I can’t believe you ran a 46 mile loop at that altitude in 13+ hours! Impressive.

    Reply
    1. Eric Post author

      Thanks Dale, it is a truly spectacular area, and just a different style of seeing things. I would imagine watching sunrise/sunset at Mystic would be spectacular. Though I am grateful we didn’t have to carry heavy backpacks the whole way 🙂

      Reply

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