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Getting There
Day Three of my July 2021 road trip. The weather on Monday was warm & clear skies. On this Tuesday, I wanted to get an early start so woke up and got ready.
When I got outside the skies were overcast. Oh well, the forecast said clear & sunny so I thought I'd just need to kill some time for it to burn off. I drove up the White Pass. I feel like I bring up the factoid that Phil & Steve Mahre skied here before their Olympic successes.
https://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/local/olympians-coming-to-mission-ridge/article_feebb382-083d-5d73-ac36-276e3f55b897.html
There wasn't much going on this morning. I noticed a group of mountaineers gathering at the lodge. I remember driving through there in Aug 2018 when there were 100s of firefighters camped out here.
On my way back toward Mt Rainier, the skies were already starting to clear. I caught some glimpses of Mt Rainier and some other alpine ridges.
I cruised through the Stevens Entrance and drove passed the very first viewpoint, parking lot. It was overflowing with cars. Ugh. why? It's almost as if every 4th car sees the crowds and figures they have to stop cuz it must be awesome.
I whizzed by and was soon carving up the
mountains alone (or the closest car was 100s of yds behind). Whew. The
farther I went, the fewer cars I noticed on the road.
Given my connection to Reflections, this was my first stop. Coming up Stevens Canyon, my hiking curiosity was piqued. I had to get "up there". I didn't know where that was but now I do: Unicorn Peak.
I found a space to park across from the Lakes. I geared up and set out on the Pinnacle Peak Saddle Trail.
The Hike
Distance: 4.18 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,739 ft
Moving Time: 2:34:11
Avg Pace: 36:53
Calories: 1,359
Total Time: 3:28:04
The trail is well-maintained. I passed a lot of hikers but it didn't feel crowded per se. I made good time up and out of the trees. The trail changes from dirt and pine to rocks and scree fields. The upper section has a wall that is beautifully built.
The payoff of passing through the Saddle to backside is well worth the effort. It opens up to Mt Adams and the surrounding peaks: Plummer, Denman, Lane, Pinnacle, The Castle, Foss, Unicorn, Boundary.There's a sign that says the trails are unmaintained from Saddle. I looked left and right. I saw some people exploring around but when I heard a 'woohoo' from a tall peak nearby I knew I had to get there.
It was Plummer Peak. It wasn't a difficult climb but there were a couple tricky spots. The pair of hiker I'd heard (likely) left a selfie stick which is mine now. Ha.
The views were just incredible. I could have stayed up there all afternoon but I wanted to see more! I saw the trail on the other side of the Saddle. It looked doable.
I hiked down to the Saddle and took the other trail. It's was pretty steep. When I got between Pinnacle & The Castle, I climbed up to see the views of Mt Rainier. In-fucking-credible!
I took some amazing photos and superwide panos. (According to AllTrails, I could have continued all the way to Unicorn as well as complete a loop back to the trailhead. Next time!
I found a spot just below Pinnacle Peak to sit for a minute. I was grinning ear to ear.
The day was young and I had more energy to hike. I made the descent back to the car.
After changing out of my hiking boots and putting on a dry shirt, I grabbed my Nikon and headed to the Lakes. There was a band of clouds hiding Mt Rainier. I thought about Mr Haines and imagined him standing on the shore somewhere nearby taking a similar photo.
I snapped a couple mediocre shots and headed back to the car. I headed up the Paradise Lodge!
