Start point
Unlisted site by Chinook Pass and Highway 410, mile 2324.5
End point
Tentsite past Mike Urich Cabin, mile 2349.7
Miles hiked
25.2
Wilderness area
William O Douglas Wilderness
Mount Rainier Wilderness
Snoqualmie National Forest
Norse Peak Wilderness
People I met
Flame
Lars and Sage
Alyssa, Desert, and Maci
The day on trail
Yeah last night was a little rough. Thankfully, no rain. But I was woken up around 3am by a bunch of elk bugling around me. I know they knew I was there, but I couldn’t sit and do nothing, so I shouted to just make sure they wouldn’t step on me.
It was a rough night of sleep after that. I got a couple more hours of fitful sleep.
Despite my exhaustion, the morning was beautiful. It was a stereotypical Tahoma morning with some mist, blue skies, and just beauty everywhere.
There were a bunch of day hikers who were out early, so I didn’t dally too much. Luckily my camping spot was really secluded so I didn’t have to rush too much.
It was a really short walk to see a bridge to the entrance of Mt. Rainier National Park. It’s so cool to be back in MRNP!
I can’t believe I’m back in this park. It’s so cool! And in an area I’ve never been to!
There were a bunch of day hikers and it was warming up. But it wasn’t too bad. I guess I mostly noticed the warmth through the other hikers. I got that kilt airflow and that Arizona blood.
There were a bunch of signs because it was such a busy location.
One of them was a repository of hiker names.
There was a little spot called Sheep Lake.
The reflection was just too perfect.
More signs. And more signs.
The trail was just so beautiful. A little elevation, not too much.
There were some intermittent views.
It was tough to stop and take a lot of photos because it was taking some focus to continue, since I was so tired. It was really nice to just focus on my hike though. Sometimes the photos have to be skipped.
There were a few cool features. I found a stock tie for horses. Or goats, donkeys, mules, etc.
It just stretched on.
There was a burn zone, of course.
I was heading to an area by the Mike Urich Cabin. There have been a lot of reports of norovirus from the cabin. Some people think it’s coming from an outhouse that is near the creek that borders the cabin. All I know is that I don’t want to get sick, so I’m going to avoid the cabin proper and evaluate the water when I get there.
I arrived to the creek by the cabin just before sunset. I looked around. The supposed outhouse was nowhere near the creek, so I doubted water contamination. Plus, I think there’d be a lot louder and larger of an outbreak if it was in the water. The Forest Service knows what they’re doing with protecting water sources. I’m all but certain the outbreak is limited to actual contact with the cabin. So I filled up water at the creek and continued on, looking for an ideal spot.
About a half mile there was a weird little clearing and structure. There were some people there, and this is an area where I really want isolation, so I continued on.
I was listening to a really interesting interview with Tony Hawk by Dr. Andrew Hubermann. Apparently they’re childhood friends.
After a bit, I found a perfect clearing that fit my tent. I set up and started dinner while my water filtered. It was a slightly chilly night and just absolutely perfect. I brushed my teeth, turned in, and got cozy.