In the fall of 2010, Dale Gear (Big Bend backpack) suggested that we do the Wonderland Trail in the fall 2011. He got the permits and did all the planning on the camps and schedules for a 10 day circuit. Doug Hogg (AMC NY/NJ) joined the group. Dale could not join because of personal reasons just prior to the trip.
Logistics
We mailed to the Park Service 2 food caches (Mowich Lake - day 4- and White River- day 7- to reduce the weight of the food being carried. Caches were available as planned.
Flew into Seattle-Tacoma and rented a car for the trip to Longmire - about a 2 hour drive from the airport. Stopped in REI (very close to the airport) to get fuel for cooking.
Trail conditions and weather were checked via the National Park Service website. No issues were identified regarding river crossings (bridges sometimes get washed away) and snow on the trail (2010/2011 winter was extremely snowy and 2 segments of the trail had snow.) We were told in Longmire that no spikes were needed (saving weight on the pack) but poles were recommended.
The Backpack
Started on September 11 and finished on September 20- 10 days.
Total mileage per my GPS was 84.2 miles, with a total altitude gain of 27,000 feet. Daily details for each segment (per my GPS) are in:
WT GPS Summary
Weather
Days 1 to 3 were sunny and warm with significant amount of bugs. Sunscreen, deet and bug nets are highly recommended! Afternoon of Day 4 it started raining and only stopped on day 10. In the higher elevations (Spray Park area, Sunrise and Panhandle Gap) it was snowing.
Wildlife
Limited- I saw a deer, a bear about 3 miles away and many chipmunks.
Pictures
Picasa- WonderlandTrail2011
Lessons Learned
- Be physically and mentally prepared for the backpack. The elevation gains are significant and the backpack is physically demanding.
- Do some short backpacks before attempting this one. The experience you gain will make this one a much more rewarding one.
- Have the right equipment and be very comfortable with it. Rain gear is required and keeping a set of dry clothes and a dry sleeping bag is critical. My inflatable pad had slow leaks and I had to inflate it 3-4 times every night!. Although I did bring the repair kit, the leaks could not be fixed successfully.
- iPhone is a great invention. Some of the days were short hikes- having reading material was great. Also, nights are long- going to bed at 7:30 pm with daylight at 6:00 am makes for too much sleeping time. Listening to books on tape or similar (especially if boring) helped me go to sleep on nights I woke up at 3:00 am!
- Do not take too much food. I left lots of food at the caches- although I used the 2 lbs/day rule, my appetite was suppressed and much of the snacks went unused. Too many nuts!
