{"id":9391,"date":"2019-08-30T23:05:25","date_gmt":"2019-08-31T06:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=9391"},"modified":"2021-10-01T05:08:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-01T12:08:40","slug":"the-wonderland-trail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywalkabout.net\/?p=9391","title":{"rendered":"The Wonderland Trail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The pictures on the website<\/strong> of the hotel closest to the top of Mount Rainier National Park looked so inviting, I knew this was where I wanted to hike for my Memorial Day weekend trip to Washington State. As I was driving up early Saturday morning I start to see the amount of snow piling up along the roadside, and the feeling of being hilariously ill-prepared started to sink in….<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I see hikers with snowshoes<\/strong> and ice climbers in full winter gear heading up the mountain. I get a cup of coffee and turn right around back down the mountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a lower elevation I find a more suitable hike for the clothing I have with me, and start hiking the Wonderland Trail<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I meet a nice couple from India<\/strong> that comment on my beard, telling me it looks well and ask how long it took me to grow. Its funny because no one ever says anything nice about it. I think about the Sikhs dastaar turban, literally meaning “the hand of God<\/em>“, as well as the Kufi hat worn by many males of varying religions in Africa. The beanie I am wearing seems to be a combination of the two, and perhaps this is the reason for the warm welcome and compliment. I start to sweat as I climb in elevation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Eventually I come to a clearing <\/strong>that looks to have been made from heavy rains causing the mountain to break and slide down into the small valley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treacherous ground. I sit in silence for a spell, watching the clouds roll and wrap themselves around the forest pines. No other sound can be heard. The stillness is frightening and calming in equal amounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I use only my sense of direction<\/strong> to get back down the mountain, choosing not to head down the same way I came. I summit the peak and eventually start to descend, like Moses from Mount Sinai, bringing back stones as well, but mine are remembrance stones on my time on the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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