Mt. Rainier: Skyline Trail

The Skyline Trail is one of the most popular trails in the park.  It also has some of the best views in the park!

Yesterday when we were in the visitor center I asked one of the Rangers at the desk for a map of the trail (there are lots of trails in the area and my map was very hard to follow) and she informed me that the trail was snow covered, but entirely passable.  She suggested that we bring trekking poles.  We talked about how much fun snow in July is and I walked away looking forward to a great hike!

Dad and I got on the trail about 11 am – he got a new backpack and so it took a bit longer to get ready, also we had to stop and buy a new topo map because the other one we had got lost.

We began heading up the paved portion of the trail.  We quickly reached the place where the snow covered the trail.  Soon the entire landscape was covered in snow! 

It was a picture perfect day!  Clear blue sky, warm but not hot.  Mt. Rainier was out in her all glory. As we climbed views of the Tatoosh range, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens and even Mt. Hood came into view!

There were lots of people hiking up and it became like a party.  We were all chatting with each other and enjoying the view together. 

A little more than 3/4 of the way up we came to a switchback where people had been sliding down the steep mountainside in the snow rather than walking the switchback.  We watched a group of climbers come down and watched them all slide – some sitting, some standing – and I decided that I had to try it!  It did mean walking up the hill twice, but I decided it was worth  it!  I was right!  I left my pack at the top and picked my chute – the tracks were carved out like bobsled tracks! I zoomed off – it was so fast!  I was laughing the whole way!  Even when I hit a big bump and caught air! :-)  After my ride I hiked back up and we headed to Panorama Point.

At Panorama Point you could see everything! The Tatoosh Range, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood. Mt. St. Helens, and of course, Mt. Rainier.  We enjoyed lunch there with several other hiking parties.  There was a college/HS age daughter hiking with her parents and she and I were talking – she said that the ranger they talked to told them not to hike beyond Panorama Point because the trail is snow covered, not marked, and hard to follow.  I related what my ranger said about the whole trail being hikable. 

After lunch we started out with another couple – don’t know their names but he was wearing an orange Clemson shirt and she had on a Kentucky shirt.  Their daughter was working at the lodge this summer and they were here visiting.

We began the descent down snow covered, but well marked trails.  We were chatting with the other couple and having fun!  There were numerous places where the snow covered trail was steep and we took to just sliding down, making our own chutes – none as long or as much fun as the one on the way up, but still fun!

Soon we came to a cool snow cave that had been carved by the melting snow and it was here that we were talking with Mr. Clemson and he showed us the map he’d gotten from the ranger that morning that showed the Skyline Trail as closed after the Golden Gate trail and said the ranger had told them to go down the Golden Gate.  Interesting that my ranger didn’t tell me that – oh well, maybe they decided to close it after I talked to her. 

When we reached the junction of the Skyline Trail and the Golden Gate trail we saw our Clemson/Kentuky friends heading back up.  They said that there was no sign saying the Skyline Trail was closed and the Golden Gate looked steep so let’s go that way. So we headed off down the Skyline Trail behind them. 

Right way things seemed different.  There were a few places where you could see just how much snow was covering the trail - 7+ FEET in many places!  Also the trail wasn’t as heavily traveled, we only passed one other group of people!  Very quickly the trail became hard to locate.  It was not marked like the trail had been on the other side. In one place we saw another other group coming up and that lead us where we needed to be, in another place there was a bridge across a creek. 

It was after the bridge that things got interesting.  We stopped to have a rest and a snack and I looked at the map.  It looked like we were almost to a trail junction and a memorial to the 1st guys who climbed Mt. Rainier. We kept hiking thinking we’d see them soon.  We didn’t. 

We hiked on, following footprints assuming they were the trail.  In a few places the snow was melted an we got confirmation that we were near the trail.  There were a number of places where we couldn’t tell where the trail went so we followed the footprints down. 

Eventually we realized that we weren’t going in the right direction at all.  We were lost.  We consulted the map and couldn’t figure out where to go.  We decided to continue following the footprints because there was another trail in the area that would lead us to the road, although it was really far from where we’d parked the car. 

Eventually the footprints ran out.  Uh-oh.  At this point we decided to walk parallel with Mt. Rainier as far as we could.  We knew where the visitor center was, we just had to get across a gully to get there.  This plan didn’t last as once we got to the ridge it was a steep drop off.

I’d been thinking about how mom was supposed to call the rangers if we weren’t back by 7 (it was 5:30) – and I thought it would be a good idea to at least be closer to where we were supposed to be – the Skyline Trail.  If we were off that area even a bit it would make it harder for rangers to find us. 

I was also remembering the cardinal rule of getting lost – stay put and do not get yourself even more lost, I was worried we were doing exactly that.

So as much as we didn’t want to, we headed back up the ridge. This time we stayed close to the trees, out of the snow as much as we could – it was much easier walking!  We consulted the map and determined that we were likely on the ridge that the trail crosses so we decided to continue to stay up close to the trees that way we could spot the trail as it crossed the ridge to descend the other side. 

At this point it was getting late in the evening and both of us were seriously considering a night out on the trail.  I wasn’t too excited about losing the trail again and was considering just sitting down and waiting for help when I knew I was close to the trail, since I knew mom would call the rangers and I figured the 1st thing the rangers would do is look on the trail.  We were only 2 miles from Paradise so I figured it wouldn’t take long!

Then, finally, Dad said “Trail”.  It sounded like he was calling it like you call a dog, so I said “It won’t come when called!”  Then I saw what he’d seen – we had in fact found a trail.  It wasn’t the right trail, but it was a trail.  We kept walking up – scanning the trees for the Skyline Trail. It took some eagle eyes and a lot of luck but we spotted the trail where it went through the trees to go down the other side!!!!!! 

We headed down, always making sure we could see the next trail marker – the rock barriers, a water bar, the gravel trail bed. At one point we were having a hard time locating it and we saw two guys walking in the woods.  In shorts and t-shirts heading up.

We questioned them about the trail and they assured us that if we just followed their footprints and stayed by the river we’d come out at the road. Right, because following foorprints has worked so well. I offered them any sum of money they wanted to lead us out, but they didn’t bite on that one. 

We followed their footprints – occasionally seeing evidence of a trail – along the river and finally to the road!!!!! 

We’d gotten off on a different trail from the Skyline Trail and come down to the road at a different place from where we’d parked the car. We were looking at at least 2 miles of uphill road walk, which is usually a bad thing, but today I was SOOOOO happy to walk the road!  Hard to get lost walking on a road. 

We were in luck though! I spotted a retired couple walking to their car – they both had big walking sticks and looked friendly. I explained our predicament and asked if they could drive us to Paradise.  They graciously agreed!  Joyce and Howard were retired and live in Packwood – just a few miles down the road.  They’d been up at Paradise a few hours earlier when Joyce had noticed my RV – the sun was hitting the graphic on the front in way that made the green really pretty.  She said it was the only thing she’d noticed – and here we were the owners of the RV!  It was wonderful meeting them and I thank them so much for being willing to pick up 2 wet, muddy, and very tired hikers!

Back at the RV we took off wet socks, got drinks & snacks and started heading down the Mt.  A top priority when we got back was to check in with the rangers in case Mom had called and they were out looking for us.  We didn’t see any rangers at Paradise, but on our way down, right before we got to the campground we saw a NPS Ranger SUV heading up.  I fully expected him to turn around and follow us, but he didn’t. (seriously the graphics on this thing are hideous, but make it easy to know if that’s who you are looking for!).  When we pulled in the campground there was a ranger guy getting into his golf cart so we flagged him down – sure enough mom did have the Rangers looking for us!  They called dispatch and called off the search.

I will admit that once we found the trail and I figured we’d get out without spending the night in the woods, I was kinda hoping a Ranger would come find us 1) because they know the trail and would make it easier and 2) because we might make the NPS Morning Report!

We aren’t sure what happened to our Kentucky/Clemson friends – we never saw them again.  Hopefully they made it out last night. 

We got back to camp about 8:00 and ate dinner and I’m heading to bed.  Long day, but boy am I glad to NOT be sleeping on the side of Mt. Rainier. 

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow, but I’m thinking a short hike at a lower elevation – no more snow! Or at least make sure it’s a VERY well marked trail.  

Mt. Rainier: Skyline Trail