Mount Rainier National Park, WA
Sep 3 - Sep 10, 2022 -- $1400 ★★★, Only 1 Spot Left
The beauty of Mt. Rainier National Park
will leave you speechless. Whether it's the alpine lakes, temperate rainforest full of ancient conifers,
charismatic megafauna, redolent lupines and other wildflowers, active glaciers, wild berry picking,
or the massive monolithic mountain itself, Mt. Rainier is simply awe-inspiring.
Mt. Rainier National Park awards
only 5 commercial backpacking permits every year.
Fitpacking has been awarded one of them, so this is one of your few chances to participate in a guided backpacking trip
to this destination.
This trip will traverse the Southeastern Corner of the park, largely on the famed
Wonderland Trail. On our 6-day hike, we may encounter elk,
deer, eagles, pikas, black bear, mountain goats and marmots with a backdrop of incredible sweeping vistas
of Tahoma itself.
Experience the timeless wonder of Mt. Rainier with us during the fleeting, relatively dry and bug free temperate season.
Our journey will begin in the Southern portion of the park at Longmire Ranger Station.
We’ll quickly leave civilization behind as we head up to reflections lakes which you have probably seen photos
of. The perpetually snowy Rainier summit will be our constant companion to the North and West as we head
up above tree line to Indian Bar and Summerland,
before dropping back down to Fryingpan Creek.
Here is a topo map
or our route.
Weather
Weather is always an important concern when hiking. Expect daytime hiking temperatures in the 60s
and nighttime temperatures in the 40s. However, be prepared for the possibility of overnight temperatures as
low as the 20s. During the 2008 trip, we woke up to several inches of snow on September 1st. By the
afternoon however, it had all melted and by September 2nd (the next day) we were swimming in an alpine lake
(although not for very long).
View 7 day weather forecast
Probable Trip Leaders
Steve Silberberg
Holly Chambers
Cost
$1400 per person double occupancy.
Here, double occupancy means that you will share a
room with another participant during the 2 hotel nights. You will also be responsible for
transportation to and from Seattle / Sea-Tac (SEA), personal equipment, restaurant meals
eaten off the trail and any gratuities for guides.
Covered expenses include 2 hotel nights, 6 days of trail meals, ground transportation, Park
entrance fees, National Park permits, GPS, and 2 awesome guides.
Important Notes
Although we are allowed a group size of up to 12, the National Park is concerned about campsite
crowding impacts and prefers us to have only 6 tents. This means that if our group
size exceeds 6, they'd prefer us to start doubling up in tents. We can address this by making
sure that
each participant's tent is small and for one person only in order to fit into campsite boundaries.
In 2020, the park relaxed their requirements due to Covid and may continue to do so in 2022.
You are still encouraged to double up even though this forced closeness can be less
pleasant, but it does make pack weight lighter and was not a problem at all on the 2015 or 2019 trips.
Expect a ranger to check up on the group some time during the trip to make
sure we're adhering to Leave No Trace and Park Regulations.
Mt. Rainier is normally one of Fitpacking's more difficult, advanced, and rewarding trips. However on
this trip, Daily hiking distances are kept low making it more accessible to a greater number of hikers.
the terrain is well groomed and well maintained, however very little of it is level. Most days
are spent either ascending or descending thousands of feet, sometimes both. Furthermore, the mountain
"makes its own weather" meaning that there could be high winds, rain or even snow at any time. Of course, it
could also be sunny and crystal clear. And then there are the blueberries...
Back to top
