Sunrise to Mystic Lake – now with (a bit) more mileage!

Another fantastic day running with friends on the Wonderland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park! 20 miles, stunning views, and excellent company. All of my favorite things in one day!

First off, Ellen, Tara, and I left Seattle in the very early hours, but that meant we got a cotton candy sunrise (complete with alpenglow) on the way to the park. Not too shabby.

Since I’d done this run 18 days ago, I generally knew what to expect on the trail, and was looking forward to all of the views without wildfire smoke and excessive heat. Conditions were very different this time around: it was a brisk morning, and a little windy, so we had to utilize our PNW layering skills to combat the chill. Quite the change from all of the heat we’ve having lately. (Or fall is in the air, but I’m in denial. It’s fine.)

We headed up the trail from Sunrise Visitor Center with hardly anyone else around. Beautiful views from the get-go, and a hint of climbing to get your heart going and remind yourself that you live at sea level. (Sunrise Visitor Center is at 6,400 feet.) The first part we did in good time, despite frequent pauses to ogle the views. It was remarkable that in just 18 days, almost all of the wildflowers were gone, and some of the flora was already beginning to turn colors. (Nope. Still in denial about autumn.) As for fauna in this part, we did spot an adorable pika and a marmot, but both were too quick for us to grab a photo.

Also, after a farewell to the alpine, we began our descent into the trees. The trail was chockfull of roots, so I was jokingly (and not jokingly) reminded to pick up my feet to avoid a fall. 🙂 Both Ellen and Tara have watched me faceplant on the trail, so I can legitimately always use the reminder, lol! (I didn’t fall today – yay!)

After losing about 2,100 feet in 3.8 miles, we crossed Granite/Winthrop Creek and began a gradual climb back up to Mystic Lake. The lake itself is nice, but today we wanted to keep moving to gain just a bit more mileage.

One of the neat finds up at the lake was some blooming Mountain Bog Gentian flowers. (Can we get a better name, please?) With most of the lupine and paintbrush gone, it was nice to still see some flowers.

As we continued up some slopes with a nice view of Rainier, we also came across some blueberries! We stopped for a quick snack, and we were so excited about the berries that we didn’t even bother to look if we had interrupted a bear’s lunch or something. (Spoiler – we didn’t.) The berries were so flavorful!

We were about a mile past the lake, and the trail started to steeply descend. At that point, our watches turned over 10 miles, so we decided to turn around to get an even 20 miles.

The way back down this section went much quicker than I expected, but we enjoyed being able to run after hiking. We still paused for a few photos, though!

More scenery – ho-hum

After we got back down to the foot of the Winthrop Glacier, we spotted a mountain goat out on the rocks, grabbing a drink from the creek. I didn’t get a great photo, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. 🙂

Then… we went up. It’s under 4 miles, but that gain was a decently steady climb. Such good training! Finally we were back up above treeline with mountain views, and a car full of snacks beckoning us to finish.

We powered through the last few miles, and then encountered the masses of tourists. I’m glad that so many people were out enjoying the park, but it sure is nice to have the trails to yourself earlier in the day. 🙂 A good reminder of why getting up early has some excellent benefits! Also…

On the way home, we had to stop at Wapiti Woolies for ice cream and milkshakes. That’s just how it goes.

It was a wonderful day spent in the mountains, and I could not be more grateful for my health and good friends that make awesome days like this possible. We’re also lucky for being spoiled for choice with trails in the PNW. Every time I go to Mount Rainier National Park, I fall more in love with its charms, and can’t wait to see what the next visit will show me!