August 25, 2014
Day 3 - the day I was dreading the most. After a good night's rest we work up dark and early in order to have plenty of daylight for our longest day of the trip.
A steady five mile climb up.. and just a little farther up lead us to the flat Mowich Lake Campground. This is a car camping campground so trash cans, toilets in a building, and pre-assigned spots to set up a tent (or for water to collect) are available here. We stopped at a picnic table so Andy could adjust my backpack by sewing the back frame down. It kept riding up all morning. We had a quick snack break and dried off our backs before we were on our way again.
You'll have to hike only a little farther down to reach the lake. The water was very clear and beautifully blue. Would really like to come back here one day with friends and take our kayak out. The sun was shining and the water looked so inviting, but we needed to get going.
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| Mowich Lake |
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| Mowich Lake farther down the trail. |
The trail is straightforward with little elevation gain/loss to Ipsut Pass. At the top of Ipsut Pass we just stood there for a minute realizing how high up we were and how glad we didn't have to climb UP this. The climb down is steep. The trail switchbacks and we had to take it slow because the path is all loose rock. There was a lot of knee-high vegetation and little to no shade. It was hot. Passed several couples going up the trail and felt really bad for them. Towards the bottom there are trickling streams to wet a handkerchief to keep your neck cool.
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| Top of Ipsut Pass |
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| View going down the Pass |
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| Huge rock wall to the left as you head down the Pass |
Phew! We made it. Now, onward to Carbon River and the second suspension bridge... or so I thought...
Bummer. The west side of the trail was washed out so the detour takes you along the east bank of Carbon River until it meets up with the Wonderland Trail at the suspension bridge.
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| Detour to the east side |
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| Forest |
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| There's the bridge. Too bad there was no need to cross it this time. |
The next leg of this day was shortly after passing the suspension bridge. This was the climb up to Dick Creek with Carbon Glacier by your side.
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| Carbon Glacier Danger |
I really wanted my hardhat here. You're up against very vertical rock wall to your left and it's not very comforting hearing and seeing the rocks falling from the glacier to your right. At times there are rock ledges protruding above your head. We booked it though those areas just in case.
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| See what I mean? |
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| Carbon Glacier |
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| Ready for its close-up |
There is a huge waterfall at Dick Creek. We had to rest here. Andy dunked his shirt in the cold water. I cooled down and had a snack. There was still more climbing to do past Dick Creek campground.
There was a peaceful section of the trail after all that climbing. A small stream, open forest and friendly rock piles and paths. It was easy and calm, but I was tired and hungry so it was not easy for me. Andy snapped a few pictures and we were on our way. Thank goodness for Andy, otherwise I would have no pictures for the blog!
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| Little stream next to the trail |
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| Piles of rocks and a rock path. There's a chipmunk on one of the rocks. |
The day was winding down and the sun was starting to set. This section of the hike was all meadow and fantastic views of Rainier.
We were both so sure that Mystic Lake was around the corner. Nope! One more climb up. At the base of that damn hill we ran into a couple who told us it would be about a 20 - 30 minute climb up. Ugh! I think this was the one point where I was feeling very sad/tired/hungry/discouraged. After silently telling myself to buck up, I slowly followed Andy up and took many a break. My legs were dead.
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| Looking down about halfway up the last climb. We were just down there in the meadow! |
After that, the rest of the hike was back down, naturally. Still nice views of Rainier.
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| Just a little farther |
We ran into a ranger on our way down to the lake. He asked to see our permit and we talked for a few minutes. Then, two bears! About 100' to our right was a momma bear and one of her cubs. We didn't end up seeing the second cub. The ranger at Longmire WIC told us about her, too. They were minding their own business and snacking on some blueberries. So darn cute. The three of us just stood there for 10 minutes or so watching them roam around.
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| Momma bear and one of two cubs munching on some blueberries |
After that excitement we were so happy and energized to finish this day. At Mystic Lake we had to put our mosquito head nets on. Yikes. They were hungry. There was a couple having dinner at the lake and their skin was exposed. Don't know how they were doing that.. I was all like ?????
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| Mystic Lake was not so much mystic as it was mosquito infested |
We had about 45 minutes of natural light left to find our campsite, set up camp, grab some water and prepare/eat dinner. Needless to say we ate dinner (chili mac) with our headlamps. The campsites were decent and flat even though it's slopes all around. Luckily we found a good site and water nearby down the hill. There's a three-walled toilet, too. After brushing our teeth we went to sleep and dreamed of burgers at Sunrise.
Total miles: 17 miles
Total time on trail (including breaks): 12 hours
