Wonderland Trail, Day 1

White River to Mystic Camp

July 22, 2016
12.3 miles

Woke up to rain at Mom's. Got a later start than planned since my brother Robert and I spent time at the house last night and by the time we got back it was late.

I was on the road about half past seven and it rained off and on the whole drive to Longmire. I was able to get a reasonable schedule but it started at White River. That was good in that I was able to cache two days of food at Longmire. The bad part was having to drive to White River. By the time I got there the rain had stopped and it was fairly nice when I finally started the hike. That was good.

I'm going counterclockwise so right away the trail started a hard climb towards Sunrise. I made a wrong turn before I even got started but it didn't take long to get on trail. It took over an hour to make the climb and I was happy for the level trail to Sunrise Camp. Met two women that started today at White River too, but they weren't going as far as I.

My Start at White River

View on Climb Towards Sunrise

There were lots of people out day hiking from Sunrise. The trail was more exposed and there were several snow fields to cross. Unfortunately the mountain was not visible.

Shadow Lake

I talked to an elderly couple for a few minutes. They told me to watch for mountain goats when I neared Skyscraper Pass. They had seen a large herd of 60 or 70 goats! I did spot some goats, maybe 20. I also spotted a Marmot but wasn't able to get a picture. Those were the first mountain goats I'd ever seen in the wild.

Looking Down to Berkeley Park

Mountain Goats Video

When I reached Granite Creek campground, I met a woman and her Mother. They started at Sunrise and were also going to Mystic. I haven't seen them at the campground.

Throat of Winthrop Glacier

Winthrop Glacier

I talked to a couple at the campground that are from Florida. They're going clockwise and will end up at White River tomorrow. They hiked the PCT in 2014. I think we'll probably pass each other on my fifth day.

Mystic lake

Mystic Lake Campsite

I never took any breaks today except for short ones to get a drink or some food. I arrived at camp at 6:30.

The big bummer for today was that I forgot to eat the second cookie before starting the hike.