10.5 miles, 2400' gain, 2800' descent

Today started with a Big Down, switchbacking through forest with intermittent views of Little Tahoma, the summit, and over clouds that were flowing up the White River valley.

Our second resupply cache at White River broke my heart. There were three buckets waiting for me, but only one hiker left to claim them! I threw out my trash, refilled my food bag, and enjoyed a ginger ale treat, but absent Sasha's delight at finding goodies in the hiker box there was no joy for me here. It did make me feel better when I later learned that the park will donate unclaimed supplies to a local food bank.

Balanced against the sadness was a growing feeling of I'm ok, I got this. White River was the first Rainier trailhead I ever visited, on my virginal hike to Glacier Basin so many years ago. It was wild to think that this time I'd walked here on foot all the way from Longmire.

Back on the trail, here's an oddity: a couple of miles of almost level forested trail. A flat path, along the Wonderland? Truly, wonders will never cease.

Hah, I knew this trail could not keep that up for long :-) Gradually the flat turns into a Big Up, following alongside Fryingpan Creek through forest, then crossing the creek on a log bridge and switchbacking up to the stupendously stunning meadows of Summerland. I lack words to properly describe this amazing place, so just look at the photos. It's ridiculous how pretty everything is.

Near bear encounter #5: the trail telegram told me there was a bear in the bushes just before the start of the switchbacks, and indeed there was. I saw branches moving a few dozen feet from the trail, but not the bear itself.

The Summerland group shelter is an old three-sided stone building. I wanted to try sleeping in it but had heard it is home to many rodents, so I set up my tent as a fallback, then got in my sleeping bag inside the stone shelter. The sun went down, I finished reading, clicked my headlamp off, and immediately: <scurry> <scurry> <squeak> <pitter pitter>. "Hey, this is my bedroom!" "Well, we live here 24/7". "Ok then, I guess it cannot be my bedroom". I decamped ignominiously to my tent, where I enjoyed good sleep.

This section of the Wonderland can also be day hiked as Summerland and Panhandle Gap.