Wonderland Trail | Day 3 | 9.6.19 Mowich Lake to Mystic Lake | 13.1 miles Packing up around 7 a.m.,
Wonderland Trail | Day 3 | 9.6.19 Mowich Lake to Mystic Lake | 13.1 miles Packing up around 7 a.m., a light rain began to fall as I started my hike. It was the perfect time to break out my umbrella. Today’s hike was going to bring my through Spray Park, an alternate on the trail that is often said to be the most scenic section of the Wonderland Trail. I began the steep climb up the trail in dense forest, eventually climbing high enough to break above tree line, reaching the alpine meadows and thin tree cover that the alternate was famous for. It had begun raining quite a bit at this point but my umbrella was all I needed to keep me warm and dry as I made the descent down, where I was warned by a couple of hikers about a bear a half a mile down the trail. I proceeded cautiously, eventually running into the black bear, coming about twenty feet away from it at my closest point. But luckily, after a minute of staring at each other, the bear decided to go it’s own way. Crossing another suspension bridge, I met back up with the Wonderland Trail. The weather had started to lighten up as I climbed my way back up and over another ridge line to Mystic Lake, where I made camp for night 3. (at Mount Rainier National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2b93dWHj8B/?igshid=1mjjnidlsmhka -- source link