Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

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drm
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Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by drm » July 21st, 2018, 5:38 pm

I backpacked from Longmire on the Wonderland Trail, camping at the Devils Dream camping area, and hiking further to Indian Henry's Hunting Ground that afternoon, and further to Emerald Ridge the next day. Days were fairly cloudy but eventually burned off. Mosquitoes were medium bad but my Thermacell helped a lot.


The seasonal bridge over Paradise Creek on the 5.7 mile hike.
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Blooming dogwood
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Spectacular avalanche lilies near Squaw Lakes
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Squaw Lake
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Indian Henry's Hunting Ground - alpine meadow
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Pyramid Peak
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Me on the Wonderland Trail suspension bridge over Tahoma Creek
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Looking down at Tahoma Creek, 165 feet below!
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Just for some scale . . .
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Western pasque flower, also known as hippie heads
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Emerald Ridge meadow
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Local resident marmot
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Lookng across at Klapatche Ridge after the clouds finally cleared (I waited two hours)
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Amazing view above Emerald Ridge
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This creek (center right) flows right into this huge hole - but where does it come out?
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Tiger lilies!
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Finally clear after two days: Mt. Rainier looms over the ranger station at Indian Henry's Hunting Ground
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Limey
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Re: Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by Limey » July 21st, 2018, 6:34 pm

Gorgeous pictures. Just for the record, I really want to move into the ranger station at Indian Henry. Do you think anyone would notice?

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retired jerry
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Re: Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by retired jerry » July 21st, 2018, 7:11 pm

Nice

No bear going the opposite direction on Tahoma bridge?

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Chip Down
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Re: Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by Chip Down » July 21st, 2018, 9:33 pm

I love Emerald Ridge! Also accessible via Kautz Creek Trail or Tahoma Creek Trail. From the high point of the trail, the glacier is accessible with a short hike, or a little more work can get you to Glacier Island and maybe even up Tahoma Cleaver. What a fun alpine playground! I've always gone up there on day hikes, but honestly I don't think I could do that now.

Yeah, that bridge is a hoot. We need some of those on the Timberline Trail (Mt Hood).

I was high up on Emerald Ridge on a cold day in Oct/Nov, and was surprised to see tadpoles swimming in a nearly-frozen pond. Seemed seasonally inappropriate.

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drm
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Re: Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by drm » July 22nd, 2018, 6:47 am

Limey wrote:
July 21st, 2018, 6:34 pm
Gorgeous pictures. Just for the record, I really want to move into the ranger station at Indian Henry. Do you think anyone would notice?
When I was there a hiker told me a ranger had been there for two days but had left that morning. So get their schedule and go other times. Who would know? Tell them you are an artist-in-residence. Tell them you are Henry (or Henry the 8th, since Indian Henry actually died in 1895 :lol: ).
Last edited by drm on July 22nd, 2018, 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

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drm
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Re: Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by drm » July 22nd, 2018, 7:52 am

Chip - I was looking up at that terrain, mapping routes, etc. But at my age with my decreasing agility, I simply don't have the confidence to do that kind of off-trail solo, and the guy I was there with had no such interest (he left after a few minutes anyway to head back down). I still do some alpine off-trail wandering on the west side of Mt Adams, where the terrain is very moderate.

I wonder if you have any thoughts about that humungous hole that the water drains into. It comes out of the snout of the glacier above, lives above ground for a few hundred feet, and then drains into this hole that appeared big enough to swallow a small house. I don't know if it is an ice glacial remnant or some part of a morraine. But I could see no place below where the water re-emerged.

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Chip Down
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Re: Mt Rainier NP: Longmire to Emerald Ridge

Post by Chip Down » July 22nd, 2018, 5:18 pm

drm wrote:
July 22nd, 2018, 7:52 am
I could see no place below where the water re-emerged.
Well, there's your new hobby/obsession then. :lol:
We've all seen things like that on a smaller scale, but the amount of water you're describing is pretty impressive.
It does look like it could be glacier still. Glaciers sometimes have such a heavy mantle, it's hard to believe there's ice beneath.

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