Northern Loop Trail Mt. Rainier

A busy July precluded any hiking that month, so I hit the Northern Loop Trail (Mt. Rainier National Park) on August 3rd in preparation of hiking the full Wonderland shortly thereafter. The Northern Loop Trail (NLT) approximates the toughest day I may see on a 3 day Wonderland, coming in at 38 miles with 9,800’ of elevation gain. Over 20 years ago I would do this trail in under 12 hours as training for ultras. This iteration took considerably longer; 18 hours total. Generally speaking, the hike went well with the last 10 miles offering a test of legs and mettle.