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williswall poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
Greetings everyone, I have updated the links in the "Links" section for everything on the Wonderland I offer on my website (no monetization or ads). This year I will hopefully crank out #33.
Also, to make it easier to remember, I now point the url hikethewonderlandtrail.com to my site, as I've owned it for many years. Also, hikingthewonderlandtrail.com (not mine) has some good info for planning....and remember that this year walkups are back in play, where the park reserves 30 percent of the backcountry camps for the season.
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Wazzu_camper Go Cougs!
Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 550 | TRs | Pics Location: Woodinville |
Thanks for posting this. I'm hoping to take my family on the Wonderland this summer for our first time. I've always avoided it due to crowds and too much competition for permits, but figured the kids are old enough and it is really the iconic PNW backpacking trip so I figure I might as well try.
I'll be going through each of your links gleaning what I can while keeping my fingers crossed we get a good early reservation number if we get one at all.
Cheers and thanks again.
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Joseph Joseph
Joined: 13 Jun 2018 Posts: 257 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Joseph
Joseph
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Sun Mar 14, 2021 11:40 am
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You've hiked the WT 33 times? How do you normally get a permit, by walk up, or by lottery? Also, how do you ever have knee/back issues? I hiked the WT last year (2nd full trip, 4th attempt) and had a lot of pain in knees and back.
I am truly impressed with how often you've done this trail and I honestly wished I didn't "discover" this awesome trail only 5 years ago. Been hiking in MRNP for 50 years, but didn't even consider hiking the WT until I was about to turn 50 in 2016.
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Joseph Joseph
Joined: 13 Jun 2018 Posts: 257 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Joseph
Joseph
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Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:09 pm
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There is also a pretty good FB page dedicated to the WT - lots of folks looking to get permits, asking questions, etc. and lots of veterans providing advice. Lots of photos and beta, too, as the hiking season nears.
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williswall poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
Joseph wrote: | How do you normally get a permit, by walk up, or by lottery? Also, how do you ever have knee/back issues? |
I've always done a walk up permit, or (like last year) just stayed at Mowich Lake and White River. I'm lucky in that I've never had back or knee issues; I think staying at a stable weight over the years certainly helps. When I retired out of the airlines my uniform size was the same as a new hire, and I've been committed to lifelong fitness. A few days ago I did 4400' of stairs on the Academy Mini Incline, which did result in some soreness of the quads.
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Brian R Member
Joined: 10 Feb 2018 Posts: 501 | TRs | Pics
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Brian R
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Mon Mar 15, 2021 10:49 pm
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williswall wrote: | I've always done a walk up permit, |
WW, you'd better check the latest on this. Like you, I've liked the walk-ups for decades. But I've been told by MORA staff that ALL MRNP backcountry permits will be migrated to Recreation.gov permanently starting this year. In short, this means I will be using the park unpermitted, one last year here in WA, camping off the beaten path. As I did last summer.
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williswall poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
Brian R wrote: | WW, you'd better check the latest on this. |
And I did...from the NPS website:
• Approximately one third of campsites are not reservable in advance and are issues on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Walk-up permits can be obtained on the same day your trip starts or up to one day before your trip starts, but no sooner than one day.
So 30 percent of the sites are available for walk ups.
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Brian R Member
Joined: 10 Feb 2018 Posts: 501 | TRs | Pics
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Brian R
Member
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Tue Mar 16, 2021 12:11 am
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Hmmmm, I was told otherwise. Recently. By the ranger at the Carbon River station. Explicitly, she told me that walk-ups/day-of permits are a thing of the past and reservations for overnight were going 100% to rec.gov. I was so incensed, I made calls and all confirmed her story. Maybe they've reconsidered. If so, good news.
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williswall poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
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zimmertr TJ Zimmerman
Joined: 24 Jun 2018 Posts: 1206 | TRs | Pics Location: Issaquah |
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zimmertr
TJ Zimmerman
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Tue Mar 16, 2021 10:27 am
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Just because the information is on the website doesn't mean it's still valid. Especially if the decision was made recently.
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williswall poser
Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 1963 | TRs | Pics Location: Redmond |
zimmertr wrote: | Just because the information is on the website doesn't mean it's still valid. Especially if the decision was made recently. |
Consider that the guidelines for 2021 permits were published weeks ago and the advance permit process has just started. Not sure why the guidelines would have changed before they even got started, but there is always the possibility. I have found over the years that rangers may not be the best informed. But hey, it could be true, this is the government we're talking about.
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babylero Member
Joined: 09 Oct 2020 Posts: 94 | TRs | Pics Location: Tacoma |
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babylero
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Tue Mar 16, 2021 9:10 pm
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ONP just changed all permits to online, per recreation.gov, releasing all High Divide permits to online. I could see that expanding to MRNP soon... In ONP it's because the WIC remains closed due to covid.
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Brian R Member
Joined: 10 Feb 2018 Posts: 501 | TRs | Pics
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Brian R
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Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:37 am
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On the trail at MRNP
B/C Ranger: Hello, where you guys camping tonight? Can I see your back country permit?
Hiker: We're just out for a day trip.
B/C Ranger: But you're ten miles in. And you're carrying full packs.
Hiker: We're in training.
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Wazzu_camper Go Cougs!
Joined: 06 Feb 2008 Posts: 550 | TRs | Pics Location: Woodinville |
Brian R wrote: | On the trail at MRNP
B/C Ranger: Hello, where you guys camping tonight? Can I see your back country permit?
Hiker: We're just out for a day trip.
B/C Ranger: But you're ten miles in. And you're carrying full packs.
Hiker: We're in training. |
We are going to start seeing more and more of this if changes aren't made. I don't know the answer but something has to be done to help with supply of front and backcountry sites. Going to a big NP in the summer to camp is insane. I've been at Glacier and had people walking around the campsites in the morning asking what time people were going to leave so they could take over their site.
I know the Enchantments are an extreme example, but in 2019 they had 18,835 permit requests and only 385 permits given for the core zone. About 1.9%. With those odds you could conceivable enter the lottery every year you were truly able to backpack over the course of your life and never get a permit.
That's not cool.
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jaysway Member
Joined: 16 Jul 2020 Posts: 345 | TRs | Pics
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jaysway
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Thu Mar 18, 2021 12:59 pm
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I agree, it is a problem with no easy solution. Realistically, I foresee more permit systems by the USFS, and more advance reservations and fewer walk-ups by the NPS.
I would not be opposed to increasing the supply of front and backcountry sites where it makes sense. The reality is that even with backcountry camping, the human impact to the environment is small if most people are staying on trails and sticking to designated campsites. Overuse certainly can impact the environment, I am not denying that, but there is a difference between a) true ecological destruction, and b) small harms that might damage the aesthetics of a place, but are relatively benign in the scheme of things. Human-caused climate change, mining, deforestation, and other practices are exponentially more harmful to the environment than the occasional trampled meadow or visible piece of toilet paper.
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