Tolmie Peak - Sept. 30, 2022
I normally wouldn’t write about such a short hike but felt this trip warranted its own report since I surprisingly enjoyed it so much. I’ve only hiked once in Mt. Rainier National Park, halfway up the Skyline trail in 2014. The only reason I haven’t been back since then is unfamiliarity with the trails in MRNP while also having a huge backlog of hikes to do in the Cascades. On Friday, my friend Holly asked me if I’d be interesting in doing a sunset hike up to Tolmie Peak Lookout. I had had plans of doing Vesper Peak but figured it would probably be better to ease myself back into hiking after taking a month off, so Tolmie Peak it was.
We left Seattle around 1 PM and napped in the car for about an hour before hitting the trail at 4. In hindsight, we could’ve slept another hour and still been fine. This was the first time I think I didn’t do any research on the trail or even download a map to my phone. Holly had done it before and it was only a couple of miles and maybe 1000 ft of elevation gain, so I wasn’t too worried.
We skirted the shores of Mowich Lake and were at the wooded Ipsut Pass in no time. Another mile to Eunice Lake where we filtered water and then onward to the lookout. It was fairly crowded at the top, even for sunset on a weekday, so we pushed on to Tolmie Peak where we had the whole area to ourselves. While I tend to avoid super popular hikes since I don’t love crowds (not just on the trail, but life in general…they give me anxiety), you can always find a way to enjoy a popular location on your terms. Take a day off, hike a sunrise or sunset, etc.
We spent an hour or two watching the sun set over Rainier before heading down by headlamp. It was a great conditioning hike since I was planning to backpack in the Olympics with some friends the next day. Also an excellent reminder that some of the best views can be had on the easiest trails. Just because you’re accustomed to much harder hikes, longer distances, less people doesn’t mean slowing down to take in some of the classic views on easier hikes isn’t worthwhile too.
