Been There, Done That - The Palisades Trail

Let me just start by saying this.

12 miles.

We hiked 12 miles yesterday.  6 of it was straight up to get to this view point of the South Cascades.

Well, actually this viewpoint was at the 3 mile mark after the worst of the straight up the side of a cliff trail.

At the five mile mark (straight up) you can see the air strip in the valley below.  You can actually camp there, right along side the runway if you like.  Kaysha and Daniel spent a week at camp just west of this area back in 2008.

The view of snow capped Mt. Rainier at the five mile mark.

Suntop Lookout.  Click to enlarge this picture and you will clearly see the road in which you can drive straight to the top of this peak.  Mt. Rainier is directly behind it and when you at the top of this, it looks like you can just jump to the volcano.  We drove up there once, it was quite sickening near the top as it is a one lane dirt/gravel road right on the edge of a cliff.  The view was spectacular though.

Suntop Lookout shown to the left of Mark.

Mt. Rainier peeking at us again.

About 90% of this hike was through dense forest, on the sides of cliffs with gigantic rock faces. I wished the hike looked more like the picture above.  I didn't take any pictures in the dense forest because I was too concerned about falling off cliffs. Everytime I walk near a cliff's edge, I feel like there's a magnet pulling me toward it so I pay attention.   There were some waterfalls and creeks were along the way too.  After the Greenwater Trail, this area felt like a lot of work to get to the scenic areas which were very few and far between.  That and it wasn't the trail we thought we were going to be hiking either.  This one is a 12 mile loop that starts on the side of the highway and ends several miles down the highway. The one we thought we were hiking starts similarly (but is up the road a little further, which we know NOW)  and goes to a giant waterfall and also to caves you can explore.  It was specified as family friendly.  This trail was definitely NOT.  Very difficult and tiring though we made good time.  The first three miles were the hardest climb and we did that in an hour.  The next two in another hour.  And the last one in 30 minutes before stopping to eat.   It took about two hours to come back down. We had no idea we had walked that far until we got all the way back to the bottom and reread the trail head sign and mileages.  We were quite proud of ourselves for being able to go so far.     I don't believe we were the only ones who weren't hiking the trail we thought we were going on as we passed a young mom and very young daughter walking up the steep cliff rock face trail looking wary and lost.  They asked us if they were half way there. Half way where?  Half way to nowhere is pretty much it.

It was a good invigorating walk.  Hard - but the hard always makes it better in retrospect.  We've never hiked that far before.  We've never done that hard a climb before.  I came home feeling like we actually hiked, vs. just got warmed up.  We're still talking about doing an overnight trek although the way I feel this morning is making me glad I woke up in my own bed.

Hiking with Mark is always a time of laughter, sweat, hard work and most of all, love.  Conversation is always good and meaningful.  The hand holding is sweet.  When he kisses the sweat off my brow, well, who wouldn't love that?  I always walk with a feeling of awe at how blessed we are to be doing this; enjoying the outdoors, and enjoying each other's company.  More than that, I know I can only do this because he has helped me overcome a lot of visual barriers to be able to.  So, it's very special because it is something I never thought I'd be able to do, much less, to be able to go where I've gone. There is no one else I'd feel comfortable hiking like this with, that's for certain.    It's a reward when we find time for it and we are certainly making finding time for it a higher priority.

 And my knee was great until about mile 7. My muscles were a bit tired but I can push through tired without issue.  It's brutal pain that slows me down and it was five miles of torture at times on the steepest parts down.  Even with (lots of) ibuprofen.  This is the first year I've had such tormenting pain and also the first year I've carried a heavy pack so I'm linking the two together for now.  We need to pack lighter and take shorter treks. After this one, I doubt shorter will be on the agenda but we can certainly pack lighter.  And after doing a harsh 12 mile hike, we can probably do the Green Lake trail for Samuel now and it will be much easier than this was.  Round trip, it will only be 10 miles. 

Mark and I are feeling the hike today.  My knee is still aching and angry!  Thankfully, if I don't walk, it doesn't hurt so I guess I'll be doing a lot of sitting for the day.

This trail was nice if you like dense forest, cliffs, rock faces with an occasional view point thrown in but for us, it is going to be filed under the "been there, done that" label.  Once was enough!  Several of our favorite Mt. Rainier Park areas open in the next couple weekends so we'll be heading back there next weekend assuming the weather co-operates and my knee is ready for more abuse.