93 miles. 30,000’ of elevation gain (and 30,000’ of loss). The Wonderland Trail is aptly named. As you circle Washtington State's iconic volcano, you'll travel ever major life zone around Rainier. The trail routinely ascends into high-alpine meadows and parks, along rugged ridges only to drop into lush rain forests in the valleys.

Back country camps are scattered along the trail every 3 – 7 miles enabling hikers to cover the trail in 5 to 15 days (the world record is 24 hours). For most, the average day is 5 – 7 miles with a 2,000’ ascent and 1,000’ descent (or vice versa). Anybody in decent physical condition can complete the trail. Unlike a day hike where you have to hike back to the car and then drive home, in the back country you are hiking directly into camp (where dinner and your tent await).

Depending on the weather, you’ll encounter spectacular views in the rugged alpine sections of the trail. In the high alpine you’ll either see the entire Cascade Range, or be lucky to see 20’ ahead of you as you navigate through the interior of a cloud.

Unfortunately the most spectacular sections are far enough from the camps to make photography in the best late afternoon early morning light difficult (unless you have a cross country permit). Even in the less idea light of mid-morning and late afternoon, you’ll get great shots. Half of the trail is in dense forests without many open views, but a wealth of good submits. A tripod is a smart addition to your pack and will be useful on a number of occasions.

Marmots and squirrels are the most abundant wildlife, but if you are quiet you might stumble into across deer or goats. Bear encounters are rare, but they occur so take precautions.

Let’s face it, photography is a heavy hobby. A good DSLR weighs 1 to 2 pounds, and the lightest tripod is another couple of pounds. Add lenses and accessories, and you’re camera kit can equal the weight of the rest of your gear. Your happiness at 5,000’ climbing to 6,500’ is directly related to the weight in your pack – regardless what shape you are in.

When I hiked the Wonderland I brought:

• Canon D60 body with neck strap
• Canon 24-70 2.8L USM
• Gitzo 1228 Carbon Fiber Tripod w/ ArcaTech Ballhead
• Polarizing filter
• Small zip-lock bag with lens cloths & cleaning solution

As much as I love the images taken with the 24-70 2.8L lens, I wouldn’t bring it on another trip. It’s too heavy. Next time I’ll bring a lighter lens (maybe the 28-135 3.5 IS USM) and a light fixed wide angle. Ounces count.

Remember that you’re also packing 20 – 30 pounds of hiking gear including the pack, tent, clothing, food, and other supplies. If you can, buy ultra-light hiking gear; its reduced weight (and high strength) are good investments. Not only will you be happier on the trail, you’ll cover more ground in less time.

You can save weight by being creative with your gear:

• Use the camera’s self timer instead of a cable release
• Sweaters or a lens wrap protects your gear just as well as a camera bag
• Drop extra batteries, and storage (or film) in your food caches
• Most cache locations have mail boxes (or day hikers) so you can mail off spent batteries, or storage
• Hike with other photographers shooting with the same camera system and share accessories and lenses

Bette Filley’s Discovering the Wonders of the Wonderland Trail: Encircling Mount Rainier is an excellent guide and invaluable planning tool. In addition to an overview and history of the trail, Filley documents every foot of the trail (including accurate mileages). Smart hikers bring along her book in addition to a good topo.

It is possible to cache food at some of the ranger stations along the trial, and highly recommended. With food caches you are carrying 3 days of food instead of 10 days. Always plan to carry a day (or two) of extra food to accommodate emergencies (weather can prevent travel) or changes in your itinerary.

Try to plan your first couple of days to be short (with less elevation gain) and build up. Sunrise (traveling counter-clockwise) or Mowich Lake (traveling clock-wise) are good places to start if you aren’t in good shape or want the opportunity for the trail to whip you into shape. Hikers in great shape start at Longmire (heading in either direction.