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| Ranger station at Indian Henry's |
Indian Henry's Hunting Ground is the picturesquely-named destination of a beautiful (but lengthy) day hike out of Longmire in Mount Rainier National Park. The elevation gain is about 2,500 feet. The Park Service's flyer gives the round trip mileage as 13.6 miles, but the on-the-ground signage gives it as 14.0 miles.
We, of course, will call it 14.
Indian Henry really existed. He was a Klickitat or Yakima tribe member, whose Indian name was So-To-Lick. He was comfortable in the worlds of both the Native Americans and white settlers. He was fluent in English, and wore the same clothes as the settlers. His sons were named Thomas and Wickersham. He acted as a guide during the late nineteenth century, and apparently died shortly after 1913. The meadows named after him were one of his favorite places, before creation of the national park.
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| Bridge over Krautz Creek |
To begin the hike, I followed the Rampart Ridge hike, discussed a week ago, in reverse. This means that I found the sign indicating the Wonderland Trail at the east end of the Longmire parking lot, followed it a quarter mile until it crossed the highway, and then climbed approximately two miles to the intersection with the Rampart Ridge trail. This time, I turned right -- staying on the Wonderland Trail -- and headed for those magical sounding destinations mentioned in my earlier post: Pyramid Peak, Devil's Dream, and -- ultimately -- Indian Henry's Hunting Ground.
The remaining five miles of the trail alternates between gently ascending and steeply ascending. The major disruption occurs when the trail crosses Krautz Creek, just before you reach the Pyramid Creek campground. At this time of year, at least, the creek is a small but fast moving steam. But the stream occupies the center of an enormous swath of cliff slides and destruction, rocks and boulders, sand, and debris.
You pick your way through all this debris for a considerable distance before reaching the creek itself. This portion of the trail is largely washed out, but you can follow the footprints of other hikers, together with a number of small but helpful stone cairns. The bridge itself -- which washes out most years during the high water season -- is a simple log, flattened slightly on top, with a single hand rail attached. There is actually another similar bridge about a half mile farther up the trail, crossing what must be another branch of Krautz Creek.
Crossing this canyon area is a bit of a challenge, but an interesting novelty after miles of hiking in dense timber. Unfortunately, you lose elevation to reach the creek, which you then must regain.
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| Misty lake above Devil's Dream |
Devil's Dream, at about the 5.9-mile mark, is a relatively well-developed campground, with about seven tent sites and a latrine. Not long after passing Devil's Dream, you emerge from forest into the first intimations of alpine meadows. The trail passes along one shore of a small lake, which was enshrouded in mist on my way up. The scene was both beautiful and haunting.
Once I reached the lake, I assumed the trail would be roughly horizontal the rest of the way to my destination. I was mistaken -- it ascends rather steeply, alternating between forest and meadow, until finally it reaches a plateau and Indian Henry's cabin is visible across gorgeous grass meadows. Actually, the cabin is a park ranger residence -- unoccupied and shuttered when I was there -- but after seven miles I felt entitled to romanticize a bit.
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| Rehydrating at the cabin |
The cabin has a pleasant covered porch with several feet of bench on which you can sit and eat your lunch, stare across the meadow, and fantasize about visiting Indian Henry. I shared the porch with only one other couple who arrived a few minutes after me. The entire trail -- even near Longmire -- was surprisingly unpopulated. I guess that for many people, hiking season is over before Labor Day.
As the trail approaches the cabin, there is an intersection with another trail coming up from the Krautz River Bridge, down on the main highway. This trail is only 5.7 miles one-way. I know nothing else about it.
The second half of your 14 mile hike is a simple reversal of the first. The good news -- you're generally (but not always) walking downhill. The bad news -- if you're like me, your legs are becoming rubber-like in stability, and your feet hurt. But even the "bad news" means you are building up muscle strength and endurance for future adventures.
Whatever your rationalization for pain, the parking lot at Longmire looks wonderful as it comes into view. And you congratulate yourself on a day not wasted.
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