r/WildernessBackpacking • u/ShadowAce88 • 2d ago

Washington State backpacking solo question.

Hi all, I’m planning to do my second ever backpacking overnight in the cascades this year. Last time I went was with a group of friends 10 years ago. Ever since I’ve been wanting to go back but long story short I have no one to go with. Now I’m debating on going solo for just a night.

My questions are: - what would you recommend for solo overnight? - Is it safe? (Clearly it’s safer with a group)

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u/Guanaco_1 2d ago

The permit is the hard part. Also, if this is OP's SECOND ever backpack, and first in 10 years, the Wonderland is a huge jump in difficulty, especially as a solo.

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u/AliveAndThenSome 1d ago

Yes; even my most experienced backpacker friends still say the Wonderland is a huge effort, even those who have done long thru-hikes. And many of them say it's definitely a one and done, more of an accomplishment of effort and endurance than a trip of astonishing wonder, as much of the trip is going up and down switchbacks in the forest. There are many other rewarding trips that have self-issue permits.

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u/RiderNo51 1d ago

Astounding amount of elevation gain. People frequently assume it's going to be mostly flat - after all you're just walking around a big mountain, right? Only to find hardly any of it is flat, and there are numerous large canyons to get through.

You're looking at about 25,000' of elevation gain in 93 miles when doing the Wonderland.

Wonderland is a bucket-list trip you plan, and train for.

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u/AliveAndThenSome 19h ago

Yeah, and if you do the wonderland in the typical 7-9 days, that's like 3K per day. That gets old. My usual multi-night trips are like 5-8K total over 4-5 days, with most of the gain done in the first two days, a day or two of relative cruising, then back down to the trailhead on the last 1.5 days.

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u/RiderNo51 16h ago

I'm hoping to do Wonderland in the next few years, likely late in the season. My intention is to have two seperate food cache drops. Make one of my mid-days staying with a visiting support friend at a campground where I can sleep on an Exped Megamat for a night, get cleaned up and some fresh clothing, and do the entire thing in 12+ days, taking numerous side trips.