Much to my family’s dismay (haha, sorry), I embarked on solo trip number two in August. I have a rough list of places I want to visit around the US, many centered around national parks, and the Pacific Northwest has been at the top of the list. With the summer already winding down and feeling optimistic about my job search, I knew that if I was going to check another trip off my list this summer, and get to have another solo experience, I would need to commit and book everything ASAP. So, I did.

This trip definitely had some more logistics than solo trip number one. I was unfamiliar with the area, and would need a rental car and camping gear since I’d be flying to Seattle. As you can imagine, this also comes with some expensive decisions. As much as I would’ve loved to rent a sprinter van for the week, it was 1. cost-prohibitive (especially since I wasn’t splitting it with anyone) and 2. I do not trust myself to drive those vans – they are massive). So, after searching for a rental car and weighing the options for rental camping gear, I found a local company called Seattle Overland. They rent Jeep Wranglers with rooftop tents and include all of your necessary camping gear. I was sold, so I booked a car, and then booked my flight.

Second Guessing Everything

Then, a few weeks later, as we got closer to the trip, I started to get cold feet. Was this a dumb idea? On my last solo trip, I was in my own car with all of my own stuff, I was near areas I was familiar with, and I was within driving distance of my apartment. On this trip to PNW, I would be on my own. However, the largest driving factor of my nerves was that I greatly fear wildlife. I know some people go to national parks hoping to see a bear or a moose from afar while hiking. I, however, hope the opposite. While this is contradictory to me loving the outdoors, and hiking, and the mountains, I do not want to come across any wildlife because it scares the shit out of me.

While I knew I wouldn’t be in grizzly territory, I was very much in black bear country, as well as cougar country. The cougars are what scared me. A black bear is easily spooked and doesn’t typically want anything to do with a human in passing (from what I’ve read). But the cougars – they might stalk you, chirping in the woods while they decide to engage, and I am not a very intimidating presence. I did buy bear spray once I arrived in Seattle for peace of mind, and it supposedly deters cougars, too, but I did not want to have to test it. 

Knowing this, I asked every friend I knew that might be willing to make the trek to Washington and hike with me. While no one was able to make the last minute trip, I had one ally who would overlap with me in Washington – while she wouldn’t be hiking with me, her presence nearby was comforting. Cue Erica Allaby, whipping in the Mercedes sprinter van across the country on her van life extravaganza, who happened to be passing through Seattle that very same weekend. 

To have a familiar face to meet up with on my first day in Seattle was definitely needed – we spent the evening eating takeout on the water at Seahurst Park and shared a hotel that night before heading our separate ways in the morning. 

Road to Mount Rainier

Around 5:30am, I rolled out of the hotel after stocking up on continental breakfast items – the one-serving peanut butter and jelly packets were key. I threw my stuff in the Jeep and got on the road to head to Mount Rainier National Park.

I knew going into my hike on Monday that it would likely be busy and crowded. I was arriving at the Skyline Loop trailhead around 8:30am, which is around prime time for the crowds to start hiking, but it was a Monday so I was hoping I would at least avoid peak weekend visitors. It was definitely busy, but I didn’t feel like I was hiking in a line up the mountain, so it definitely could have been worse. 

It really was crazy to round the corner on this hike and BAM, Mount Rainier is just looming above everything. It almost looked like a mirage, from the pure size and the way the snow caps blended with the clouds. I wish I got to see it for more of the hike, but what I didn’t fully realize going into this trip was two things: 

1. The hazy skies – the PNW is known for oscillating between amazing views and crazy cloud coverage. However, I did not realize how quickly that could happen. One second, I was looking at Rainier, and then toward the top of the hike, I could not see any mountain ranges. 
2. The fires – going into this weekend, I knew there were fires that had started in northern Washington, but they definitely impacted the air quality and visibility much more than I anticipated. 

I have seen many hikers refer to Skyline Loop as one of the most stunning trails they’ve ever done – I’ve heard this sentiment about many of the trails in the park. That is what made the disappointment that much greater when I realized I was there on one of the days where visibility was scarce. The wildflowers were beautiful, and my initial view of Rainier was amazing, but it was tough to accept that my glance at the mountain during the first mile of my hike would be all I would get that day. 

I did see a black bear from very, very, very far away, so that was cool, too. 

After I finished my hike at Skyline, I headed down to Cougar Rock Campground to find my site and make some lunch. With a rooftop tent, I realized there really isn’t much of anything to set up. I was going to drive to Reflection Lake for sunset, so there was no point in popping it up yet. So, I grabbed my rice and chicken packets, my journal, and my Kindle, and sat down at my picnic table to hang out for a while. 

This is where the true solo part of the solo trip comes in. When I’m not moving, I feel the solitude much more deeply, and that’s probably the toughest part.