As our PCT-support obligations ended and Tom's hamstring healed, we headed out for a few days of backpacking in one of our all-time favorite places: the Goat Rocks in the southern Washington Cascades. The hike into Snowgrass Flats and the PCT, where we set up camp, was straight-forward and uneventful. The meadows near our camp were a bit drier and less flower-filled than some of our past visits, but the views of the surrounding peaks, including Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens were just as special as we remembered. After wandering a bit to get water, we headed up to the summit of Old Snowy ... first through subalpine meadows and trees, and then through rocky, barren terrain. The approach was quite airy, but included more spectacular views ... including Mt. Rainier to the north, Mt. Gilbert to the east., and the famed "knife's edge" portion of the PCT. The late afternoon light only made it all more beautiful. After returning to camp, we decided to "cowboy camp" (i.e., no tent). The nearly new moon allowed us unencumbered star-gazing whenever we woke up during the night!
The following day, we day-hiked over to Goat Lake and Hawkeye Point. The large turquoise lake is tucked in a hanging valley ... surrounded by high ridges. Pretty awesome! And significantly more flowers in that area, too! After a bit of lunch and relaxation, we headed up to Hawkeye Point, and commanding 360-deg views! And we stopped for a quick, refreshing dip in the lake on our way back to camp. Tom again opted for cowboy camping, while Karen chose the tent. In the middle of the night, however, we noticed clouds coming in, and lightning in the distance. Despite his desire to blow it off, Tom moved into the tent and put up the rainfly ... and just in time. The sprinkles started, and eventually turned into a full on rain that didn't let up till morning. So we packed up during a break and hiked out in more-or-less of a drizzle.
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| Mt Rainier from approach to Old Snowy |
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| Karen ascending Old Snowy, Goat Lake in background |
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| "The Knife's Edge" (Note the trail following the ridge) |
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| Gilbert Peak from Old Snowy |
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| Evening light on Mt Adams and Snowgrass Flats |
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| Mt. St. Helens Sunset |
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| Crescent Moonrise |
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| Unknown fungus (aka Golfball Mushroom?) |
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| Hawkeye Point above Goat Lake |
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| Indian Paintbrush |
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| Raven at Hawkeye Point |
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| Goat Lake below Old Snowy and Ives Peak |
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| Goat Ridge and Mt. Adams |
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| Pasqueflower Seedheads |
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| Evening Light on Ridge |
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| Sunset Colors |
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| Morning View of Mt Adams |
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| Misty Trail Out |
Activities
- Snowgrass Flats Trail to PCT
- PCT to Old Snowy
- Lily Basin Trail to Goat Lake and Hawkeye Point
"Oh Wow!" Moments
- The Milky Way!!!
- As the stars disappeared with the coming dawn, suddenly there was a bright light poking over the ridge to the east. After a few minutes, the situation became clear ... an incredible crescent moonrise!
- A view of Mt Rainier popping out as we gained the ridge approaching Old Snowy!
- Late afternoon light on Gilbert Peak from the summit of Old Snowy!
- Walking through BIG country, with awesomeness all around!
Random Scenes
- As we were relaxing at Goat Lake, Karen spotted some mountain goats high on the ridge
above. Shortly after they disappeared, she spotted a lone black bear
in the same vicinity. At first, it was headed down towards the lake
(and us!), until it realized there were people there, at which point it
turned and headed first towards far end of the lake, then seemed to
change it's mind and headed straight up and over a far ridge. It was
pretty amazing how effortless it all seemed to the bear!
- Returning to the car, we noticed some of our snack wrappers shredded up and strewn about the car? What? We figured mice must have gotten into the car. A bit of googling suggests that they can do this without too much trouble. Hmmm, who woulda thought?
Random Questions
- Were those big bats that we saw flying around at dusk? They seemed kinda big for bats (about the size of crows), but were zipping around to and fro, unlike most birds that time of day that are flying in some direction (usually home).
- What are all these flying ant-like things doing only at the top of Hawkeye Point? And what's in that bucket that seems to be attracting them? (Actually, we don't want to know)
- Do mice remember how they got into a car when they decide to get out? Apparently, they can get out, but we're not sure whether it's the same way, or not.
Tom's Daily Stress Points
- Always a little anxiety when hiking along exposed stretches ... like to the summit of Old Snowy. (stress level = medium)
Future Ideas
- Visit Cispus Basin and Beyond
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