| July 2004: A backpack trip to
Cispus Pass & Old Snowy |
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My two brothers, two nephews and I set off
from Walupt Lake for a 2+ day backpacking trip in the Goat Rocks. We headed
east from the lake, then followed the PCT toward Snowgrass Flat. Late in the
first day, we reached the ridge above the headwaters of the Klicitat River and
were treated to this grand view of the Goat Rocks ridge. |
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After about 12 miles, we camped at the
headwaters of the Cispus River. |
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While we prepared our camp and cooked our
dinner, a large herd of mountain goats grazed across the slopes above us. We
counted at least 56 of them. As the sun went down, they disappeared behind a
high ridge. |
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The next day, we moved our camp to the alpine
slopes above Snowgrass Flat. We then took light day-packs up to the top of Old
Snowy Mountain. The sky cleared a bit, and we got some distant views. This
photo shows a view of Mt. St. Helens from near the top of Old Snowy
Mountain. |
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The alpine flowers were near the peak of
their annual display. Mt. Adams formed a perfect backdrop to this peaceful
scene. |
| October 2003: Overnight on top
of Hawkeye Point |
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Goat Lake is frozen much of the year. It
usually melts some time in September, and refreezes by the end of October. Some
years it never fully melts. On this occasion, it provided a nice reflective
foreground for a view of Mt. Adams. |
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The goats of the Goat Rocks were out in
abundance. I saw a couple herds of 8-10 animals, plus a few solitary wanderers.
All of them were sporting very thick coats of long white wool. This goat took
one last look back at me before disappearing over the ridgetop. |
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Another view over Goat Lake. I didn't share
this scene with anyone. It's so tragic... Goat Lake is such a beautiful place,
and a few miles away millions are glued to their television screens. Of course,
if millions of people visited Goat Lake, they'd ruin it... so I can't complain
too much. |
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I was hoping to get a view of the northern
lights on this trip. A huge solar storm was bombarding the earth, and there was
chance the lights would make a showing. Instead, all I got was the "Seattle
Borealis", illuminating the clouds above Mt. Rainier. Throw in the big dipper
& you have a photo! |
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I spent the night on a bare ridgetop at 7100
ft elevation, just below Hawkeye Point. Overnight, it never got colder than
45F, almost unheard-of for this time of year.
This is a view toward the snowgrass flat area & Old Snowy from
the outlet stream of Goat Lake. |
| July 2002: Overnight on
Snowgrass Flats |
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During our hike, we climbed to the top of
Old Snowy & got a great 360 view. This photo shows the view east from the
summit of Old Snowy, looking toward the other high peaks of the Goat Rocks.
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The Goat Rocks are a small clump of high
mountains in-between Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens. In fact, the
Goat Rocks themselves are a long-extinct volcano. |
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The alpine flowers were thick and beautiful.
These are Indian Paintbrush. |
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Snowgrass Flats is a gently-sloped alpine
area just southwest of Old Snowy mountain. Old Snowy is about 8000ft in
elevation, this photo was taken at just under 7000 ft. |
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Beargrass is a fascinating and beautiful
plant. Many Native Americans tribes used the tough beargrass fibers to weave
baskets. |
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A view of a patient Mt. Adams at
sunset. |
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A view of Mt. Rainier from the slopes of Old
Snowy. |
