Multi-Day Trip: Goat Mountain

Where: Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest
Where/Bounding Box (bbox):(-121.6781 , 48.8959 -121.5973, 48.9444)
What: Hiking (non-technical)
When: 4-5 August 2018
Who: 1 people, 1 dog

Google maps

Washington Trail Association Links:

• Goat Mountain
  • https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/goat-mountain

Appropriate Maps:

• National Geographic Maps:
  • Mt Baker, Boulder River Wilderness Area, Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest #826
    • This provided a good overview of the area/surrounding area, but would not be practical for the details of the trail.
• Green Trails Map:
  • Mount Baker Wilderness, Map 13SX *** Best Map for the Hike ***
    • This was the best map for this hike and area.  There is a lot more fidelity to the trail features and switchbacks.
    • Contours are much easier to see.

$16

Overall Difficulty:

Moderate to strenuous during most sections.  Strenuous during the last mile of the hike to the summit.

Gear Load-out:

• 88L Pack [Amazon Link]
• 3L Hydration Reservoir [Amazon Link]
• 3x 16oz Gatorade Bottles (dog’s water)
• First Aid Kit
• Sunglasses [Amazon Link]
• Water Filtration System [Amazon Link]
• Food
• Dog Food
• Tent [Amazon Link]
• Sleeping bag
• Ground Mat [Amazon Link]
• Down jacket
• Compass
• Map
• Hat
• Light rain jacket [Amazon Link]
• 2x pair extra socks
• Thermal Top/Bottoms [Amazon Link]
• Bug Spray
• 2L Collapsible Hydration Reservoir [Amazon Link]
• Backpacker Stove w/ fuel [Amazon Link]
• Hiking Poles

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Getting to the Trailhead:

From the Glacier Public Service Center, drive east along WA-542 for about 12.8 miles.  When you get to the WADOT facility (on left), its about 0.3 after that on your left.  The turn off is a quick left turn just before the bridge and could easily be missed if you are going too fast. The corner also makes it difficult to see oncoming traffic as you cross the road onto NF-32.  If you drive over the bridge or get to Silver Fir Campground area, turn around and drive back a short distance.  The bridge is the prominent feature.

Once you are on NF-32, continue to drive about 2.4 miles.  You will pass the Nooksack Cirque Trail Road sign about 1.3 miles in. Continue on.  The trailhead is clearly marked.  Do not get confused by the unmarked road on your left(picture below).  You cant miss the lower and upper parking lots and the signs that says Goat Mountain Trailhead.  There is somewhat plenty of parking but it really depends on how much space people think cars need.  Park smartly so others can enjoy the trail as well.  At the upper parking lot, there is a maintained bathroom structure.

Vehicle Clearance:   I drove a truck with no issues. I saw a Prius in the parking lot and it followed me on the drive back to the main road (WA-542).  There were potholes but it shouldn’t be an issue to straddle or drive around them if you have a low clearance vehicle.  I would certainly drive my Hyundai Accent the next time I hike this trail again.  The road is also generally wide enough in most areas for 2 way traffic.  In the areas were the road is more narrow there are plenty of small pull-off areas in both directions.

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Google Maps Directions: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Glacier+Public+Service+Center,+10091+Mt+Baker+Hwy,+Deming,+WA+98244/Goat+Mountain+Trailhead,+Glacier,+WA/

Permits:

You do need a National Parks/Forest or Northwest National Forest Pass for this area.  Display appropriately as this trailhead is much more accessible and likely to be visited by the Forest Service.  If you don’t bring your pass, or just don’t have one, you can get a pass at the Glacier Public Service Center on your way in.

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Day 1:

Pack Weight Start: Did Not Measure, est 35lbs. No picture.

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Goat Mountain Trailhead to Mt Baker Wilderness Sign. 1hr 11min. 993 cal.

Starting at 1338, the parking lot had about 10 vehicles in the lower lot and 6 vehicles in the upper lot.  Although it was a late start in the day to get on the trail, I had planned for this hike to be an overnighter trip with Buddy Bear the dog. The hike is only about 11 miles so this is certainly a day trip type of hike.  Since I was carrying our overnight gear, I knew it would take longer to ascend, especially with the dog coming along.

As with all hikes I have done with Buddy, about 5-10min into the hike, he has to relieve himself.  This time, it was closer to 5min in and too close to the car to carry the poop bag for the remainder of the hike, so I dropped my pack and we went back to the car to leave the bag there so I can pack it out when we left the next day (LEAVE NO TRACE!).  After getting back to where I had dropped my pack, we had probably burned about 15-20min. It didn’t help to save anytime when I went put my pack on, the mouthpiece to my hydration pack flew off, so I spent some additional time clamping the hose and finding the mouthpiece before finally continuing on.  What a great start to the hike!

On our way now. After a series of switchbacks along soft forest floor, you will eventually get to one very long switchback that likely runs over half a mile.  You’ll notice it when it just seems like you are hiking for a long time on a gradual grade trail in the same general direction.  Also, for those with dogs, there were a few mini creeks/streams along the long switchback from which your dog might be able to get some water without dipping into the water supply you brought along for them. That will come in handy later when there is more distance between water sources the higher you go.

Below is a picture of Buddy looking around on the long gradual switchback.  The trail is pretty well maintained, as you can see from the log lined trail.  There were a few areas that had this more robust work done. Shortly after this section, we got to the end of the switchback and pretty quickly arrived at the Mt Bake Wilderness sign denoting that we were about to enter the Wilderness area.  The Wilderness area as certain rules that one should read about before deciding to camp or venture into in groups larger than 12 (Ill make a post about this later).

Minus the series of delays at the beginning of the hike, getting to the Wilderness boundary likely only took about 45-50 minutes, rather than the 1hr 11min noted above.

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Mt Baker Wilderness Sign to Look Out area. 2 hr 49 min (1hr 38min). 2391 cal (1398 cal difference).

From the Mt Baker Wilderness sign, the trail begins to become less gradual of a grade. Pretty soon you will be heading back and forth on some switchbacks as you gain more noticeable elevation. The higher you get, the more overgrown some of the vegetation is, particularly around knee to hip level, though the trail is still pretty recognizable.

Since passing the Wilderness sign we began seeing a few groups of hikers making there way back to the trailhead after making it to the top of Goat Mountain. Everyone was friendly with Buddy and happy to pet him, though we was a little wary about the guys as is usual with him.

Since it was during the heat of the day, despite being cooler than the week prior, we stopped in some of the shaded areas to allow Buddy to cool off some. I could tell he was getting a little exhausted and starting to feel the heat at this point.  When we got to some of the shaded areas, he would just plop on down on the cooler ground plants. Once his panting subsided we would keep moving.  I knew a longer break was coming soon at the first over look area, so he would certainly get a better break shortly.

Around 1630, we arrived at the first prominent look out area. There were plenty of spots to go to and this is the first area that would be acceptable for camping. There are a few relatively flat patches, some have various rocks that might constrain the footprint of some tents.

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After around a 50minut break, we packed up and got back on the trail to see if there was a better place further up the path, hopefully closer to a water source, to put down our gear for camp before making the push up to the peak.

Look Out area to Campsite. 4hr 7min (30 min).

At 1748, we had gotten to the upper part of the arm/upper look out area and were just before the section that goes straight up so I decided this was a good place to put down some gear and make camp.  I knew the forecast was anticipating thunder and rain within the next couple hours and last into the late evening, so I assessed the different areas from the initial look out area to this spot.  This area seemed to be a great fit and relatively flat spots that had good placement opportunities for the footprint of my tent.  I knew I wouldn’t want to camp up along the summit area because of the possible thunder (possibly accompanied by lightning and good winds).  I also thought of the potential for rain and wanted to make sure the area I choose for a campsite had decent drainage, especially not in the path from the topography above me.  I lucked out and also got an area that was really close to a good running stream, so I knew getting water wouldn’t be much of an issue later.  Another benefit of dropping my camping gear now would be lightening my load up the steep trail to get to the summit.  You really notice the weight you carry under those type of steep conditions.

Another great feature of the selected campsite was the amazing view of Granite Mountain, Hannegan Peak and Pass, Mt Sefrit of the Nooksack Ridge, Mt Shuksan, Slate Mountain, Mt Hermann and Mt Baker.

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Something to note so far along the hike was that the flies were a problem going through the woods and all the way up to the look out area.  Anytime we stopped the flies would swarm around you, but luckily they swarmed around Buddy more than me so I wasn’t as annoyed as he was!  While I set up camp, the flies were an issue but by the time I finished setting up, the mosquitoes started making their debut for the night. As soon as we started moving again, they more or less dissipated.

Setting up the tent went pretty quickly and it felt good to have the pack off. Now was time to sort out the inside of the tent and get my sleeping gear and non-essentials in the tent in case it started raining while I was at the summit. Removing all that overnight and non-essentials greatly reduced the weight of my pack, which would make the rest of the ascent much easier and faster. I did keep my food and consolidated my water. I had drank almost 2 liters on the way up so I refilled with the 2L back up reservoir. Since I was right next to my overnight water source, I wasn’t as concerned with filling up before heading to the summit. In hindsight, I should have just spared the additional time so I wouldn’t have to bother with it later [Lesson Learned].

Campsite to Summit. 5hr 20min (1hr 13min). 4381 cal.

After spending about 35 minutes setting up camp and repacking the pack it was about 1820, time to depart for the the last stretch to the Goat Mountain summit. From camp, there were a couple of quick switchbacks before the steep ascent straight up to the ridgeline. This was great way to end the day, a pure calve burner. A good thing with the straight up approach is you’re not wasting distance and simply taking the shortest route, but you have the suffer the exhaustion. You can’t reduce one without increasing the other. After several sprints with several breaks in between, Buddy and I finally made it to the ridge line. Now a relative gentle slope up to the various ridgeline peaks. There were several different groups of hikers at the top with their camps all setup taking in the view. I’m not sure any of them realized there would be thunderstorms coming through as well as rain. Oh well.

After continuing the ascent, I came upon a nice rock outcropping with a guy and his dog hanging out just below the summit. I looked over at the real summit and noticed that it was packed with a couple groups of hikers and campers. The time was now 1900, this was summit enough for this trip. Maybe next time I would sit at the true summit with less people jumbled about. Time to let the dog relax, drink some water and drop my pack.

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Once the dog caught his breathe and settled some, I broke out his food so he could have his much deserved food for the evening. The rest of the night would be all down hill, so the tough day was over. While the dog was eating, I struck up a conversation with the other guy with his dog. I also took this time to eat some of my trail mix as I was starting to feel some of the exhaustion myself. I also tried to drink as much water as I could since I knew I could fill up back at camp. I used my time at this spot to scan around. The clouds to my north and east were looking pretty sketchy and had the feeling that rain was coming rather soon. The guy had mentioned that there was cell service where we were so I turned my phone off airplane mode, I tend to keep it on that while hiking so my battery doesn’t drain, to send out a quick text to let someone know where I was as a status check. The service was sufficient to send it out but I didn’t linger once it sent and quickly turned it back on airplane mode once I got a confirmation response back.

Here were the views looking east and south. You can certainly see the nimbus clouds off to the east toward Hannegan Peak/Pass. The storm is on its way.

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Summit to Campsite. 6hr 15min (55min). 5031 cal (650 cal difference).

Around 1927, the rain started, rather unexpectedly, sprinkling. Time to depart the summit and head for camp. I quickly threw my pack back out and readied the dog. As we started toward the western end of the ridgeline, the sprinkling had picked up a little. I would prefer not running down the slope under muddy conditions, so I picked up pace, being mindful of the ground below me to ensure I wasn’t making faulty steps that could cause me to slip and slide down. At this point I had the dog off leash to ensure he had free range to do what he needed to do to get down at his pace and comfort. As we progressed down the steep slope, if rain wasn’t enough why not some hail to go along with it? So that started and persisted the rest of the way down. After a little less than 30 minutes later we arrived back at the campsite soaking wet and the temperature was dropping more noticeably. 1955. Get in the tent and wait it out.

Now Buddy and I are definitely soaked, and he let me know as soon as we got into the tent as he did a really good shake. Good think I had laid a tarp over everything and left my dry clothes in the trash bag. He now made the wet dog smell very apparent but he soon settled. Once he laid down, I took the opportunity to change into my dry clothing to start warming up. I stashed my wet clothes and shoes in the vestibule so everything else in the tent wouldn’t be as wet and humid. Buddy and I are now just waiting it out as the rain starts the die down and the wind is picking up. You can hear the thundering just to the east, but it sounds like its getting closer as the time passes. I took this time to eat a little food I hadn’t finished from earlier in the day since I was going to wait for the storm to pass before cooking dinner. Additionally, I broke out my book that I had brought along, The Nature of Things by Lucretius [Amazon Link]. A little light reading to pass the stormy time while the light was still readily available.

About an hour since my return to the tent, I started hearing folks coming down the trail from the summit. They must have decided they had enough of the rain and thunder to stick it out. I don’t blame them since being on the ridgeline is not a great place to be when there is a potential for lightning. I stuck my head out of the vestibule to see who and how many there were. A couple groups later, I think that was everyone from the top. The last group had noticed my head poking out and offered to wait for me to pack up if I wanted to head down with them. I politely said I was going to wait it out. After some exchanges of questions back and forth, they carried on their way back to the trailhead.

Rather than head back to the comfort and safety of my vehicle or home, I was going to stay rain or shine. Since I had monitored the weather forecast before departing in the morning, I had a good recent information regarding the weather for the 24-36hr period and assessed that the danger was quite low if mitigated appropriately. The weather forecast for tomorrow was supposed to be sunny so I knew the thunderstorm would soon pass and everything would eventually dry. The forecast anticipated about 0.1 inches of rain and was estimated to be over by midnight. I would be back at the truck tomorrow late morning anyways so what is a little discomfort (as long as I was safe and smart about it at least)? All will be good. There is something to be said about being safe, but you need to understand the conditions and be honest about your skill level to manage and deal with the potential risks. The temperatures are only supposed to get to about the 50s this evening at my elevation, which wasn’t a concern for me since I brought the appropriate gear for the situation.

The only real potential for danger at this point would be an encounter with wildlife, namely bears, but that is part of being outside. You have to remember that you a guest and visit in their environment, which is another aspect of being mindful on the trails and in the wilderness. Also, wildlife are, most of the time, more afraid of you than you are of them. They tend to attack when they feel threatened (normally as a result of being startled or encroaching on their young), or you pose a danger to their food sources.

Around 2100 the rain started tapering down and by 2140 it was pretty much gone or down to a very sporadic sprinkle. I put on my wet clothes and wet shoes back on to help potentially dry them out while taking care of my tasks and so I’d wouldn’t get my clean dry warm clothes wet or damp before bed. The time had come to fill up all my water reservoirs and the dogs water bottles in the stream next to me. Now that my water is good to go for the rest of the trip, its time to start cooking dinner. Ramen noodle, chicken flavor, this time. Something lightweight with salt. After the Ramen was cooking, I soon realized that I had forgot my spoon! That’s JV stuff. Oh well, adapt and overcome. Ill just drink the broth and noodles and use my fingers as needed. If its good enough in a lot of areas of the world, its good enough for me. While the cooked noodles were cooling down enough for me to eat/drink, I took the time to tidy up the campsite and layout some of the wet gear to dry out. I was not concerned with rain at this point because the skies were being to clear and parts of the ground weren’t looking as wet. Also the forecast had anticipated mostly clear skies so this was on par.

Most everybody left off the mountain from what I could tell, though there was a couple with their dog just a little ways below me. I could see the headlights and taillights across the valley near the Mt Baker Ski areas, likely making their way down the mountain road from a day out hiking around the Artist Point area. I haven’t been hiking in that area since my first trip out on to Washington state back in August 2015. That was the two-week hiking trip that got me to think about moving out here.

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Day 2:

I slept pretty well all night long, though I could feel the aches in my knees from the descent. I did wake up around 0400 at Buddy’s request. The air was pretty nice and cool. The ambient light at that time made the glaciers on Mt Sefrit and Mt Shuksan a pretty blue-white under the blue morning sky. There were a few scattered clouds. While I was up, I laid out wet items to dry while I went back to sleep.  I got up again around 0515 to open up the vestibule so I could lay an inside the tent and watch the sunrise against the mountain backdrop.

Around 0630 I decided it was time to get moving and start my morning tasks, as well as to feed the dog and start heating the water for coffee and oatmeal.  As the water was heating up to a boil, I started picking up camp and packing the unneeded gear into my pack.  I also set up my camera tripod so I could captures some more pictures throughout the morning.

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Campsite to Trailhead. 1hr 43min. 831 cal.

Now that coffee and breakfast was done, I began breaking down the tent and finishing the process of repacking my pack. Nothing ever seems to pack the same way you had it when you started. After securing everything, I began policing up the area of my campsite in preparation for departure. I started down the trail around 08:10.  The temperature was a nice cool feeling and would continue to last the rest of the morning since once we entered the tree line, we would be shielded all morning.  The way down was quite pleasant. As I got to the initial look out area I stopped at on the hike up, it looked like a bunch of the hikers decided to camp out here instead of make the trek down the mountain. As I was passing through, they were getting up and doing there routines.

Once we hit the treeline, the trail grade became much better than the steep trail from the day before so nothing to complain about with this gentleness.  The path through the forest was softer, so much friendlier on the knees as well. Although I packed a water bottle for Buddy on the way down, we stopped at each stream passing for him to get some water.  Since it was generally cool out and we were going downhill he wasn’t really exhausted or thirsty, so our breaks didn’t last long as he would look at me wondering why we were stopping each time. He would do an obligatory sip but wasn’t really interested like he was on the way up.

Around the 50 minute mark since starting, we arrived back at the Mt Baker Wilderness sign.  This marked that we would be approaching the long gentle grade trail and not too far from the end.  We did pass a couple small groups on the way down as they were going up for the day. As usually happens on the hike down, its a much quicker trip. Around 0953, we arrived back at the trailhead were we started. Another good morning hike after a good night camping.  Some additional food for the dog and some nachos for me while I packed up the truck to head home. Buddy had a good trip and I thought it would be better to take it slow this weekend with him as I continue building up his endurance and strength to go on longer trips.  Originally I had planned to do a follow-on day hike in the area, but I reconsidered and thought I was content with what we had done.  Time to head home and give this dog a bath!

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• Total Mileage: ~11.0 miles
• Total Elevation: ~4100ft
• Start Time: ~1340 Saturday 4 July 2018
• Finish Time: ~0950 Sunday 5 July 2018
• Est Calories: 5862 (non-continuous)

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