Goat Flats, Tin Can Gap

The trail to Goat Flats is notorious for being rough, with roots that grab and trip, big eroded steps, large rocks and overgrowth encroaching on the tread. The Spring/Manning guide book tells us that it will take 2 hours to travel the 2.5 miles from the trail head to Saddle Lake. All of this is – true.

My pup and I headed up to spend the night at the Flats with the secondary intention of hiking to Tin Can Gap. (As a Hike-a-Thonner, I wanted to be sure to get as much mileage in as possible.) The trip up to Saddle Lake is filled with peek-a-boo views of Three Fingers, Mt. Baker and Whitehorse. There are still a variety of flowers to enjoy and several water spots for furry friends. Once at Saddle Lake, the bugs began to appear in irritating numbers. Dragonflies are abundant at the lake, as are young frogs. A black bear was sighted moments before my arrival.

Continuing on to the Flats, the terrain opens up more and more marked by small meadows and an increasing number of tarns – many of which were occupied by dozens of tadpoles. We finally crested the low ridge and entered the Flats. There are a few campsites and several boot worn trails.

Views from the Flats are everything they are purported to be. They are far reaching and spectacular.

We continued on to Tin Can Gap which is about another mile or so past the Flats. There are still patches of snow on the trail here, but most hikers were navigating them with no difficulty. If you are not comfortable on snow, a pair of trekking poles will serve you well.

The Gap gives you an excellent view of the Queest-Alb glacier and the lookout perched precariously on top of South Three Fingers. It is both impressive and startling how far it still is from the Gap. The route to the summit is still very icy and snow covered. It would be wise to skip the summit unless you have at the minimum an ice axe. Some were choosing to use crampons as well. Personally, I was not equipped for the trip up and my pup (who at nearly 15 was so tired I had to put him in my pack!) had no interest in continuing.

We returned to camp to watch a truly spectacular sunset over Puget Sound and marveled at the sheer size of our urban areas. The moon, looking particularly large, slid down in the sky illuminating the Sound’s waters with a glow that rivaled the city lights.

It was warm enough to lie out under the stars and watch for meteors well into the night. For a change, I was actually able to stay awake long enough to enjoy the all too rare opportunity to see the Milky Way.

The trip out takes nearly as long as the trip in. However, the abundance of salmonberries and soon to arrive blueberries help to pass the time with sweet-tart goodness.