Almost complete solitude (only passed 2 luckily unsuccessful hunters on their way down). A little fog, a little sun. A dusting of snow at about 4000 feet to about 2 inches beginning around 5000 feet. While it was just a little too wet and cold to lay around on top & enjoy the views for very long, the quiet and solitude more than made up for it. Alot of water and mud on trail from snow melt over 4000 ft level.

We arrived to the trailhead just before 10... 3 hours later than our ususal hikes. Even still, we were the first ones up. I had worn long pants and a long-sleeved shirt despite the warm temperatures because of all the ""bad bugs"" reports all over the North Cascades. I'm glad I did, but not because of the bugs... the bugs were not a problem at all (even on the way down)... but because it was quite cold and windy along the ridge where we finally stopped for the day. Also, I was happy for the coverage because much of the middle third of the trail is very over-grown, some places worse than others, and with the morning dew it was also very wet. The views of Baker, Shuksan, and Sefrit were amazing. From the top, Sefrit was the only one that was cloud-free. The summits of Baker and Shuksan were topped with whipped cream for the hour we waited. It wasn't until we made our way down (and got under the clouds) that we had a clear view of Baker... Shuksan continued to hide. Oh, well... Oh, oh, oh... this trail has BERRIES! Well, maybe it had berries... ... we ate quite a few ripe salmonberries (we did leave some, and they will continue to ripen for the next couple of weeks). The blueberries were just starting to ripen and should really be plentiful in another month or so. The wildflowers were in full bloom and created a colorful mosaic of the alpine meadows. On the way back down, we ran into a Forest Service crew that was doing some trail work... putting in a puncheon... the previously existing one was very destroyed and sprawled out 5-15 feet downhill. Thank you USFS. :) All in all it was a hike I would highly recommend... 2.5 hrs up (3.5 miles/3000 ft), 1 hr lunch, 1.5 hrs down. (and we stopped a LOT for berries and pictures). Plus, there weren't a lot of people, I think we only passed about 5 groups coming up on our way down. Yay, North Cascades!

For those who have trouble keeping track of the various Goat Peaks and Mountains scattered around the state, this is the Whatcom County one, off the Mt. Baker Highway. The trailhead is on FR 32, 2.55 miles from the turnoff from State Route 542 (which is itself about 13.1 miles from the Glacier Public Service Center). The start of the trail is inconspicuously marked on the left, about 50 yards after a large parking area on the left, and 50 yards before a small parking area to the right. The section of trail in the conifer forest (the first 2 1/2 miles or so) is in fine shape, apart from some dilapidated bridges. These impending ruins all cross mudholes rather than large streams or deep ravines, so the main risk is just falling through a short ways into the mud if you are rather weighty. The forest becomes deciduous and gradually peters out as the flowers proliferate and views impress. Quite a bit of tiger lily, some monkeyflower, lots of lupine, paintbrush, valerian, etc. As views open, the trail sttepens and becomes rather trenched. At about 5100', a ridge is attained, with excellent views and lunch sites. Beyond this point, the trail quality gradually deteriorates further. It pretty much goes up the ridge toward Goat Mountain summit. No snow on the trail to the ""lunch spot"", or a fair ways beyond. We did not try to make the summit - it looked like there may have been some snow crossings farther up. The view from the ""lunch spot"" is superb - the icy north face of Shuksan, a very close view of Sefrit, the top thousand or two feet of Baker towering above Slate Mountain, a view down the Nooksack valley, and on its north wall across toward Welcome Pass with Church Mountain behind. There still appears to be lots of snow on the north sides of Shuksan Arm, Table Mountain, Slate Mountain, etc, down to 4500' and even below. Encountered a llama party and a horse party on the way down. The sign at the trailhead indicated that the trail would open to stock on August 1; unless we misunderstood the sign, they were there illegally. The spur trail to the old lookout site is hard to spot on the way up unless you are looking pretty closely for it on the right, but pretty easy to see on the way down. If you start leaving the conifers for a mainly deciduous forest, you have passed it.

This is one of my favorite hikes: It's short and steep, has terrific views, and the trail is downright pretty in spots. My goal was the knee-high blueberry covered meadow near the end of the trail. However, at 4100', I realized the rain bouncing off the brim of my ball cap was solid - I was being hailed upon! Since hail is often accompanied by Thor's hammer, I decided retreating to the car was my wisest choice, and left the blueberries to the bears. The lower portion of the trail is in great shape. The boardwalks have suffered mightily from the weather and are crumbling - do not day dream while crossing them. There are a few trees across the trail, but they're easily stepped over/under. If you're spending the night to catch the sunset on Shuksan, carry water. The last dribble deep enough to dip a nalgene bottle into is not far from the wilderness area border (about 3700', I think).

We hiked three miles up the trail. The trail was in good shape. From about two miles on there was some wet snow, but the trail was always visible. The views of the Nooksack Ridge, Shuksan, and Baker were about the clearest I have seen. We had the trail to ourselves and a look at the registration book indicated light use. Although this is a moderately steep trail the bed is in such good shape that it take a lot of the hard work out of it.