A beautiful day on Goat Mountain; superb views of Shuksan and Sefrit, with Baker, Granite, and even Church Mountain added for good measure. Goat Mountain is to Shuksan as Excelsior Ridge is to Baker – just the right place at the right distance to fully appreciate the mountain from the very bottom along the North Fork Nooksack to the very top. Impressive and very-close Sefrit would be more photographed (and more often noted) if it didn’t have the misfortune to be so close to Shuksan.
The trail is in excellent condition to “the balcony” – the spectacular first full-and-clear view of Shuksan, et al. No deadfall, good tread (except as noted below). The trail has a comfortable grade (two sets of switchbacks separated by about 2/3 mile of more-or-less contouring) until it breaks out into what used to be a moderately sloping meadow which is now increasingly shrubby. A short ways farther is the no-more-mister-nice-guy point, where the trail decides to go pretty-much straight up the fall-line of the ridge forming the east boundary of the evolving meadow. Fortunately the ridge is not extremely steep, but the trail does gain 300’ or so in quite a hurry. This stretch has long been a major erosion problem, with miserable sloping-loose-rock tread. About 20 years ago, a not-very-well-thought-out attempt was made to fix it, which proceeded to wash away in 2 or 3 years. But … good news! Most of this section (all of the worst part) has been fixed – correctly (if somebody writes a textbook on fixing steep eroding trails, they should get their illustrations here). I believe that this is the work of WTA. Remember it the next time you contribute to WTA – and up the amount in gratitude. It still mostly has rock tread (nothing else is realistically possible) – but not at all slippery-slidey or rough any more. The job should last a long time (provided people stay on the trail). Shortly after it you emerge onto the balcony.
The last of the year’s shooting stars and the first of the year’s pink monkeyflower were in bloom along the brushy route of a creek that the second set of switchbacks crosses nearly 10 times. There was a fine tiger lily blooming a bit farther down. Other flowers much as you would expect this time of year at this elevation in the Mt. Baker region.
Starting at 7AM (on a Monday), met no one on the way up, and 6 groups (8 people) on the way down. Ten years ago, this would have been rather busy for a Saturday. The trail is pretty good for social distancing as trails up mountains go – more places you can get well off the trail than you would expect. That said, there are certainly stretches where passing has to be at close quarters. Almost everyone was cooperative and masked as appropriate.
The ~2 1/2 miles of the Hannegan Pass road leading to the trailhead are not bad for a Forest Service dirt road. Potholes as usual, but few really big or deep ones. The worst seemed to be in the first half-mile or so. No problematic stream crossings or washouts.
I was not particularly aware of mosquitoes, but one landed on my hand when stopped at one point. So, there are some.
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