My son-in-law and I just returned from a three-day trip to Goat Rocks. Day 1 started at the Scatter Creek trailhead where we started hiking at 12:25 pm. The first 2.5 miles, we passed through a heavily burned yet interesting area with filtered views of Tieton Peak and first peeks at the ridgeline on the fringes of Goat Rocks Wilderness. Once past the burn, the rest of the way to Tieton Pass is in shady but open forest. We counted at least four perennial water sources and five or six seasonal creeks along this section of the trail.
After hiking 4.8 miles and climbing 2273', we arrived at Tieton Pass with the intention of camping at the campsite just south of the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail. However, we found the sites were occupied, so we hiked another mile south on the PCT to Lutz Lake and found a good campsite that was empty. Typical for this time of season, it was swarming with mosquitoes. We armed ourselves for battle, applying Deet and building a smokey fire. Then we pitched our tents, made dinner, and waited for the evening breeze to cool things down and put a lid on the bugs. Filling our water bottles at Lutz Lake was difficult because it's so shallow. However, we found a much better place in a meadow just to the northwest. There's a small stream on the far side of the meadow where ice cold water pours over a log dam, making it much easier to fill a water bottle.
On day 2, we left our tents standing with the intention of returning for the night. Trading our big packs for daypacks, we hiked south on the PCT through cool forest towards Elk Pass. At about 2.5 miles, we climbed above treeline where a feast of mountain gorgeousness greeted our eyes. At around 6400' we approached large snowfields on the north-facing slope below Elk Pass. There are numerous water sources cascading down the mountain in this area, some which cross the trail and make refills easy. Snow crossings were not hard. We carried microspikes but they stayed in our packs. Once we gained the ridgeline on the north side of Elk Pass, we were again walking on dry ground. The final stretch to Elk Pass was a pleasant stroll, with stops every 100 yards to snap photos. Not quite having our fill of hiking in such scenery, we continued south past Elk Pass about 1/4 mile to the top of a 6900' unnamed peak where we broke for lunch and tried our best to soak in the grandeur. Old Snowy in particular commanded our attention. We spotted two hikers making their way down towards us, crossing snowfields and bare ground. We waited for about 30 minutes till they arrived at our location and asked how their hike went. They talked about the exhilaration of passing through such glorious terrain and having no trouble with the snow. I could feel the tug of the mere two mile trek to Old Snowy but it would have to wait for another day. We returned to our camp at Lutz Lake with just enough energy to break camp and move down to Tieton Pass for the night. Though it too was buggy, it was drier and windier and not nearly as bad as Lutz Lake.
Early on day 3 while still in our tents, clouds moved in and we had a few sprinkles of rain. By the time we rose and exited our tents, it had stopped and skies were clearing. We ate breakfast, then hoisted daypacks and headed north towards Shoe Lake. The first two miles were in forest on an easy uphill grade. There are numerous seasonal stream that cross the trail in this section. Then the trail became a bit steeper and we came to a burn area which continued till we were past the junction to Hidden Springs. The burn ends but the climbing continues all the way to the first (south) junction to Shoe Lake. Another half mile of climbing brings you past meadows to the solitary jewel of Shoe Lake with its clear blue waters. Because camping is prohibited here, it seems untouched, unspoiled by humans. Wonderful nooks are scattered around the lake, some with beaches, some with groves of trees, offering good places to stop and enjoy the stunning scenery. This place rivaled Elk Pass in the degree of difficulty it was to leave.
It would be a long day 3, retracing our steps to Tieton Pass to fetch our overnight packs and make the long trek down to our vehicles at the trailhead. Cumulative distance for three days was 28 1/4 miles, elevation gain 6511'.
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