Iron Goat Trail — Monday, Apr. 8, 2024

Arrived via the Iron goat/Martin creek trailhead at 0900 with zero cars in the large gravel parking lot. As stated before, the bathrooms are still locked. After walking on the boardwalk and trail for a short bit, we chose to take the 1st left and head to the upper trail. The climb is fairly short and not too steep. Moss and ferns are everywhere and many of the flowers were close to blooming. It was lush and beautiful. There are several blowdowns along the entire upper trail.

The upper trail has several old snow sheds, and tunnels (one of the old snowsheds even has stairs built so you can get on top and have a look around). All of the tunnels have informational plaques and of course, advise not to enter further as many have, or are caving in.

We passed Windy point viewpoint in route to the Wellington, unfortunately, the snow became too deep for us to go much further and there is a very large blowdown crossing the trail. Not impossible to get around, but it requires the over-under maneuver. 

We thought we had the entire trail to ourselves until we came around the corner and found a new trail friend. An bassoon playing veterinarian and his friend Ed. Sometimes you just meet some hikers on the trail and chat like old friends. For an entire hour. On the side of the trail. What a treat these 2 were. This encounter reminded me that there are lots of great people out there to still meet, and it never hurts to say a friendly word while passing.

All in all, this is a nice trail, lots to see, and a great place to have a quick getaway in the forest.