Goat Lake, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section H - Bridge of the Gods to White Pass & Snowgrass Flat — Saturday, Jul. 5, 2025

I took advantage of the cooler weather (highs in the 60s) to visit the Goat Rocks when it would be less buggy than it is typical during the summer.  I had intended to hike a couple miles in on the Fourth, but I arrived later than I intended, and it started lightly raining soon after, so I slept in my car instead.  There were ~20 cars in the parking lot and on the road, but it was pretty quiet, no jackasses shooting off fireworks in the national forest.

In the late morning, 10-11, I began hiking toward Goat Lake clockwise around the loop.  There were some mosquitoes out at the trailhead and in the early part of the trail, but not terrible.  There were a few small snow patches, but they should melt away soon.

I arrived at the lake in the early afternoon, which is snow covered still.  After lunch, I decided to hike up to the PCT to camp at higher elevation away from the mosquitoes that other hikers told me were pretty bad in the valley.  I missed that there is a connector trail close to Goat Lake and ended up ascending from Alpine Camp.  There are many campsites above Alpine Camp that have progressively more incredible views.  Along the PCT there are several snowfields to cross, which were soft in the afternoon.  A thriving population of marmots were alarm calling frequently along the PCT often perched on boulders near the trail.  I stopped at a rock walled campsite just south of Packwood Glacier that had a 180 view of Klickitat (Adams), Loowit (St Helens) and Tahoma (Rainier).  Tahoma only became visible pretty close to Packwood Glacier.  I hiked the last ~five minutes with a lightened pack to the ridge above Packwood Glacier to get the full view to the north.  The panorama photo is from the campsite.  I wish I had saved my battery for the morning when the light was even better.  Temps were in the 40s, maybe 30s overnight, and I was comfortable in my 20 degree sleeping bag without a tent.  I did not notice any mosquitoes near the campsite.

In the morning, I woke before six and started back down to Alpine Camp across the hardened snow fields before seven.  I continued the clockwise loop back to Snowgrass Trailhead.  I missed the Snowgrass Trail connection to the Berry Patch Trailhead, so I walked the road back to Berry Patch arriving before 10 AM, ~17 miles in ~23 hours if I remember my starting time right.