Excellent trip with Glen99 as we each got up to Three Fingers Lookout. We took a direct/straight up approach up to Goat Flats which worked nicely for us, but is a brute, as it gains 3200ft in 1.5 miles.
We got started at 6:25am, and after a 1/4 mile we took a right on a super overgrown road(NF road 035). The vegetation was head high and wet, so we put on rain pants and shell jackets on for this part. In about 1 1/4 mile there is some flagging and a faint trail to the left. This is the climbers path that takes you up to Goat Flats. The first part up to 2700ft is super steep, and there are some ropes set up. We put on micro spikes here, and they helped tremendously!! From around 2700ft to around 3600ft is where the steepish section is. It is mega steep as it weaves around some vertical rock sections. Again there some sections that have some rope. After this it is still steep, but there are some flattish areas too. Most of the route as some flagging, but this route should only be taken by folks with good navigational skills, as it is easy to get off route, and get yourself into some seriously sketchy terrain.
Once we got up near Goat Flats we ran into some beautiful meadows with tons on berries. The mountain blueberries were especially delicious! We took a break once we hooked up on the main trail, and then headed to the lookout. Along the way we ran into a couple of groups coming down from the lookout after spending the night. The first group was from Canada, and the second group was from Hawaii, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
The views along the way really open up past Goat Flats, and really are quite spectacular at Tin Pan Gap. There is a couple of scramble sections past this up to the lookout. There is a good water source with running water below the lookout at 6500ft.
Going up the ladders were OK. The lower one moved a little bit, but the upper 2 ones were solid. The hardest part was getting up to the final ladder, as it was a tight squeeze with the pack on to get between the rock. The final slope up to the lookout has some slope on it, but there is a rope to help you get up and down. Up at the lookout were three Australians, and a volunteer from California who has been working on the lookout. It was fun talking with them, and we ended up spending an hour up at the lookout before heading down.
On the way down we debated going down the Meadow Mountain Trail, but decided to go back down the way we came back. The steep sections we took our time, and were thankful that we had our microspikes on!
We arrived back at the car at 5:05pm. Awesome day! 12 miles with 6250ft gain
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