Goat Mountain — Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017

North Cascades > Mount Baker Area

This was my first time on this trail and it was sure a treat! There were only 3 cars in the lot when I pulled up around 10am. The trail wasted no time going up and felt consistently steep most of the way - there were only a few flat (ish) parts. But once I got out of the forest, I hardly noticed - the fall foliage is stunning. And as I kept following the trail, the colors and views just got better. I did feel a little uneasy on the part of the trail that goes through the meadow on the way to the top (it wasn’t very well maintained and I was worried about slipping) but I took it slow and it was worth it - the ridge line is incredible. I only encountered 3 groups, and had the top (the false summit maybe?) to myself for a good 30 min. Overall the hike took about 6 hours, which also included many photo ops on the way down because it was sooo beautiful. Definitely recommend doing while fall foliage is still in full swing if possible! No snow on the trail at the moment either. Perfect day hike. Only bummer was I didn’t see any goats!