We started at Berry Patch up Goat Ridge Trail. The trail was in good shape, a climb but not technical. It's narrow but not like a ledge so no fear of heights issues. Much of the beginning is in the trees, but we were treated to a fantastic view of Mount Rainier (I think). The first campsite we saw was 3 miles in but no discernable water that we saw. There a few more sites at about 4 miles, isolated and a bit exposed, but there was a good water source in the vicinity. We kept going as the spots were full.
The last ascent to the peak at 6650' was kind of brutal with the overnight packs, but would have just been fun on a day hike. The trail is good, just some "step ups" that feel a bit dicey on these old knees, and we were feeling fatigued after 3 hrs and a gain of 2300', the last little bit at a 37% grade.
It's a gradual descent along Lily Basin Trail to Goat Lake, which is amazing in it's unreal teal green/blue color. There are campsites in this area, but they are exposed. We knew rain was coming in during the night, and it was cooler and windy in this area. As we moved away from the lake, the ridge blocked the wind a bit. About a 1/4 away from the lake, campsites are allowed to have campfires. We were concerned they would all be full, but had no trouble getting a site at 2pm. There is water at the falls below Goat Lake and a several tricklers down from the ridge joining the main creek. Side note, we had trouble with the campfire. There is dead wood that was just very dense and did not burn well, and there was dead wood that was too wet. We had good fire starter material for a 30 minute fire but couldn't keep it going.
We took a quick trip down Lily Basin to Snowgrass and went left up to the PCT, just to set foot on the iconic trail.
We packed out Sunday in the rain. There is so much to explore this could easily be a two day camp trip. Hawkeye Ridge, Old Snowy and Knife Ridge are all great side trips to explore.
I would note that there are a lot of side trails to campsites that sometimes obscure the main trail. For the most part, the trail is always well marked when you have junctions with other trails. The trail to Berry Patch is identified as the Horse Trail. We were tired and chose wrong and ended up at Snowgrass and had to double back.
Great place, highly recommended. Saw goats far off, marmots and some gorgeous birds.
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