Goat Mountain and Deadman's Lake — Saturday, Jul. 18, 1998

South Cascades > Mount St. Helens

We started up Goat Mountain on Saturday morning under sunny skies. We did have to detour to get there as Road #26 from the south is closed, so you need to follow #25 and then #99 and then turn to the right to Ryan Lake. The first 1 3/4 miles were pretty steep, easy to see how the trail got it's name, but after getting to the top, it was very pleasant running along the ridge and then contouring around the hillsides and finally dropping down to Deadman's Lake. It was beautiful there, a nice sized lake ringed by forest, the water was very warm but very shallow until it dropped off a hundred feet or so off shore. Nice sandy beaches to sun on. The bugs were NOT a problem believe it or not. There was no water on the trail so one needs to carry plenty. The views of the blast zone were remarkable, has to be seen to be appreciated. Mother Nature is really something. The trail is is good condition. The next morning we had to hike out in fog and mist but it is a beautiful hike.