Goat Lake + Old Snowy - July 30-31, 2015

[retired jerry]

when I was there, you would have had to walk across head of glacier. I had no ice axe or crampons. I chose higher route.

[texasbb]

I've crossed that glacier finger (it's only 30 yards or so) four or five times, only once resorting to microspikes because it was hard. The high route has better views, though, and you know you want to bag Old Snowy anyway, so I call the upper route primary. And the WA PCT reaches over 7600 ft.

[RobinB]

Headed there myself in 10 days.
What is the condition of the forest road leading up there? Any significant number of potholes to look out for?

Me and my little Toyota Yaris did it three weeks ago. No issues with Forest Road 21.

Same with our Honda Fit.

I fairly much got into an argument on another thread over the fact that the PCT used to attain an elevation of 7600' on the shoulder of Old Snowy. Thanks for confirming.

There's a map in the Field Guide (here) that confirms: the PCT splits just south of the Packwood Glacier, with the eastern segment ascending to 7650'.

I don't think there's any "used to" about it. Who says the lower route is the primary one? In general I'd consider stock routes secondary to hiker routes. This is the above mentioned split:

Interesting. I remember that sign from a few years ago, but I could have sworn that it's since changed, with something like "PCT Alt" pointing to the route up Old Snowy. But I very easily could be wrong. And, in any case, I'm happy to call the route up Snowy the "real" one

[retired jerry]

That exact sign was there in 2012

[Oregon Nomad]

Great pics!

It brings back memories of when I used to live in WA and hiked in the Goat Rocks wilderness. I need to get back up there one of these days.

[texasbb]

That exact sign was there in 2012

My pic is from September, 2012.

[retired jerry]

well, that explains it, that was Sept 24, 2012, maybe I saw you

[texasbb]

Nope, I was there the 14th through the 16th. Maybe next time.

[Sean Thomas]

Hey Rb, I just wanted to stop in and say I've been really inspired to keep getting out by the all the amazing adventures you've been on(and write about too of course!) in the last several years. Really great stuff and I look forward to seeing more as the years continue

[RobinB]

Hey Rb, I just wanted to stop in and say I've been really inspired to keep getting out by the all the amazing adventures you've been on(and write about too of course!) in the last several years. Really great stuff and I look forward to seeing more as the years continue

Wow, thanks Sean! It was trip reports from you and the other loonies that got me interested in starting up hiking again in the first place