It was a perfect day for this hike. Starting temperature at the trailhead was 49 degrees. There were no bugs. The sun was partially covered by high clouds. The air quality was excellent so the views of other peaks in the distance was great. There were 3 other cars in the parking lot when we started up the trail at about 8:40. We encountered no bicyclists.
We maintained a pretty steady pace up the ridge. I like that the ascent is not steep on any part of this trail. The fall colors were starting to appear.
Mount Rainier and Adams were quite clear for our viewing.
We encountered 2 people heading down the trail that said they saw 14 mountain goats.
The moon was visible above the mountain.
As we made it to the Loowit Trail, we did not yet see any mountain goats. As we went further on the trail where the Plains of Abraham start we encountered several mountain goats (8 in total). We did not walk much beyond this area. One was lounging on the hill to our right. 5 others including 2 young one were a little further along the trail. Others were up on the mountain and further away.
The stark moonscape like area near the mountain always makes me think of the awesome power that the eruption had to make the changes. The Plains of Abraham stretched out ahead, but we were not going any further.
As we started to head back, the goat that was lounging started to head our way. He crossed our path when about 30 yards away. I think he did not like us interrupting his lounging time. He had some tuft of fur that was sticking out the side. He looked back one more time as if to say adios.
Before we headed back into the woods, what looked like a multigenerational family of about 10 people was hiking up. Even the old codgers seemed to be doing well. I shouldn’t talk as my age would classify me as a codger!
What a great day it was for this hike. We finished in about 5 ½ hours. The parking area had about 10 cars total when we got back. Some were parked next to the road.
