A tale of two Goats: Goat Mountain over the seasons

by Richard Dahlstrom
One of the great things about hiking in the North Cascades is the variety of scenery that’s available by visiting the same spot at different months of the year. Colors and berries become hints of snow, which quickly become an utterly frozen landscape buried in white. Months later the silent grip of winter gives way to the sounds of many waters as the land breaks free in spring.  This gives way to summer’s lush landscape, overflowing with pungent odors, insects, and infinite green, which, in a nighttime, can once again become the rich colors and ripe berries of fall.  The same place is always becoming new, different, year after beautiful year, clothing herself in white snows, green plants, or the red leaves and blueberries of fall, as the season dictates: always appropriate, never the same, and never ever boring.
In the past weeks, my wife and I have seen Goat Mountain dressed for two very different occasions.

Winter White
With plans for our grown children to scatter the globe this summer, we gathered at our favorite place over Memorial Day.  While the rest of the world was doing the “Ski to Sea” race, we made our way up Goat Mountain.  At the end of May, the trailhead is snow free, and remains a delightful stroll through a magical forest for about two miles.
One we reached the lower meadows of the mountain, though, the trail disappeared beneath at least ten feet of snow, burying any hints of direction.  Map, compass, a little visibility, and previous experience on the trail in clearer weather provided enough direction for us to continue upward, and we soon found ourselves beneath two rocky outcroppings.  We made our way upward between them, and continued to gain elevation until we settled on a level snowfield for lunch.
While we ate, the clouds would occasionally lift their skirt long enough of for us to gain our bearing, long enough to realize that there was still a ridgeline between us and the summit, a ridge that we’d be wise to skip on this fine Sunday.  We enjoyed the rest of our lunch, and some marvelous glissades on the descent, gliding down on our bums, with ice axes as breaks and rudders.  By evening, we were munching steaks, and talking about plans for the summer.

Summer Green
With our daughters busy overseas, my wife and I revisited the Goat this past Thursday and I’m happy to report she looks splendid in green.  As we left the lower switchbacks, entering the meadow, I recognized the exact spot where the trail became buried in snow last May.  We stayed on the trail, leading us to the site of the old lookout, presently a good tent campsite at 2.5 miles. There’s an obvious path continuing up a ridge towards the summit. At 3 miles, the trail deteriorates into nothing more than a narrow boot path, and both good balance and route finding skills were necessary to proceed, as we traversed the side of the mountain, clad in heather. I’d recommend hiking poles, and a stash of water for the traverse, before catching the final ridge to the west summit of the Goat. White-tailed Ptarmigan were dancing on the last vestiges of a melting cornice while we ate lunch and enjoyed smoke muted views of Shuksan, Ruth, and the river valley before our descent.
I hope we’ll be able to come back in another month and see “the Goat” once more, this time clad in the ripeness of fall before she puts on her white for the winter. I’m convinced that the mountains hold not only the possibilities of good family times, but also ever changing beauty for those willing to venture out – whatever the season.

Getting There

Head east on Mount Baker Highway to milepost 46.5. Turn left onto Forest Road 32, and continue 2.5 miles to the trail head on the left. A valid day pass or seasonal pass required for parking.