Hi all,
I’m doing a 10 day trip in early August starting at Trout Lake and ending at rt 12 - 30 mls north of White Pass. I’ve been thinking that I can add an extra day south of White Pass in Goat Rocks bc that sounds like the most spectacular area. Is there a side day hike anyone would suggest off the PCT in that area? Or a lovely mt to spend a day going up? Or is the PCT the best of the best?
Thanks!
-s
Sonia
Go to Northwesthikers.net and search the trip reports. Look for Old Snowy. I’ll post some links in a while.
PS: Hwy 12 (White Pass) is about 12-15 miles from the “best parts” of the Goat Rocks. After White Pass is about 15 miles of tree walking, then another 15 miles of some real pretty stuff - great views of Rainier. Then you hit Chinook Pass.
So if you plan on quitting at White Pass, your hikle might be significantly shorter than you think it is. 
Daniel Smith
Is this the same Dan Smith who thruhiked the PCT in '97?
I climbed Old Snowy on my last PCT hike - amazing summit with 360’ views. Its a fairly easy hike up from the PCT. There is a rocky, but level potential campsite just below the summit with some rock wall windbreaks. I almost stayed up there for the night & then kicked myself for not doing so…
FYI the original PCT used to climb up the northwestern shoulder of Old Snowy - about half way up to the summit before angling back down towards the ruins of the Dana May Yelverton Shelter. Dunno why it was relo’d down to the ridgeline - maybe because the original trail was too difficult for packstock???
freebird
Well, Old snowy is basically right on the PCT route, so that’s not really going to take much time. You could climb Mt. Curtis-Gilbert, which is the highest point in the Goat Rocks (essentially, it’s the high point on the other side of the ridge). It’s a bit of a scramble (especially near the top), but can be done from the PCT side. but, really, the PCT goes right through the best of the Goat Rocks, so there’s not a whole lot extra you can do for a whole day that’ll be much nicer than the PCT. (Oh, I guess one thing would be to go down to Goat Lake and such for a change of view…)
Another option is to climb Mt. Adams. There’s actually more snow on the south route which can be good or bad depending on what you’re looking for. The north side is more of a ridge, but it’s pretty crumbly volanic scree… I didn’t find anything too dangerous there (unless you get off-route), but it’s a bit of a slog. Even if you don’t summit, heading up above the meadows high on the north side of Mt. Adams (name escapes me at the moment) would be a good side adventure.
Good luck out there!
jonathan
get after south sister. i wish i could have done that on my through hike, but time was a thing. she’s beautiful.
x-caddis