Day 145 of a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike, somewhere in Washington's Goat Rocks Wilderness. A hiker wakes at 5am to a strange, high-pitched screeching outside the tent — not aliens, it turns out, but elk calling across a lake shrouded in cold morning mist. From there, the day unfolds into what many PCT hikers consider the best stretch of trail in the state.
After nearly a week of freezing rain and sodden gear, the skies finally cleared. The hiker set off at 7am and climbed through the morning, and for the first time in five days of hiking in its shadow, finally laid eyes on snow-covered Mt. Adams. Higher up, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier (also known as Tahoma) joined the line-up, three volcanoes stacked along the southern horizon.
The route offers a choice at a snowy junction: cut straight across a snowfield, or push up to the summit of Old Snowy Mountain — longer, steeper, but worth every step. The hiker and a trail companion nicknamed Cryptic scrambled over rock to the top for 360-degree views: endless layers of Washington mountains with the three big volcanoes jutting above them all.
The descent is not for the fainthearted. Loose rock slides underfoot, and a section called Knife's Edge demands total focus as the trail narrows with steep drops on either side. The payoff? A spot of mountain-goat spotting — around fifteen of the namesake animals grazing on a snowy slope below. The day closed with an 18-mile haul to a campsite at Lutz Lake.
Why should a traveller care? Goat Rocks is widely rated as a highlight of the entire 2,650-mile PCT, and you don't need five months of annual leave to sample it. The Old Snowy Mountain day-hike, reached via trailheads off forest roads near Packwood or White Pass, delivers alpine ridgelines, volcano views and wildlife in a single outing. Just be warned: the story here is as much about the week of miserable rain as the sunny payoff. Weather in the Washington Cascades flips fast, so pack rain gear even under blue skies, and know that steep, exposed scrambles make this a route for confident hikers rather than casual walkers.
For anyone weighing up a section hike or a long summer backpacking trip, this is a vivid picture of what a good day out there looks like — and a reminder that the tough days are often the entry fee.
