On my eighth Goat Rocks backpacking trip, we camped next to the PCT, hiked to Cispus Pass, and departed early due to wildfire smoke and thunderstorms.

TRIP PLANNING

• best months: mid-July to September
• location: Goat Rocks Wilderness; nearest town: Packwood
• land management: Gifford Pinchot National Forest: Cowlitz Valley Ranger District
• trail conditions: Snowgrass Trail #96
• hike description: Washington Trails Association – Snowgrass Flat
• wilderness permits: self-issued at the trailhead
• parking pass: NW Forest Pass required

ITINERARY

• day 1 – Snowgrass trailhead to campsite: 5.5 miles, 1,585 ft. gain
• day 2 – day hike to Cispus Pass: 5.6 miles roundtrip, 695 ft. gain
• day 3 – hike out to Snowgrass trailhead: 5.75 miles, 300 ft. gain, 1,825 ft. loss

Day 1

Hike in: 5.5 miles with 1,585 feet of elevation gain
High: 67°F | Overnight low: 46°F

We started at the Snowgrass Trailhead, which is the only way I’ve hiked into Goat Rocks on all eight of my trips here.

Even though it was a Tuesday, the parking lot was almost full. This area seems to get more crowded every year, although I think the wildfires burning in other parts of Washington were also a factor this time. With trails closed in places like Mount Rainier National Park, many people who had already gotten coveted permits for trips there had to find somewhere else to go.

It’s nice to have several miles of forested trail to keep you cool, with several creeks along the way. Even though I was looking forward to reaching the subalpine, I always enjoy the scenery along this first section through the forest. That is, unless it’s buggy. I’ve been here when this section was thick with mosquitoes and biting black flies. However, on this day, we didn’t see any bugs at all.

The hike in is always a little challenging for me with a fully loaded pack. The first couple of miles are fairly easy, but shortly after crossing Goat Creek, the trail gets steeper.

Even though the temperature was only 67 degrees, I still started overheating on the steeper section. I’m prone to heat exhaustion at elevation, and it doesn’t take particularly high temperatures for me to be affected. I stopped and poured cold water from my bottle over my head, which made a big difference. Dipping my hat and neck gaiter in streams as we cross them helps, too.

After just under four miles, we reached the junction with the Bypass Trail and turned right. The Bypass stays in the forest for most of the way, with occasional views of meadows, although you don’t see any mountain peaks from this lower-elevation trail. Earlier in the season, I’ve seen this area filled with blooming beargrass, creating what I can only describe as a magical fairyland.

In less than a quarter mile, we reached a larger creek crossing on the Bypass Trail. My friends crossed on a tricky-looking log, but I wasn’t interested in trying that. I almost always prefer to wade across creeks in my trail running shoes, so I took off my socks and removed the insoles before fording it.

The creek was deeper than it looked, with an uneven bottom, rocks, and vegetation that made some sections appear shallower than they actually were. The water came almost to my knees, and there was a tiny section with a surprisingly fast current. Even so, I felt much more comfortable crossing through the water than attempting to walk across the log.

I had planned to drench my head with the cold creek water once I got across, but I didn’t need to. The water was so cold that by the time I reached the other side, I was completely cooled off!

This creek starts as a series of springs near where we hoped to camp. By the time it reaches the Bypass Trail, it’s larger than most of the creeks in Goat Rocks. It’s also beautiful as it winds through the area, with wildflowers lining the edges.

When we reached the Pacific Crest Trail, we met three young guys who had started at Packwood Lake that morning and were heading to Cispus Basin. Wow. That’s a long hike!

We turned left onto the PCT and headed north toward the campsite we were hoping to get. I’d stayed at this campsite two years ago with one of the friends on this trip, and I was really hoping it would be available.

We weren’t quite done with the uphill yet. By this point, I was exhausted and running low on energy, but I was also excited because I knew we were getting close. The trail eventually leveled out and passed through several meadows, and the views of Goat Rocks kept getting better.

Then we rounded a corner and saw the trees surrounding the campsite we wanted. It was available! Yay!

I really like this campsite because it’s right off the PCT but hidden from the trail, so you don’t feel like you’re camping right next to a busy hiking route. It’s large enough for us to spread out, has a nice camp kitchen area, and the surrounding trees provide some protection from the wind.

It’s also close to one of my favorite water sources in the area — three large springs that come right out of the ground just a short distance farther along the PCT. There were actually more wildflowers around the springs than in the meadows this year, probably because of the drought conditions.

For dinner, I had a full Mountain House Chicken and Dumplings meal. Mmm. After dinner, I wandered around on the trail and took photos at sunset. Just a few steps outside of our campsite were views of Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Goat Rocks.

It was getting dark by the time I finished taking photos, so I went to bed. My friends stayed up later to watch the Perseid meteor shower, which was at its peak this week.

Unfortunately, I didn’t feel very good overnight. Getting overheated on the hike in gave me stomach and intestinal issues and I felt weak overall. I wish this wasn’t a common occurrence for me, but it is. I’d also brought a new Bongo device to use for my severe sleep apnea, but between the stomach issues and being stuffy from allergies, I wasn’t able to try it the first night.

Day 2

Day hike: 5.6 miles with 695 feet of elevation gain
High: 63°F | Overnight low: 46°F

I still felt weak the next morning, so I took my time eating breakfast and waited for my stomach to settle before deciding what to do. After resting for a while, I started feeling better and decided that I was up for a day hike.

Our destination was Cispus Pass, one of my favorite hikes in Goat Rocks. The hike was amazing, as it has been every time I’ve done it. On the way, the trail heads through a large talus slope where trail maintenance crews have built a long rock wall, keeping the trail rock-free.

As you enter the basin, you’re surrounded by peaks above a green basin.

There were quite a few people on the trail, but it never felt crowded. Just before Cispus Basin, we stopped at a campsite with big views next to the trail. I met a young guy from Enumclaw who was out for the day, and we saw him again later on the ridge above Cispus Pass. He told us that the air quality was supposed to change around 8 p.m., with winds shifting direction and bringing wildfire smoke into the area, which was not the forecast when we left home.

On the way to the pass, we crossed a creek below a waterfall.

Western pasqueflower in its seed head stage (aka “hippy on a stick”) is one of my favorite late summer sights on trail.

We also saw the three guys we’d met the day before at the Bypass Trail and PCT junction. They had spent the night in Cispus Basin, which was full so they ended up sharing their campsite with other hikers.

The basin was filled with wildflowers along the streams running down the slopes. I saw paintbrush, arnica, pink monkeyflower, gentian, and cow parsnip. Grasshoppers were everywhere, and the sound of them filled the slopes as we walked. The trail drops shortly to cross the beginning of the Cispus River — where wildflowers lined the sides of the river, scattered amongst bright white and pink-ish boulders.

After crossing the river, the trail switchbacks up the hillside for the ascent up to the pass. It’s fairly easy hiking and the grade never gets too steep along the way.

The views in the final push to the top are amazing! Mount St. Helens is hidden in the clouds in this view.

We reached Cispus Pass, where the trail enters the Yakima Indian Reservation for a short distance.

We took our chairs with us and sat down at the pass for lunch after taking our time enjoying the hike.

I had cell service at the pass, so I decided to check the weather. Unfortunately, the forecast had changed quite a bit since we’d started the trip. There was now a Fire Danger Watch, along with a 60% chance of thunderstorms on Thursday and a 50% chance on Friday. We decided it was best to head home a day early.

Views from the pass

Heading back to camp, I took a few pics of my friend as she was hiking, which lent great perspective to the scale of the scenery.

This basin is so incredibly scenic… I could spend a lot of time admiring this view.

On the way back to camp, a group of four guys hiking the PCT passed us. It’s usually pretty easy to tell the thru-hikers from the rest of us, but I still tend to ask when I see someone who looks like they’re hiking the PCT. When they said yes, I responded, “AWESOME! Enjoy the journey!”

We caught up with them again at the waterfall crossing, where they were taking “showers.” One of the guys had the biggest smile on his face, like this was the best day he’d ever had. Seeing his happiness made me happy, too.

Back at camp, it was getting cold after dinner, and we all wanted to get into our tents. We initially went to bed around 6:30, and I journaled for a while before falling asleep.

Since I spend a lot of time reviewing gear, I have a great camp setup. For this trip, I was using the Durston X-Dome 1+ tent (freestanding, spacious, and lightweight!), a Zenbivy quilt and pillow (comfort!), and a new Exped sleeping pad that’s wider than others I’ve used and also warmer.

After falling asleep for a few minutes, I woke up when one of my friends yelled, “AAhhhkk!” She said that some kind of critter was stuck on her tent and chewing a hole in the mesh, and she was afraid it was going to fall onto her head if it kept going. It turned out to be a native Douglas squirrel — a very freaked-out one!

I slowly crawled out of my tent to see what was happening. By the time I got there, both of my friends were holding the rainfly doors open and shaking the tent to get the squirrel out. We think its claws had gotten stuck in the mesh and it couldn’t figure out how to escape. Eventually, it managed to get free and frantically scrambled across the slick material of my friend’s tent, running under my other friend’s legs as it tried to get away.

After the excitement of the squirrel incident, none of us felt like trying to go back to sleep. Since it was dark and this was our last night to see the Perseids, we headed out into the meadow to watch the meteor shower. I saw around five or six meteors. One had a really long tail, and we all went, “Oooohhh!” when we saw it. I took my quilt with me to the meadow, but after about 20 minutes it was getting wet from condensation, so I went back to my tent.

I finally had a chance to try the sleep apnea device I’d brought. It definitely took some getting used to — the device is designed to make it harder to exhale than inhale, which helps prevent sleep apnea episodes. During the first five to ten minutes, I wasn’t sure I wanted to keep using it. After about 30 minutes, though, it started to feel more natural, and eventually I forgot I was wearing it. The biggest downside was condensation building up inside the nose piece and spraying out of the opening at times. Regardless, I think using it is going to make a difference in my fatigue levels compared with going without treatment when I’m backpacking.

Day 3

Hike out: 5.75 miles with 300 feet of elevation gain and 1,825 feet of elevation loss
High: 62°F

I slept well and was able to use the nose device all night!

Unfortunately, the morning was very different from the beautiful weather we’d had the previous day. It smelled like smoke immediately when I woke up, and views were limited… I couldn’t see Mount Adams at all, and Goat Rocks was super hazy.

We hiked out by heading north on the PCT to the Snowgrass Trail junction. This meant we could avoid the Bypass Trail and wouldn’t have to cross the creek again, plus we’d go through an area we hadn’t yet on this trip.

We heard from other hikers with an air quality monitor that the AQI was 146. I also saw several people wearing N95 masks.

There was a big climb at the beginning to reach the PCT/Snowgrass Trail junction. I spent some extra time there because it’s a special place for me. Usually, there are hikers gathered around having conversations about what they’ve seen, where they’re headed, and where they’ve come from. I often see PCT hikers here, and I always enjoy the atmosphere.

After this, we turned onto the Snowgrass Trail and started heading down, passing several campsites where I’d stayed on previous trips. The first part of the trail is rocky, so I took my time because I didn’t want to trip. But then, oops! Once we were past the rocky section, I somehow managed to trip over a small root and fall right into the dirt. I scraped up my left leg and elbow pretty good, but fortunately I wasn’t hurt beyond that.

I didn’t take photos on the hike out since I was focused on getting out quickly to avoid breathing the smoke. It’s so much faster hiking downhill, and we made good time. We stopped for a break at the Goat Creek bridge and then picked up the pace again for the final two miles. I ended up hiking a little too fast. A couple of days later, I tweaked my left calf, which was a good reminder of what can happen when you push too hard.

One thing that surprised me on this trip was the mosquitoes. We were prepared for them, but I didn’t see a single one. Not one! That’s a first for Goat Rocks.

Even though we had to cut the trip short because of the changing weather and wildfire smoke, I’m glad we went. Goat Rocks is always beautiful, and I loved sharing it with a friend who was seeing it for the first time. I’m sure that I’ll be back.