Goat Rocks Snow-Scouting Trip

I love Goat Rocks. Sure, it takes three hours to get there and the road is rocky and tedious, and it takes five miles of hiking before you actually get any views. But there's something relaxing and unusual about Lily basin and the Goat Creek area near the PCT. There was a lot of snow still, even in late July, so so I didn't complete the rather ambitious Old Snowy day hike I intended. Instead I had a sunny lunch on a snowfield and studied Ives and Snowy from below. That makes twice I've gone to Goat Rocks and thought "You know what, this would be better as a backpack."