It was a long and difficult day, but two of the hardest snow sections in Washington are now behind me. Actually, Goat Rocks wasn't all that difficult in terms of navigation. Still, it was a lot of uphill in snow, which is about the most exhausting thing you can do out here.
I began by climbing up the face of a long ridge just to reach the sharp crags of Goat Rocks. Along the way I enjoyed views of grassy hillsides dotted with innumerable colors of wildflowers (pictured). Eventually I reached a point where the trail ran through patches of snow below pinnacles of volcanic rock. I approached Cistus Pass by traversing several snow laden hillsides, and found myself at the first major obstacle of the day. The saddle that forms the pass had a wall of snow, 12 to 14 feet high, completely vertical and even with an occasional overhang (pictured - note my pack at the bottom left for perspective). I was able to find a section of the wall that was closer to a 60 degree slope, and I clawed my way up this and onto the snow-free western side of the saddle.
From the pass the hike was relatively easy. Whereas other mountain stretches had 4 or 5 feet of snow sitting on the trail, Goat Rocks is relatively free of trees and only has 1 to 2 feet of snow. Many times I could look ahead and see sections of trail 100 yards further. Other times there were stone cairns or tracks from dayhikers to guide the way. This freed me up to enjoy views of the mountains (pictured) and the many snow melt streams rushing downhill, both small (pictured) and large (pictured).
After skirting Old Snowy Mountain, I crossed Packwood Glacier. From this area of Goat Rocks I had unparalleled views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier (pictured), and Mt. Adams (pictured). The trail then crossed slate covered slopes, turned northeast, and plunged through a massive snow slope. Here I found myself hiking in snow below an exposed segment of trail. I made the mistake of trying to climb a rocky stretch to reach the trail. I was pulling myself up by a boulder the size of my loaded pack when it began to slide downhill. I was right in its path, so I scrambled to brace it up while simultaneously trying to get out from under it. I sliced my finger open on a sharp corner of stone but managed to dive out of the way. As it turns out that was unnecessary, because the boulder had become mired in soft dirt while I was leaning against it and trying not to slide off the mountain myself.
Once past the slope I joined a north running ridge with great views of Rainier (pictured). I also looked back to get one final glimpse of the north side of Goat Rocks (pictured). I made it another 7.5 miles or so, mostly downhill. This brings me to 27.5 for the day, which I feel lucky to have pulled off after two draining days of snow. It also leaves me only 7.5 miles from my resupply at White Pass. I figure I'll head down by midday, get my box and gorge at a restaurant, then move on in the afternoon. As I recall, I have a three day stretch from White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass. However, I packed 5 days of snacks in the box I pick up tomorrow. The plan is to eat extra, regain strength, then get my next resupply in three days. From there it is a 9 day push to Canada!
