I left the Berry Patch trailhead on Saturday afternoon. Snowgrass was crowded (as expected) so I continued on to the PCT and turned north up to Old Snowy Pass. From there I made the scramble up to the top of Old Snowy and set up a bivouac in time for the sunset.
The wind blew hard all night, rotoring over the rocks and kicking up a lot of dust. I awoke the next morning with a layer of grit all over me and my gear.
I retraced my steps back to Snowgrass and followed the Lily Basin trail to Goat Lake. There were tons of folks there as well, but I was desperate to wash the grit off so I walked around to the deserted north end and took a quick skinny dip away from ogling eyes. Several goats could be seen on the slopes above the lake near Hawkeye Point. On the walk back around the lake I came across a plastic worm and sinker on the shoreline. I was surprised to see this since my understanding is that there are no fish in Goat Lake. Does anyone know if this is the case?
From Goat Lake I continued NW on the Lily Basin trail. I spotted a blacktail doe about 100 yards off the trail and was watching it when a buck with huge antlers (maybe 4+ point?) emerged from the trees. I camped on Sunday night near Heart Lake (much more solitude--and much warmer for swimming too!).
Monday morning, on the way back to the Goat Ridge trail, I made the side trip up to the old fire lookout site on Hawkeye Point. Then it was back out to the trailhead and a beeline for Scaleburgers in Elbe for an Overload and blackberry shake.
Bottom line: Virtually no bugs; still warm at night; no solitude unless you venture off the main loop; awesome scenery and wildlife!
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