[salish]

Made my first trip to the Enchantments this week, what a place! I've always wanted to go up there and now I don't think I'll ever want to stop going, despite the crowds. As one exhausted returning hiker said, after Vivane it just keeps getting better. After cresting the ridge and seeing Viviane, I wasn't sure I believed there was anything that could top that view, but that hiker was right. The Enchantments just might be the prettiest mountain country I've ever seen. For some reason I had thought Prusik Peak was farther in, so it was nice to see one of the most photographed momuments in the Cascades early on. The photos you always see are great, but nothing like seeing it in person. On the west shore of Sprite Lake I ran into Dave Weyrick (of this board) and his kids who were coming out. Everyone was in good spirits so their hike must have gone well. Good to see you, Dave. There were goats everywhere, but it was always a single female and her yearling, so we kept wondering if it was the same pair we'd seen since the beginning of our hike down in the valley just above the trailhead Speaking of that, I ran into a pair of goats not even two miles up from the trailhead on Wednesday evening, about 8:30pm. I snapped a photo and will try attaching it. It was weird to see a white apparition on the trail twenty feet ahead of you in the dark. Two days later we were used to it. The fishing wasn't too good at Nada, although I caught a respectable brookie of about 12". We were skunked at upper Snow Lake, but most if not all of the lower Enchantments lakes produced fish. We only made it as far as Perfection Lake, but that was enough to whet our appetites for another trip next year into the Uppers. The bad news: our car, along with about 30 other cars, was vandalized and broken into in the Snow Lake TH parking lot. It was a massive car burglary. I've posted a message in the general discussion area about that. Nuff said. Thanks, Cliff

nightgoat1

[Bob K]

that picture gives me the willies. i hike alone in the dark a bit, and although I love seeing animals during the day, it spooks me at night. i avoid turning on lights when hiking in the dark, so big white moving forms like that would have invoked some sort of primal reaction (something not quite as bad as peeing my pants!). people say it's spiritual and i've tried to experience that, but for me, hiking in the dark is creepy. also, i've been charged by a mountain goat before, who would've gotten me if i didn't set a record for the 20-foot boulder hop, so i'm wary of those guys.

[salish]

Bob, you took the words right out of my mouth. I know a few things about big game animals such as deer, elk, bear, and others, but I know next to nothing about goats. The only mountain goats I've seen are those in photos and on the sides of Great Burlington Northern boxcars. Since this thing didn't seem to want to move and showed no fear of me, or my voice, we stood at an impasse for a little while. I eventually picked up a little pebble and tossed it at Mom and she moved a foot or two, but continued to measure me. I finally got annoyed and just started walking towards her and she and her baby leaped up on the ridge about the trail and continued to stare at me as I passed. I was wondering if this animal might try to charge in an effort to protect her baby. Or maybe she was just waiting for me to pee on a rock or something, I don't know. But yeah, it sort of gives you the willies to see something on the trail in front of you at night like this. Cliff

[Backpacker Joe]

It is interesting how different people visualize different things. Dante and I went HEAD LAMP hiking this past weekend. We commented how so many people are put off by it. Hmm, I don't understand the problem...... I like head lamping it. TB

[Karen]

I've heard of people being threatened by mountain goats but that has never happened to me. I've had them lick the salt off my hands at Gladys-Henderson divide and then try to carry off my salty pack as well. At night they sometimes have hung around my tent (deer too) and it is a little spooky until you know what is out there. The scariest thing I ever saw was at Elkhorn Camp along the Elwha on an anti-Christmas backpack a few years back. A gal friend and I were camped there near the cabin and it was dark and spooky. Then as we looked toward the porch of the ranger's cabin we saw red eyes glowing and looking back at us. Our hearts leapt into our throats and then we looked more closely and saw that they were ..... racoons!!!! Karen

[Slugman]

Nice pic, but my guess is Tom would ask you to reduce the size to about 600 x 450 or so, and thereby reduce the file size considerably. Some J-peg compression would also help. Just trying to be helpful, not critical. Sounds like a classic trip. I'll get around to it someday, I hope.

[Bob K]

Mountain goats aren't hunted much and aren't too scared of people, so you can get very close. Especially when hiking in a group, when a bunch of you are jumping up and relieving yourselves outside the tent all night, it's very common to wake up to mountain goats outside your tent feasting on the salt. I'm not really scared of them, although I'm a bit wary when going through a group of mountain goats with kids. Joe, I do both headlamp (the Black Diamond 4-bulb headlamp is sweet!) and no-light hiking (night vision usually works better than headlamps), and I'm pretty easy about what other people do out on the trail. Do what works for you and I'll work around it.

[Newt]

Nice goat photo Salish. Lucky. Sorry to hear about the car. NN

[McPilchuck]

Cliff, sounds like you had a good trip, other than the car. Kind of eerie shot BTW. Spent 3-days at the Oso cabin with the Clan... McPil

[salish]

Thanks McPil. It was Ross V.'s car so the heck with him (just kidding). Sounds like a dream weekend on the Stilly! NN - thanks. Slugman - I'm working on it, can't figure out how to downsize photos yet, but you're absolutely right, thanks. Karen - I'll bring a salt block next time and those goats will really get a thrill. They're beautiful creatures. Cliff

[Runs With Goats]

A repeat story. Sitting a Prusik Pass, I "bet" my buddy I can make it up Enchantment PK and back in an hour. I take off at a jog, head down. A ways up, I look up and find my self in the middle of about 12 - 15 goats, all now running in the same direction as me. This lasted for about 10 seconds and before they all pealed off. I walked the rest of the way. I love goats. True Story

[salish]

That's pretty neat. I used to work with a biologist who spent a bit of time in the Brooks Range of Alaska and he was able to run with the cariboo. You've got to count that as one of life's coolest things. Good for you.

[Dean]

Its amazing how the goat population has increased up there. Back in the 70's and 80's, you didn't see goats. They started showing up in the 90's and now they are all over the place. Kinda cool really. I've thought about taking a salt block up but then I think of the extra weight and go, nah. Great story Cliff and "runs with the goats" Did you win your bet?

[#19]

[lmpicard]

I was up the same weekend as Dave and saw he and his kids kicking it out too. My friend Suze and I bumped into the same goats. I'm attaching the pictures below

Bumped into this goat while climbing like a goat up that knarly section after Snow Lake.