Goat Lake, Snowgrass Flat & Cispus Pass — Saturday, Jul. 21, 2018

Itinerary: Started from the "Berry Patch" trailhead and hiked up Goat Ridge trail (#95) all the way to Goat Lake, then followed trail #86 down to Snowgrass flat, at which point I cut across to the PCT. I took the PCT south to Cispus Basin, found an ad hoc campsite (all the "official" ones were already taken), and pitched my tent. I then spent a leisurely afternoon strolling to Cispus Pass, taking tons of photos, and generally soaking in the breath-taking scenery. Next day, I came back on the PCT and took the bypass trail to Snowgrass Flat, and from there I took trail #96 all the way back to my car.

Conditions: There's almost no appreciable snow left on the trail, with the one exception being the shadowy cirque that contains Goat Lake (see the photo below). The trail is generally excellent, with a few mud spots and easily-crossed creeks. Bugs were obnoxious, especially by clusters of vegetation or whenever the wind died down. Though there was a plethora of campsites, most of them had at least one tent pitched, and I saw a modest meadow that had no less than 6 tents clustered together. It was easy for me - a solo backpacker- to find a suitable spot, but if you're in a larger group you might want to start hiking as early as possible in the morning.

That said, the popularity is easily explained by the abundant beauty, which hopefully comes across in the photos below. I would have loved to have spent an extra day in the wilderness and done some scrambling...maybe next year.