R01 TR: Goat Mt. 5/29 - 5/31 2021
Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:29 am
3 day backpacking trip to Goat Mt. from Copper Creek via Grouse Lake.
There is basically no snow right now in the Sierras and I didn't encounter any on the way to the top.
Most elevation gain is on the copper creek trail. Almost at the top of the highpoint before descending to Granite Lake, you leave the trail north towards Grouse Lake. It is obvious to see where the destination is, but I almost never could find a use trail on the way up.
It took me 6 hrs to get to Grouse Lake. I could enjoy the sun a bit before it got cloudy and cold. Soon it started to rain and there were a few lightnings. So much for 5% chance of precipitation
The night I saw a weird light formation in the sky around 9pm. It was a chain of fast moving light sources, around 10-20 total. But I couldn't hear a sound. Planes are usually very easy to hear. And they were high enough up to vanish behind clouds.
From Grouse Lake it is easiest to follow next to the creek towards the start of the climb. It is straightforward and gentle to follow.
I took the following two routes to Goat Mt:
Yellow on the way up. It is steeper and solid class 2 all the way up. Once close to the ridge, don't attempt to climb the ridge and instead traverse north towards the real peak. I reached the ridge a bit too early and had to do some class 3 moves to continue towards the peak.
Red is the way I took down that starts/end a bit more northern. The upper section is mostly class 2 and the lower section is class 1. The lower parts are more sandy, but not too bad. I recommend going down this way.
The way up:
View from top:
The second night I slept in the forest below lower tent meadows. Next morning I got up at 4am to drive out early and enjoy the rest of the day - though it felt more like a recovery as I felt very dehydrated and had a slight headache. Sitting at home for a month straight probably didn't help.
There is basically no snow right now in the Sierras and I didn't encounter any on the way to the top.
Most elevation gain is on the copper creek trail. Almost at the top of the highpoint before descending to Granite Lake, you leave the trail north towards Grouse Lake. It is obvious to see where the destination is, but I almost never could find a use trail on the way up.
It took me 6 hrs to get to Grouse Lake. I could enjoy the sun a bit before it got cloudy and cold. Soon it started to rain and there were a few lightnings. So much for 5% chance of precipitation
The night I saw a weird light formation in the sky around 9pm. It was a chain of fast moving light sources, around 10-20 total. But I couldn't hear a sound. Planes are usually very easy to hear. And they were high enough up to vanish behind clouds.
I took the following two routes to Goat Mt:
Yellow on the way up. It is steeper and solid class 2 all the way up. Once close to the ridge, don't attempt to climb the ridge and instead traverse north towards the real peak. I reached the ridge a bit too early and had to do some class 3 moves to continue towards the peak.
Red is the way I took down that starts/end a bit more northern. The upper section is mostly class 2 and the lower section is class 1. The lower parts are more sandy, but not too bad. I recommend going down this way.