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Tag Archives: Mountain Goats

Mountain Goats

While I feel like I spent all of June working, I did get out on a few short adventures. Going through my big photo dump, I was reminded about seeing mountain goats at the salt lick. These photos were made from my car window. Mountain goats, despite their appearance, are potentially quite dangerous. Last year, our friends’ leashed dog was gored by one on a popular hiking trail. I only see goats at the salt lick in the early summer and they are not very attractive and the light is always crummy but still, they are kind of cute with sweet eyes and the baby does look almost hugable.

Mountain Summer Time

The girls and I drove up the bumpety bump Harts Pass road yesterday and enjoyed a brief respite from the intense heat dome that has kept our afternoon and evening temperatures above 100° F. Sixty degrees at 7000′ was incredibly refreshing. On the way up, we saw mountain goats at their traditional salt lick. They are pretty shaggy looking this time of year.

We met some people walking up the road to the lookout with skis. They were planning to ski down the backside of the mountain! The snow fields are pretty small already so it was a short run.

The mountain views were incredible and the flowers were just lovely. The snow recently melted up there so the wildflower peak is yet to come.

Walking in the Mountains

Yesterday summer arrived! It took its own sweet time this year. Temperatures in the valley rose above 90 but up high, they were in the 70’s – perfect hiking weather.

The girls and I made the long drive up to and beyond Harts Pass to walk up to the lookout at Slate Peak. From there we had a 360 degree view of the North Cascades! Seeing the peaks and basins, I could choose where we were going to go hiking and I chose my favorite – the stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail that goes towards Grasshopper Pass. Since we’d already been enjoying the day, it was a bit of a late start on the hike and we only made it just past Tatie Peak. Still, a wonderful outing full of grand vistas and charming wildflowers and a few animals too.

Mountain goats frequent a salt or mineral lick on the way to Harts Pass.
The goats are not very attractive this time of year.
Silky phacelia
Mount Baker in the distance
Old snow
Anemone occidentalis
Snow in July! What could be better?
Shooting stars
Lomatium
Phlox
Yellow violet. I’m not sure which one.
Ballhead waterleaf. This bloomed at home months ago.
Glacier lily
Heather – white and magenta
Castilleja sp
A very alert ground squirrel
Lewisia columbiana
Saxifrage
Oh, look who found a stick.

It’s Shedding Season

If you’re a mountain goat, that is.

In early summer, when the road up to Harts Pass first is drivable, a person can frequently get lucky and see the local mountain goats at a natural salt lick. It is shortly past the scary section of the road when it goes into the trees and just over the steep edge of the downhill side. Sometimes the goats will be on the road. They seem quite familiar and used to the minimal traffic passing by so a car or truck makes a good blind for observation or photography. I’ve only seen them in this season when they are shedding big chunks of fur and looking mangy. There are young ones and the moms tend to keep them away from the cars. Here are a few that I saw today.