Old Snowy

Mount Gilbert is the highest point in the Goat Rocks, at 8200' (it's the ragged peak in the earlier Goat Rocks post). At 7930', Old Snowy isn't quite so high, but is still a significant landmark. These photos capture the mountain from a number of different directions. Old Snowy had several large patches of old snow, and there was new snow in the shadows and along many sections of the trail.

The PCT crosses a high shoulder about 300' short of the summit - which is as close as I got early Saturday morning. A couple of women passed me and summited 25 minutes later, but the icy rocks, their apparent difficulty in route-finding, and maybe my caution as a solo hiker, all convinced me that I didn't need to try it.

By mid-afternoon, when I was heading back to camp, there were more people heading up (some poorly equipped, some with dogs, and some who actually looked like they knew what they were doing). But again, I thought better of it, or chickened out, depending on your perspective.