Day 139 Jota and Goats

20.18 miles
From the trail camp near the pond north of Santiam Pass (mile 2004, elev 5176)
To Hunts Creek Trail Junction (mile 2023.1, elevation 5894)
Upload 3422
Descend 2713

«But Milky-White is my best friend in the whole world.»
Jack, in Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim

Today’s trails were rocky enough to require concentration to walk quickly. Besides the rocks, it seemed like the views were of fog and more fog.

Fog on the road

I think all of that contributed to me feeling like I was moving in slow motion today. I also took an extra mid-afternoon break to consume some extra calories.

The clouds are starting to clear, at least temporarily

My clearest view of Three-Fingered Jack’s peak

At the beginning of the hike, a local said that if I kept my eyes open, I might see some mountain goats at Three-Fingered Jack. So I planned to keep my eyes open and scan the rocks on the mountain. I had never seen mountain goats in the wild.

While hiking, a couple of southbound hikers told me there were some mountain goats about a half mile ahead. I asked how far off the trail they saw them. They said the goats were on the road when they first saw them and they went uphill. They said that with the fog, they weren’t sure if the goats would still be visible.

I kept walking, constantly examining the rocks on the trail.

The trail then curved around the hill and there were mountain goats directly in front of me, eating the plants growing between the rocks. I counted about 14 in total, including a couple that were on the trail when I first saw them. I took some photos in the fog. And as I slowly moved forward, the goats began to run uphill at a controlled pace. Then, after they had gone 50 to 100 feet, they stopped and went back to eating. They watched me as I took photos and walked slowly by.

Having never seen mountain goats in the wild, I was impressed by how muscular they were. His shoulders and hips looked as if they had been lifting weights.

Going back to the Into the Woods quotes, I couldn’t resist making the connection with Jack and his cow, Milky White. The mountain he was on is called Three-Fingered Jack. And if the witch couldn’t bring Milky White the cow back to life during a show, she could easily imagine Milky White being a goat and one of these white mountain goats playing the part.

Mountain goats at a distance

Mountain goats close up

few leaf thistle

The comments on FarOut said there was a spectacular view of Mount Jefferson here on the trail. But with today’s fog you couldn’t see anything.

The site of my tent at night.

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