Last year, a group of us went out to the Enchantments to get away from all the crowds, heat, and fireworks. We wanted to continue celebrating the holiday with the tradition of adventure. Goat Rocks Wilderness has been on my to-do list for quite sometime, as I continually hear about it's beauty and grandeur. Add lack of permit requirements and it's equi-distance between Portland and Seattle made it an irresistible destination. My good friend Tia picked out the route: a shuttled loop starting at the Lily Basin trailhead, hiking through Lily Basin, down to Snowgrass Flats, on the Knife Blade section of the Pacific Crest Trail, and back out to the Packwood Trailhead. After work on Thursday, Kevin and Tia met me in the town of Packwood and we headed out to the trailhead.
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4th of July in the Enchantments /
My prior experience in the Enchantments was several years ago, when me and Temo "tried" to climb Dragontail Peak via Serpentine Ridge. Little did I know that Dragontail Peak was only the start of a whole chain of alpine lakes and towering granite peaks, known collectively as the Enchantments. I have long desired to backpack up to the Enchantments to both climb some of the famous routes there and to photograph the beautiful scenery. But for the longest time, the permit system in place to protect this fragile landscape kept this desire from becoming reality. Early this winter, I circled on my calendar the day the lottery opened for permits, and signed up as soon I could. I was miraculously awarded a pass for the 4th of July weekend to the Core Enchantment Zone, which is the most coveted permit as it allows camping in all of the other zones.
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