June 16th Tuesday 2015
Trail head Parking
The Old Goat Glacier is not named after a Billy Goat but an old person as a joke. The trail starts from the campsite across the dam off the Spray Lakes road. Drive into the campsite and on the right is a trail head parking sign. My reference for this hike was the Copeland’s “Where the Locals Hike ” and Dafferns Vol 3. Both are outdated as you can only park in the designated parking now and not 200 meters up the gravel road. They also both talk about crossing the steam but since the flood the water flows under the rock washout from the waterfall. The Warden Station has also been removed. The rest of their descriptions are first class. Daffern suggests finding the hidden tarn and it is worth while doing so. We found it by walking down the glacier valley and dropping down into it from the clump of trees in the middle of the valley. I think there is also a small trail through the trees on the right before coming out onto the moraine. We also came down the waterfall which comes out at the bottom of the big climb at the washout area. I would not recommend doing this as Dafferens book advises.
Start of the climb after the washout
Route up to the Glacier
Nearly at the moraine
First view of the Old Goat Glacier
Heading down to the tree clump bottom middle
Joy in the cave
First view of the tarn
Looking down the waterfall from the tarn.We descended this way but it is not to be recommended
Distance return 10.0 km Time return 6 hrs ( inc 30 min lunch ) Elevation Accumulated gain 825 m Elevation to Summit 670 Summit height 2395 m
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