So I got there (Noble Knob) fast because it was basically flat and a good trail. But the truth of the matter is I didn't get to Noble Knob first I actually went to a peak just East of it and ate my lunch on top. It was a bit of a rock scramble to get to the top and there was more exposure on top but there was no one else there. So I ate my sandwich with a sweeping view of the Cascades and tried to keep my hands warm. It was snowing hard while I was on this little peak which made for only ok views. I couldn't see Rainier.
Then down off this little peak after lunch. When ever I stopped moving I started to get cold so I had to keep moving. Then up Noble Knob. There were two other parties of three on top. Older people seeming not to like the blizzard like conditions.
Then since it was so easy to get to Noble Knob and I wasn't a bit tired I decided to descend to Lost Lake which I could see from Noble Knob. I saw a sign at the parking lot that said from the car Lost Lake was 6 miles and I knew I had already gone 3.5 so I knew it wasn't too far. So I took the trail down from the alpine area through the forest to Lost Lake. It was an ok lake. I'm a very tough critic. It was pretty big and there was a place where a lot of people had camped all summer. There was even a frying pan left sitting upside down on a log. So I sat down and ate my last Cliff bar and enjoyed the lake. But I didn't stay long I knew I had to be getting back. So I retraced my steps going about 2,400 feet back up to Noble Knob. I forgot to mention that while I was descending to the lake it stopped snowing and never started again.
So when I got back up to Noble Knob for the second time it was actually nicer weather than before. It was about 3:30 pm so all the day hikers were gone. This is when I caught some glimpses of mountain goats. I saw two of them along the trail but they are super elusive. I tried to follow one but it just disappeared silently and effortlessly into the woods. So I never got very close to a mountain goat but it was still cool to see them from a distance. By this time the weather had even improved some. I stopped several times along the trail to enjoy fat juicy wild blueberries that were suffering from frost bite.
Then without further ado I hoofed it back to the car. On the way back a man going in the other direction told me it was 27 degrees Fahrenheit. But I felt fine I had my long underwear on and warm clothes and as long as I was moving I wasn't cold.
