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| Hiking | 18.83 Miles |
4,803 AEG |
| | Hiking | 18.83 Miles | 17 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.30 mph |
| 4,803 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 56 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | A small family group has been training for an epic adventure in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of Washington State. John, Carolyn, GrangerGuy, Katie and Emily tackled the Enchantments thru-hike on the Friday of Labor Day Weekend, 2021, and we’re proud to report that we completed the 20-mile hike in 17.5 hours! With a 3:30 am wake-up time, 4:15 am departure from the family cabin in Leavenworth, and a 5:00 am shuttle from the Snow Lakes trailhead parking lot, we hit the trail at 5:40 am. We hiked the first couple miles with headlamps and hit Colchuck Lake by 7:55 am. After a stop for snacks, electrolytes, and pictures, we headed around the lake for what we perceived would be the hardest part of the day—Aasgard Pass.
We refilled water at the far side of the lake before beginning our plodding, steady ascent of the rocky pass. Midway up, we struggled to follow the cairns, but we found a way back to the more clearly-marked path shortly. From the rear, we heard, “Katie? Is that you?” as a group of Dartmouth alums visiting from the east passed us! Small world! Saw our first two goats along the trail, too. We topped out at long last at 11:50 am, later than planned (goal was 11:00 am) but in better spirits than expected. We walked up a ridge and ate lunch overlooking Isolation Lake, in awe of the moonscape around us.
We continued on through the Core, increasingly stunned by the clear lakes, glaciers, mountain goats, alpine streams and craggy gray mountains. We saw Ranger Scott a few times and waited for him to shovel out a latrine in a particularly scenic area. After a bathroom break, more water filtering, and admiring a mama-teen goat pair, we continued on to our favorite section, spanning Inspiration to Leprechaun Lakes. The landscape became less rocky and more lush, particularly around Perfection and Sprite Lakes (the former of which Carolyn camped near in 1985!) In the next friendly chat with Ranger Scott, he mentioned that we would likely reach Snow Lakes around dark, with our last 8 miles after sunset. This lit a bit of a fire underneath us, so we tried to dawdle a bit less, despite the enchanting views at every turn.
We came across a multigenerational herd of 7 mountain goats, bringing the day’s goat census up to 13. We bid farewell to the Enchantments Core after passing Lake Viviane, at which point the rough, steep, unstable, and rocky trail down to Snow Lakes came as a very rude surprise. After feeling like the difficulty of Aasgard was over-hyped, we now felt like this section of trail had been undersold. We made it down to Snow Lakes, over the dam, and stopped between Upper and Lower Snow Lakes to refresh Vaseline on our feet, filter water one last time, have another sandwich, and lament the remaining miles (a soul-crushing 7.3 miles still to go). Somewhat refreshed but feeling weary already, we headed down to Nada Lake, the last lake before the 5.6-mile slog out.
Darkness fell a few tenths of a mile after we passed Nada, so we hiked the last 5+ miles mostly in silence, pain, and darkness. Only one person cried, but several more wanted to, given how battered our feet and tired our bodies felt. The lights of Icicle Creek Road and the parking lot were inspiring at first and maddeningly unattainable as we descended the last switchbacks, but finally, just after 11:00 pm, we emerged into the parking lot. Victory!
Our McDonald’s meal was foiled by the late hour, but we got ice cream and chips at Safeway for a post-marathon treat. John was euphoric but most of the group was too tired to talk much. We saved our debrief for Saturday morning over a big brunch of eggs, bacon, and toast on the deck. We relaxed a little longer before heading into town to float the river from Enchantment Park and properly celebrate our hiking accomplishment at Icicle Brewing. All in all, a wonderful, challenging, natural beauty-filled weekend that we’ll be talking about for weeks to come!
Logistics notes: Snow Lakes TH has a paved road to it. You can reserve a shuttle from there for $25 per person to the Colchuck TH. The road to Colchuck is excellent dirt road. Parking at both lots can be terrible. Camping in this area requires getting a permit by entering the lottery in February. It is one of the most notoriously difficult prizes to win. Day hiking is not limited.
(Text courtesy of Emily) |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
The larches were just beginning to turn yellow. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Not a lot. Some Gentian. |
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