Enchantment Lakes #1553

We hiked in over Asgaard Pass on the 16th to the high meadow just above Inspiration Lake but decided to wait until morning to descend the snow chute down to Inspiration and our favorite campsite on the northeast end of the lake. The next morning we descended the chute with rope and ice axes because we had several youngsters in the group and didn't want anyone to take a slide into the lake. Many hikers are confidently negotiating this stretch without ice axes but we wanted to be very safe with the children. There is much more snow than normal in the Upper Enchantments and there are still ice flows on Inspiration and Perfection. Normally you can leave the insect repellent at home in mid-August in the Enchantments, but not this year. The mosquito hatch is still heavy. We had planned to stay 6 days, but cut it to 4 days because of the pesky bugs. Fishing is also relatively poor at this time. No problems on Asgaard route. It is well-marked and there is only one small patch of snow on the route where you traverse below the small waterfall near to top. There is a good footpath beat into the snow there.