The Enchantments, Aasgard Pass & Snow Lakes — Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020

I have a major ask: I thru-hiked the Enchantments yesterday and somehow left my trekking poles at the Snow Lakes trailhead. They are probably on the side of the road just adjacent to the actual trailhead (where I was parked). I must have been so tired after finishing the hike that I drove away without them and didn't realize they were gone until I got back to Seattle! I am staying in Leavenworth every other week for work so if someone finds them I can either meet up in the Seattle area or Leavenworth area to get them back. They are black diamond with blue on the handle. They are the kind that fold into thirds (not the collapsable kind). Praying to the hiking gods they didn't get run over by a car or stolen.

Thanks :)

Now for the trip report:

Total Time: 13.75 hours

Here are my approximate waypoints:

0550 - Start at Colchuck trailhead

0640 - Stuart/Colchuck Junction

0745 - Arrived at Colchuck Lake

0830 - Base of Aasgard Pass

1030 - Top of Aasgard

1400 - Outlet of Leprechaun Lake

1630 - Snow Lake (along the shoreline somewhere)

1700 - Nada Lake

1900 - First view of the road

1930 - Snow Lakes TH

I've been wanting to do this hike for the past three years. I've been trying to time it for the beginning of October when the larches turn + good weather + safe hiking conditions for a non-mountaineer + off from work. Those factors hadn't aligned yet, and I finally realized I need to just do it and stop waiting for the stars to align.

Weather: Although it was in the 90s in Leavenworth, the combined elevation & merciful cloud cover made the temp in the Enchantments perfect for hiking.

Bugs: Nowhere near as bad as I'd anticipated! I had 1 or 2 mosquito bites and there were a couple flies that wanted to follow me for short periods of time, but mostly I didn't notice them.

Crowds, COVID, & Parking: I went on a Saturday thinking the crowds would thin past Colchuck Lake, but that there would still be enough people on the trail that I wouldn't be entirely alone. I definitely misjudged how crowded this trail was. There were people in every direction for the vast majority of the hike. Once in the Enchantments, it wasn't a big deal since there is so much open space and rock to walk around on. But there were some bottlenecks that developed on Aasgard (on some of the rock scrambles) and on the trail down to Snow Lakes (again, worst in the areas of rock scrambles). My advice to avoid the crowds would be to not go on the weekend & once in the Enchantments don't be afraid to take a side trail and find your own space to take a break & enjoy one of the many many amazing views to be had up there. It wasn't hard to do & was a nice change of pace from the line of hikers on the main trail & in the areas just adjacent. The main troublesome aspect of the volume of hikers on the day I went was in parking & shuttling up to Colchuck TH. I used the Leavenworth Shuttle & Taxi, which cost $50 to take you from Snow Lakes to Colchuck. (The "Loop Connector Shuttle" was fully booked, as they are wisely limiting their trips to 4 passengers on the weekends). For some reason, I guess I assumed this other company also had some sort of limitation on passengers/ spread passengers out in the shuttle. I want to warn you that is not at all the case. There were about 12-14 of us crammed into a van. We were sitting so close to each other, our arms and legs were literally touching. (Yes we were all required to wear masks however, I'm not sure how affective cloth masks are when you're in such an enclosed space with so many other people). Admittedly, the right thing to do would probably have been to get out of the van. But what can I say; I am human and I didn't realize until the last minute what was happening (I was one of the first people in the van), and didn't want to give up my plans because of this van ride. However, for planning an Enchantment thru hike in the near future, I would definitely be specific about asking what the shuttle conditions would be like and I strongly recommend using the Loop Connector (which is advertising that they have passenger limits) or planning a shuttle with friends to avoid the situation I got myself into with that packed shuttle. Oh, and it goes without saying, get there hella early :) Like 4:00 if you want a spot in the actual trailhead paring lot.

Animals: Lots of goats! I didn't have any issues walking around them, giving them enough space. Ptarmigans or grouse (I don't know the difference). Pica. Lots of chipmunks.

Trail: In brief, trail conditions are great, no traction needed, as long as you're attentive there are cairns & sticks (very large sticks that are probably meant fro snow travel) that guide the way through the rock. Be prepared for some scrambling sections, which weren't really dangerous but just tricky enough to be fun :)

In Detail: I remembered from when I had hiked Colchuck in the past thinking how challenging it would feel when I returned to do this as the first leg of the enchantments. And that was exactly how I felt again! It's a challenging first leg of an epic journey. I took a brief second breakfast break overlooking Colchuck, then followed the trail around to the right of the lake and made my way over the boulder field. There are toilets along this trail too (before reaching the boulder field), which are great to take advantage of before facing a 90min-2hr climb up an insanely steep talus & scree slope. There were cairns placed strategically that point the right way through the boulder field. I thought picking my way through the boulder field was fun, and this section didn't take as long as I thought it would. Then the trail spits you out alongside a roaring creek with some pretty wildflowers alongside it at the base of Aasgard Pass. I filled up my water bottles here (was using a Sawyer Squeeze, which I highly recommend to reduce water weight as there are numerous places to refill along this trail).

Remember when you were a little kid how it felt the first time you rode a big roller coaster? That's how I felt as I "buckled up" my pack straps and started the ascent up Aasgard. This pass had me awestruck and intimidated for three years. I'm a pretty avid hiker but do not have much experience with alpine-like climbing or route-finding traverses. Aasgard Pass was definitely a challenge, but after pushing myself further and further each year in terms of my hiking abilities, I knew I could do it. In the end, it didn't feel to me as steep as it looked (probably because I'd been imagining it to be a sheer wall of scree-filled terror). I just concentrated on one small section at a time, always looking ahead towards the next cairn & gauging my direction based on the larch grove in the middle, knowing the trail runs up to the left side of this grove. For the first third, there was a true bootpack, the grade was not too bad, and my footing always felt secure. In reality, the pass is so steep that before you know it, you've ascended hundreds of feet. The first time I stopped to turn around and look back down at Colchuck I was shocked to see how far I had come & dazzled by the formidable turrets of Dragontail Peak opening up before me. It is vertigo-inducing for sure! The middle section runs alongside the left of the larch grove. At this point, there are several "paths" you can choose. There were a few crumbly rock sections, but these may have been avoidable based on which path you chose.

The third section, from the top of the larch grove to the top of the pass, was the most challenging in terms of route finding and scrambling. The trail traverses to the middle of the pass, then spirals up to the top. From here, there seemed to be 2 main routes that people were taking, one more in the middle of the pass and one more slightly on the right side of the pass. Were there less people, I would have had to use my brain a little more in deciding what route to take at this point. However, due to the line of people assembling at this point (see my section on "Crowds") and the trail of cairns, I didn't really have too many decisions to make on my own. I think it would have been different if it were a weekday.

And then the top of Aasgard! Woohoo! It gave me butterflies looking back down the rocky slope to Colchuck. I could see many cascade peaks in the distance, including Mt. Baker. There was a goat at the top of the pass looking down on all the weary hikers ascending, guarding the entrance to a new realm. There is a small blue-grey tarn with a craggy backdrop that greets you and beckons you further. To me, this tarn embodied "isolation" moreso than actual Isolation Lake. 

Once you've reached your destination, rejoice in the fact that you now have ~4.5 miles of heavenly landscapes to amble through. The Upper Enchantments lakes were icy blue, and in stark contrast with the white rocks. I liked reflecting on the names of the lakes: isolation and tranquility.

The trail slowly descends and the landscape unfolds further, with the top of McClellan Peak peaking out above numerous pools & alpine meadows. One of my favorite viewpoints was a rocky outcropping with a view over Crystal Lake. For most of this hike, the sun was shrouded by a cloud layer, but at this point the sun was peaking out and made the turquoise blue water shimmer like it was filled with diamonds. It made for a nice farewell to the Upper Enchantments. 

There was some scrambling required & a short patch of snow on the way down to Inspiration Lake. I slid down it with my boots. I dipped my toes in the water at Inspiration Lake, and there were many people jumping in this lake. Off to the right, there was a beautiful overlook of Perfection Lake with Prusik Peak in the background. This was another nice lunch spot. There were lots of goats in the area around Perfection Lake, and I got a nice picture of 3 of them by the junction w the Prusik Pass trail. I would love to hike up to Prusik Pass someday, but that is a trip for another day. I really enjoyed the vista on the trail down to Leprechaun Lake, which traveled over slabs of rock alongside a thrashing creek, dotted with larches with Prusik Peak dominating in the background. I was able to find myself some solitude near the second arm of Leprachaun Lake. The water here was very green, perhaps why it got its name. Then there is a rocky ledgy trail down to Lake Vivianne. The dead goat mentioned in a prior trip report was still there. 

The way down from Lake Vivianne descends steeply to the Snow Lakes over rock slabs. Some scrambling was involved. I really enjoyed it. The birds-eye view of Snow Lakes was lovely. Snow Lake was also beautiful, with the enchantment peaks setting a gorgeous backdrop. Although the remainder of the trail from here essentially a long way home, I found it to be also very beautiful and enjoyable. It often traverses open slopes, providing lovely scenic valley views. However, at this lower elevation and with the sun coming out again, it got significantly hotter and every step I took created little puffs of dust on this dry hot trail. "Kashmir" was playing in my head through this last section. The road is visible ~20-30 mins from the trailhead, and at the end it was encouraging to see it get bigger and bigger as I drew nearer to my car, pizza, and beer.