The Enchantments — Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020

ENCHANTMENTS IN A DAY - FOR BEGINNER TO INTERMEDIATE HIKERS

This review is for the less advanced hikers, which describe my son (30) and myself (58). Both of us were in fairly good shape, but did not prepare nearly enough for the specific rigors of this beautiful but brutal day hike. For newbie to intermediate hikers, I highly recommend the following.

PREPARE PHYSICALLY (and MENTALLY). In addition to about 8-10 hours of general aerobic exercise a week and some strength training, be sure to take day hikes on weekends, progressively longer and more challenging (8-15 miles) over a couple months leading up within 1-2 weeks before your Enchantments day hike. We were faithful with our general cardio and some strength training, but only went on one day hike (Mt. Si) and a couple neighborhood hikes before attempting this hike. I hadn’t been on a serious hike for over 30 years, and my son has only been on a few short recreational hikes.

PLAN METICULOUSLY. My son and I finished this hike in 17-1/2 hours at 11:20pm, using headlamps the last two hours in the dark, partly due to our lack of rigorous planning and later start than we planned. Start early, 4am if you can, and aim for a reasonable time period and schedule. Establish checkpoints and estimated target times, and try to stick to the necessary pace, without killing yourself.

Read this great family of hiker’s blog article to give you an idea of major milestone points and times:

https://www.nomadswithapurpose.com/how-to-thru-hike-the-enchantments-in-one-day/

Since this was a family of experienced hikers, add 25% or so to your estimated milestone times. You see many posts by more experienced (and probably better conditioned) hikers that finish between 11-14 hours. Of course take the time to linger for photos and be in the experience, but not too long—those extended lazy moments can add up and cost you.

If I were to do this day hike again, I would plan it something like this… leave the Lake Colchuck trailhead by 4am, arrive at Colchuck Lake by 7:00 am, top Aasgard Pass by 10am, (need to insert another milestone for one of the core Enchantment lakes here), Snow Lake by 3-4pm, Snow Lake trailhead 8-9pm. Total 16-17 hours. When estimating your times, consider your strengths and weaknesses (e.g. our strength was uphill, my weakness was downhill—by far. The descent from upper Enchantments to Snow Lake almost finished my legs/knees!) The last 4-6 miles are brutal because your legs will be largely spent by then; be prepared for a 2-4 hour mental struggle (much worse than the marathon I ran in high school, LOL).

FOLLOW RECOMMENDED ROUTE UP TO AASGARD PASS . This is a little tricky. There are cairns along the way that definitely help, but I veered too far off course to the left toward the cliffs and spent about a half hour sweating as I slowly worked my way across a large steep swath of scree to the rockier, more stable path marked by the cairns. If I had followed the party in front of me, I believe I would have done much better. Look for the cairns and observe parties ahead of you to find the best route.

This journey was definitely a lifetime highlight for my Son and I. Take my suggestions for what they’re worth and try to forget your plan just enough to be in the moment.