Amazing hike through the beautiful Enchantments in Washington State's Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The first Friday of October 2020 I made a one-day through hike of the high alpine basin with my friend Shawn.
We originally planned to hike the Enchantments mid-September, but canceled because it was in the middle of our most recent forest fire smoke-ageddon. This attempt was a last-minute plan. Shawn called me up mid-week because the forecast for Friday looked good. On the drive over to Leavenworth Thursday night, the full moon was hazy because of lingering wildfire smoke. We were nervous about what conditions would be like the next day.
We needn't have worried; by the morning the remaining smoke had dissipated. I'm so glad I decided to take the day off from work, it was an absolutely perfect day. We were treated to vibrant fall colors; the larches were turning golden and the alpine meadows were dappled crimson. The weather was incredible. Based on the forecast, I expected sun, but a cool autumn day. Instead, in the core Enchantments zone it was summer-like T-shirt weather.
My only regret is that we did not see any mountain goats. The last time I thru-hiked the Enchantments we saw over a dozen mountain goats. Apparently, the goats were all taking PTO day the Friday we hiked it. Since then I've seen posts on social media sites from people who were there the days before and after us, and they all shared photos of mountain goats.
This was my second Enchantments thru-hike. My first thru-hike was seven years ago and at that time we climbed Prusik Peak. During my 2013 thru-hike we did not have a lot of time for soaking up the views or taking photos. This time around in 2020 it was nice to not have a climbing objective and be able to just enjoy the scenery. There's a link below to the trip report from my 2013 Prusik Peak climb.
Gear List:
The forecast was for sun, but cool temperatures. I was expecting it to be chilly in the Enchantments, so I brought some warm layers. It ended up being almost summer like warm in the core Enchantments zone, so I never used my jacket, wind shell, wool hat, or gloves. I was still glad I had them because in an alpine environment you can never count on good weather. This was the first week of October and just the previous weekend it had been snowing in the Enchantments.
Always carry the 10 Essentials!
(See link to the Mountaineers below for more information about the 10 Essentials)
Clothing:
- Hiking Boots, Lightweight
- Wool Trekking Socks
- Boxer shorts, athletic
- Hiking pants
- Nylon-webbing belt
- Long sleeve shirt, base layer
- T-shirt, base layer
- Gloves, liner
- Insulating jacket, lightweight
- Windbreaker jacket
- Baseball cap
- Wool beanie
Necessary Gear:
- Day pack, hydration compatible
- Hydration Reservoir
- Trekking Poles
- Trekking Poles, Rubber Tips
- Mini Water Filter
- Headlamp
- Sunglasses
- Green Trails Map, The Enchantments, WA No. 209S
- Compass
- First aid kit.
- Swiss Army Knife
- Cell Phone
- Camera
- Extra batteries
- Sunscreen & lip block
- Toilet paper & hand sanitizer
- Mini Wallet
- Stuff sacks, small
Extra Gear (not required):
- GPS sports watch
- Heart rate monitor chest strap
- Handheld GPS unit
- Temperature sensor, pairs with watch
- GoPro Camera
- Extra batteries
Food
I recommend carrying a majority of real food and keep the bars/shots/gels to a minimum. After hiking 10 miles and gaining 5000 feet of elevation you'll be pleasantly surprised how amazingly good something simple like a PB&J sandwich or an orange tastes. Energy snacks have their place, but I prefer to save them for when I'm flagging and need a burst of energy for a big push. For bars or gels you should also choose products with real ingredients. Real food is easier on your stomach and you'll have a steadier burn of energy.
In the morning before starting the hike I ate a bran muffin, a couple bananas, and drank a can of coffee before hitting the trail.
- 1 apple
- 1 tangerine
- 1 small bag of nuts
- 2 snack sized bags of dried apricots
- 1 snack sized bag of crackers
- 2 meat sticks
- 3 packs of Energy Gel
- 3 Energy bars
- 1 pack Chewable Electrolyte Tablets
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