Colchuck Lake, The Enchantments & Aasgard Pass — Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024

scored a walk up lottery permit for the core enchantments so my partner and i headed up for a two day one night backpacking trip!

i along with what felt like a hundred ( if not hundreds) of other people began the hike around 5:30 am, a conga line in the dark is really something.... half of the people, myself included, sort of felt like a half awake zombies while the other half were very chipper trail runners!

honestly, having never done colchuck, im almost grateful to have done the forest hiking in the dark because ( sorry not sorry) it's a bit of a drag and not terribly exciting. once you get to the lake, you're like "ah yes, i get it now."

this trip report is really for aasgard pass - it is... not for the faint of heart/ anyone with balance issues/ issues with vertigo, etc. going both up and down are equally as sketchy ( loose rock, slipping, etc) - i chatted with a couple climbers who said the next time they would go up with their helmet - which i agreed with - as it can be dangerous when others slip and a rock comes tumbling down. i personally do not think it would be worth it to go up aasgard just for a day hike, considering the toll it takes just on that stretch alone.

the core enchantments are truly magnificent, a moonscape accessible at around 7800'. what i appreciated most was being able to hop around on the granite boulders, see old growth larches, bask in the saturated colors of turquoise, golden, and stark white/silver hues of the scenery, and drink the most refreshing, crisp, and clean water! went to inspiration and perfection lake - absolutely stunning!

night hikers and early early morning hikers...i am in awe of you!

it's always shocking to see people hiking with little to no water and the bare minimum essentials for a hike....

overall, a challenging and breathtaking trip, one for the books and one that i can cross off!