Nada Lake, Snow Lakes & The Enchantments — Saturday, Jun. 14, 2014

Central Cascades > Leavenworth Area

My Dear Feet - I am so, so sorry. I know I should not have put you through what I put you through on Saturday. I know what you're thinking, and no, I did not forget the pain we went through the last time we hiked in and then out the Snow Lakes trail four years ago. I still remember vividly the tortuous final miles, when it felt like you'd both been amputated from me without anesthesia. Why did I hope for something different this time? Well, so much had changed between then and now. We've hiked hundreds if not thousands of miles, climbed so many mighty heights - surely this gentle little trail couldn't bring us to our knees!?!?! (Or more to the point, make us wish we no longer had knees, since the ones we've got are now throbbing and mostly useless.) I admit it now - I was wrong to bring us back here - but c'mon! It was worth it, wasn't it? THINK ABOUT WHAT WE SAW! There we were, sitting at Snow Lakes, when a chipmunk jumped in the water and swam to the other side of that small channel. Who even knew chipmunks *could* swim, and here we were pondering why one *would* swim when it could have just walked an extra ten feet to go around the water. Was it nuts? Was it tormented by ticks? After all, when we got home, it turned out I had two stuck to me without even realizing. Remember the goats? The one at Nada Lake was as tiny as we've ever seen -- nervous about us, but curious about my clumsy efforts to scale a piddly boulder. The herd at Lake Viviane was bolder - much more used to humans, and intent on protecting its two kids. The yearling with a broken horn was a poignant reminder of just how tough life is in this unforgiving environment. We couldn't see these things without a little sacrifice on your part - no pain, no gain! It could have been worse. I could have followed through on the original plan to through-hike the Enchantments over several miles of wet, sloppy snow and then down the torture test that is Aasgard. Think about that for a second - a relatively short miserable shuffle back to the car or being drowned in your boots - which would you rather? I didn't mean to get angry there. I don't know what to say, other than: I'm sorry, and I promise not to do it again. That is, until the next time...