*COUGAR SIGHTING*
My hiking partner and I saw a cougar on this trail, and not in a spot where I would have expected. We were hiking back to our car at dusk and were less than a mile away from the Stuart Lake trailhead, at perhaps 3,800 feet. I saw some rustling in the bushes about 20 yards from where we were and saw the long bushy tail with the dark fur on the end slink into the brush. Didn't see it again after that. There were only two of us and it was getting dark so we waited a few minutes for another party to come by, both to warn them and hike out in greater numbers. Keep your eyes out if you're hiking alone in this area, or anywhere.
As for the rest of the hike....I don't think I'll ever go up and down Aasgard in the same day again. We went from the Stuart trailhead to the highest lake basin in the Enchantments and turned around. I thought this would be better than the through-hike, with its higher total mileage and higher total elevation drop. Wrong. I've done the through-hike once before with a one-night stop at Snow Lake. Take the extra mileage and start at a time that requires a headlamp, hike all the way through. Downhill on Aasgard is pure torture. I was worried that my tired legs would falter while choosing foot placement on the talus and boulders on the long way down.
Aside from that, it was a gorgeous day. We saw several mountain goats on the way up and down the pass, along with some pika and our feline friend on the last leg of the trail. The cairn trail up the pass is snow-free. Still snow patches in the upper Enchantments. Another perk of starting earlier: this lot was overflowing at 8am on Saturday. Road is quite bumpy but just about any car can make it if you take it slow.
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