The Enchantments — Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019

Beware of snow and weather conditions. My wife and I hiked through from Stuart lake trailhead to snowlake trailhead. We made it over Asgard pass encountering two feet of snow on the top third of the pass and took us four hours to climb. Ice spikes are required. Camped overnight in the core a storm brought more snow totaling two to four feet in most locations. Navigation was extremely difficult due to snow covering the cairns and the general difficulty of the hike. We covered less then a mile an hour due to snow and getting lost. We made it to just before the descent to lake Vivian. We were led astray by cairns that led us the wrong way just prior to the descent and due to worsening conditions, physical exhaustion, and inability to find the trail were forced to call 911 for help. Cell service could only be reached by climbing the hills nearby. To descend to Vivian follow the cairns until the cliff face and look down, but beware of difficult navigation. Recommend allotting two nights to complete and do not attempt unless an expert hiker. Significant research on gear, conditions, navigation is required for this hike, especially late in the season. Although we considered ourselves prepared, we significantly underestimated the difficulty and conditions. Our rescuers were dropped off by helicopter but due to weather conditions they guided us out by foot. The storm the following night, 18 October, dumped two more feet of snow in the area. Thank you to Jared and Dan for the rescue. We certainly would have spent another miserable night stuck in the storm if not for your help.