Early thursday a.m. I left Kennewick and headed over Blewett pass, arriving after road construction delay to get the last permit available at Leavenworth ranger station. I would have been happy with Stuart also but on with the story to a popular destination. Hot on the trail but not buggy this trip. (Buggy at the lake) Passed a few parties coming out and a wilderness ranger who was checking everyone for permits. It was nice to see a nice new bridge over Mountaineer creek and I offer my compliments to those who made this possible, it is nice. The trail was its usual up and up self but the view that opens up when you get to the lake is what makes the trip worthwhile. Just gorgeous. Aasgard pass dared me to try it but I wasn't there for that this time...took lots of pics and camped at a nice spot. My head net came in handy. I left the next day and only passed a few people on the way in. The permit system does make a difference. My thanks to those who post on this site, I read most of them. By the way, the weather was warm but tolerable at 5500 ft.

The west side of the Cascades was socked-in with clouds and drizzle so we headed east. Sure enough, the sky was cloudless just past Steven's Pass. The trail to Colchuck Lake is in excellent shape, made in up there in around 2 hours. The assent up to Aasgard pass took about another 2 hours and posed no problems, although it would have undoubtably been more challening if we were hiking with full packs (we were day tripping). Although extreemly steep, the trail and carins were easy to follow. There's only one snow patch that has to be crossed, about 2/3rds of the way up. Near the top, there was an unusually lush display of tundra wildflowers. Once at the top of the pass, after a encounter with a curious moutain goat, we continued accross the snow-filled Upper Enchantments basin (the lakes are just beginning to thaw out) to the top of Little Anapurna. If you've made it as far as Aasgard Pass, by all means put in a bit more effort to check out the INCREDIBLE views from Little Anapurna (and enjoy the exhilarating glissade down from the summit back to the Upper Enchantments basin). Oddly, at no time on this trip were we pestered by flies or mosquitos.

Trail is in very good condition all the way to NW shore of Colchuck Lake (which is the end of the maintained section of the trail). Kudos to WTA volunteers that refurbished a bridge near the lake. Beyond the maintained section, the trail snakes along W shore of Colchuck Lake, and not surprisingly, this section is in much worse shape, with a few blowdowns, some muddy sections, and some bolder scrambling. It is probably worth mentioning that the road from Bridge Creek to the Colchuck Lake/Lake Stuart trailhead has worsened considerably since the recent logging activity in the watershed. It is rather slow going now due to the new washboards on the road. Your tax dollars, which paid for the logging, will someday also pay for repairs to the road as well!

Very tough trail. The boulder field that must be crossed on the S shore of Colchuck Lake is particularly difficult. Mountaineering skill required. Trail was completely snow-covered the date we went (6/20). Snow was encountered immediately beyond Colchuck Lake. Two moats were just beginning to melt out along the gully between Colchuck Lake & Asgaard Pass; other than that, the gully was completely filled with snow. Lots of rockfall -- do not attempt the route without a helmet.

We had a week long work party on this trail and Stuart Lake Trail which actually starts at the parking lot. 1599A forks left at 2.5 miles and leads to Colchuck Lake. 1599 goes right at the fork and leads to Stuart Lake. Both trails are vitrually snow free although there is considerable snow at Colchuck Lake. We logged out both trails and completed the bridge to Colchuck Lake. The lake is about 50% open.