[ijustneedpossible]

A year ago a friend of mine and I were laying next to Lake Vivian and she says to me "I want to bring people here". Fast forward one year later, where bringing the people now meant that I would be leading hikers on back-to-back days from the Stuart Lake trailhead to the Snow Lake trailhead. Day 1 of the Enchantments thru hike was nothing short of spectacular. The hikers that joined me were strong and encouraging to one another and the laughter produced in those many miles left one person (me not me) peeing themselves. It was an epic adventure and the memories produced will last a lifetime. The one and only problem for me on Day 1 was the pace. I am one that finds a gear and sticks with it regardless of how tired I am. To have to slow down means wrecking my body and eventually my mind. I was assigned as the caboose in our little hiking train (don't worry we had a permit and were within the legal limit of hikers) and that created an accordion effect for me, all day. All day of starting and stopping jacked me up so by the time I walked off the trail at 9pm, knowing my alarm was set for 3 am, to do it all over again, well it's safe to say I bawled like a baby. I was cooked through and through. In bed by 11pm. Too late... Day 2 - The alarm went off at 3am and we were on the trail by 4:45am heading towards Colchuck and Aasgard, again. I was the primary leader in this group and it was the hardest day I have ever encountered physically and mentally. I pressed on through the pain and cried all day off and on. Aasgard is a blur. I've done Ironman triathlon twice and doing this hike back-to-back doesn't compare in any way shape or form. And I thought I was bad-ass for doing that, pffff Ironman. The hiking crew loved everything and as it was their first time, stopped at everything. It was still beautiful and I did my best to take it all in, again. I was exhausted on 4 or less hours of sleep two nights in a row. Although each step sent pain throughout my body I was still in wonder and awe and enjoyed the people behind me as they marveled and gasped at the sights. We stopped at Lake Inspiration for some food and a quick foot soak in the frigid waters. This was the last place I took in nutrition, battling nausea. Stopped at Upper Snow for a quick swim, knowing the 6ish miles ahead to exit the trail was going to be a haul.This was the last place I had water (ran out at the concrete dam and although water sources were plentiful I just wanted to be done so never stopped). Both stupid stupid mistakes but through grit I was able to suck it up and lead my group out. What I take from the two thru hikes back-to-back. The guy behind the counter at the sports store in Leavenworth looked at me like I was positively insane when I told him what I was doing. I now know why. For some, doing this hike back-to-back may be easy but for me, it kicked my ass. At one point I vowed to never return (I'm already planning a one day thru in September) and then I thought about my why: Taking "the people" through the Enchantments on back-to-back days raised $21,000 for a Seattle based company, Rescue Freedom, that works to rescue women and children from the sex trafficking industry. Every painful step had a purpose. QUESTION: WTA and just about every source I have read says the thru hike is 18 miles. Every time I've been on this trail my gps devices say it's just shy of 24 miles. Each member of both groups I led also showed the same on their various devices. So, I know there are a lot of variables (did we get off trail, sightseeing distance traveled) but not 6 miles worth of variables. Anyone know what the real answer is?

[rbuzby]

GPS can tell you exactly where you are, but it's not very accurate for distance hiked on trails.

[geyer]

Plug that GPS data into Google Earth, My Google Maps, Caltopo, or a gps data viewing website and you will get a better idea of how long it actually was. Also, make sure to edit out any areas where it looks like you stopped, because the baby steps from moving in one spot and GPS inaccuracy can add up to a lot of distance. ** Also congrats on raising all that money! Good on ya

[HermitThrush]

Good on ya to get out there and exert yourself for a good cause. As I'm sure you already realize, please take care of yourself too. Methinks you would have felt better if you had stopped even for a few minutes, stayed well hydrated, or even paused for a short nap on the way out. All the same, way to go. An accomplishment to remember.

[christensent]

GPS is especially bad on the snow lakes side in the valley above the switchbacks but before the first lake. I would guess a lot of the erroneous miles were racked up in that region. Usually a GPS will read 5-15% too high mileage and elevation gain for a trip, but in this case I'm not at all surprised you were higher given the geography of the terrain.

[ijustneedpossible]

[ijustneedpossible]

[Brushbuffalo]

Fine effort, and good for you for walking and working for a worthy cause. And... welcome to the forum!