Forum Index > Trip Reports > Enchantments 8/28-8/31
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Aligeo
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Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 51 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bothell
Aligeo
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PostSat Sep 02, 2006 11:32 am 
Thanks to Backpacker Joe angel.gif offering his permit on this website, my husband and I were able to celebrate our first anniversary in the Enchantments! What an amazing place!! Day 1 Monday-Colchuck Lake Hot hot hot. With HEAVY packs. After studying the weather forecast, we were prepared for winter camping! I prayed that the weather forecasters would be wrong about the big "change" in the beautiful summer weather pattern. But nonetheless, it was a beautiful hot day on Monday. Due to some work responsibilities, we left Seattle late in the morning and got a late start. We made it to the south end of Colchuck Lake about 4:30 pm. We were staring up at Aasgard Pass debating whether or not we should hike up tonight. It was about 90 degrees and Aasgard was in the sun. It was NOT going to be fun.
Aasgard Pass
Aasgard Pass
Since this was vacation we opted for fun! So we looked around for a nice camp and found a wonderful spot right on the water and took a swim to cool off. We lounged around camp in our sandals and ate dinner in our crazy creek chairs. It was a great night.
colchuck camp
colchuck camp
Day 2- Tuesday- Into the Enchantments we go!! We woke up to blue bird skies! Maybe the weatherman was wrong!! It’s going to be nice and sunny and warm! We began packing up camp, and I could see the clouds start rolling in! Hurry up; let’s get up to the Enchantments before the weather rolls into town. So we started up Aasgard Pass about 11:00am. It was still pretty nice out. But as we headed up, the wind really kicked in. It was so exciting to hike up though. This was our first time into the Enchantments and we could not wait to get to the top and see what was in store for us!! Alas, we made it up the pass and were frolicking about like school children. It was so beautiful and amazing! It was so much fun to hike along and wait for the next lake to pop out at you!
dragontail glacier
dragontail glacier
Cool natural dam in the Upper Enchanments
Cool natural dam in the Upper Enchanments
First views coming over the pass
First views coming over the pass
snowcreek glacier
snowcreek glacier
Then we got down to serious business of finding a camp site. The weatherman said the wind was going to be gusting 30mph + so we were looking for a sheltered site. We found a great spot with granite boulders protecting us along Perfection Lake.
perfection camp
1 label
perfection camp
We set up camp and it was about 3:30pm. The weather was still pretty good so we decided to go hike up Little Annapurna before dinner. This is a great fun hike. There is cairned route that is relatively easy to follow up the northeast spur. The summit was so flat! It took us a little over an hour from camp to the summit.
Little Annapurna 2
Little Annapurna 2
Little Annapurna
Little Annapurna
broad summit
broad summit
Summit of Little Annapurna
Summit of Little Annapurna
We were so lucky to have sunshine on the summit, but on our way down, the “change” was coming. We arrived back at camp, boiled up some water, filled our dehydrated food packets, and ate in the tent. And for desert we had a few sips of Glenlivet 12 year from the flask. That’ll warm you up! Day 3- Wednesday is Wintertime The weatherman was right, darn. Tuesday night was restless night with 40 mph winds blowing us around all night. There was snow on the ground during a middle of the night. Luckily we brought our 4 season tent. I lied awake that night concerned about others who may have not been so prepared. I’m sure it will be a night for them to remember. In the morning we were excited to unzip the tent and see what was awaiting us. Bare ground! But there were flurries! And wind. But there were also sun breaks! We had a casual morning, made coffee and oatmeal and decided to hit the trail. We headed up Prusik Pass. It was windy and snowing. I was wearing just about every item that I had packed (About 4 layers). This is August…
Prusik as seen from Prusik Pass
Prusik as seen from Prusik Pass
that's snow
that's snow
From the pass, we decided to head up Enchantment Peak (One of WA 100 highest.) This was an awesome scramble. We followed a very fun easy ridge from the pass. Just below the summit, is a flat broad sandy beach! It was cool topography. The final summit is easy rock scrambling with a few final class 3 moves at the end.
Enchantment Peak
Enchantment Peak
Beckey calls this the "ballroom dance floor."
Beckey calls this the "ballroom dance floor."
summit of Enchantment
summit of Enchantment
Inspiration and Perfection Lakes
Inspiration and Perfection Lakes
Inspiration Lake
Inspiration Lake
McClellan Peak
McClellan Peak
After Enchantment we scrambled over to Gnome Tarn below Prusik Peak.
Great view of Prusik
Great view of Prusik
We headed back to camp, giddy from our scramble. We made tea and soup and then played some cards in the tent. We dashed outside to quickly whip up dinner, than dashed back inside to eat. It was going to be a cold night. The good news was that Chris’s altimeter was losing elevation! Yippie! High Pressure, come back! Day 4- Planned to do Cannon but sadly leaving It was a cold night (thermometer in the tent read 39 degrees!) The wind finally stopped in the middle of the night. We were awoken from our slumber by the sound of hooves on rock. I unzipped the tent to find a family of three mountain goats.
morning wake up
morning wake up
It was a beautiful, cold, blue bird day! Unfortunately we had to make the difficult decision to leave the beautiful Enchantmenants one day early. We packed up camp, and took our time hiking out.
upper basin
upper basin
snowcreek glacier 2
snowcreek glacier 2
It was a terrific hike out. We were really impressed by the 76 year old man we passed on our way down. He was hiking up Aasgard Pass with his children and grandchildren. I hope we are so lucky when we reach his age! We ran into several folks once at Colchuck Lake. Everyone was giddy with excitement! What a fantastic natural playground. We cannot wait to go back and do the complete loop to Snow Lake and tag the summit of Cannon Mountain.

And the end of all our searching shall be to return to the place where we started and know it for the first time. - T.S. Eliot
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nuclear_eggset
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Joined: 02 Jul 2006
Posts: 2206 | TRs | Pics
Location: Eastside
nuclear_eggset
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PostSat Sep 02, 2006 1:34 pm 
Wow! Fab report! Looks like it was quite an adventure. Bummer about the cold weather, but those pics are fabulous!

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ActionBetty
Im a dirty hippie!



Joined: 06 Jul 2003
Posts: 4807 | TRs | Pics
Location: kennewick, wa
ActionBetty
Im a dirty hippie!
PostSat Sep 02, 2006 2:33 pm 
Nice TR and pics..glad you got to discover the beauty of the upper chants up.gif

"If you're not living good, you gotta travel wide"...Bob Marley
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Trevor
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Joined: 31 Jan 2004
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Location: Edmonds, WA
Trevor
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PostSat Sep 02, 2006 4:41 pm 
Great effort. I am enjoying viewing the images taken towards inspiration lake.

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Backpacker Joe
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Joined: 16 Dec 2001
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Location: Cle Elum
Backpacker Joe
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PostMon Sep 04, 2006 12:30 am 
Well Im glad you guys had a good time. Im sorry the weather couldnt have been better, but all in all looks like a nice trip. up.gif

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Aligeo
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Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Posts: 51 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bothell
Aligeo
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PostMon Sep 04, 2006 8:49 am 
Thanks for you comments everyone! Despite the weather, it was still a trip of a lifetime! What an enchanting place to explore right in our backyard (2 hours from Bothell). Washington is such a great place to live!! smile.gif

And the end of all our searching shall be to return to the place where we started and know it for the first time. - T.S. Eliot
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Dayhike Mike
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Joined: 02 Mar 2003
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Location: Going to Tukwila
Dayhike Mike
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PostTue Sep 05, 2006 12:24 am 
up.gif up.gif Thanks for the TR!

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke "Ignorance is natural. Stupidity takes commitment." -Solomon Short
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Allison
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Joined: 17 Dec 2001
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Location: putting on my Nikes before the comet comes
Allison
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PostTue Sep 05, 2006 1:01 am 
Wowee Zowie! That "natural dam" pic in the Upper Es almost makes a girl think there's something to all this crazy global warming stuff! That's a lot of water up there now. I was up in the Cascade Pass area earlier today (yesterday now) and there was a little dusting of new snow visible on Formidable and a couple of nearby peaks. Seems snow is forthcoming, good news for the firefighters, maybe a little bit of bad news for hikers still intent on hitting the high country before summer is gone for good.

www.allisonoutside.com follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
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plain old dan
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Joined: 24 Aug 2005
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Location: Tualatin Oregon
plain old dan
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PostTue Sep 05, 2006 12:20 pm 
Your photo's do a really nice job of capturing the atmosphere of the trip up.gif

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Meander
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Joined: 15 Jul 2006
Posts: 288 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle
Meander
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PostTue Sep 05, 2006 3:05 pm 
Shazam! Nice report Alicia. I'm so glad you had a great time. What a fantastic way to spend your first anniversary too.

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SkyeBlu
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Joined: 21 May 2006
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PostThu Sep 07, 2006 10:08 am 
Campsite
Hi Aligeo, Thanks for the nice trip report. We're heading up Aasgard next week and would like a good place to set up our camp. We stayed near Sprite Lake in 2002. Your camp looks like a great spot. Can I get directions? Is it on the way to Prusik Pass? How close were you to water? Thanks in advance for any help you can give us. Tim

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