The Enchantments
Larch season was upon us, and there is arguably no better place to see them than in the Enchantments. For maximal Larch exposure, Mike, Brian, Joe and I planned an Enchantments through hike on a sunny October day.
Alpine lakelet
We planned to be on the trail by 5 AM, so I car camped at the Snow Lakes trailhead. After a surprisingly restful night, I was picked up by my friends at 4:30 AM and we drove over to the Stuart Lake trailhead, where we headed up the trail in darkness.
Before long, we were at Colchuck Lake, just in time to catch the sun casting first light on the top of Dragontail Peak. We skirted the lake, navigating the boulder field and then beginning our climb up Aasgard. Without snow on the trail, we made good time up to the pass. We began to see clusters of beautiful yellow larches standing in sharp contrast against the pale gray granite of the mountains.
We met a solo hiker on the way up who we spent much of the day leapfrogging. At the pass, we met two trail runners who took some photos of our group.
Aasgard ahead
First light on Dragontail
We took our time through the core zone, meandering through the lakelets and stopping frequently for photos.
Enchantment as far as the eye can see
We stopped for lunch on the southwest side of Inspiration Lake. Unlike my previous through hike, we didn’t see any mountain goats near the lake or anywhere else along the trail.
Prusik paradise
Reflections in the water
Larch madness
After Nada Lake, we began our descent down the Snow Creek drainage, encountering some backpackers coming from the opposite direction. The miles flew by and we were soon at the switchbacks. We made quick work of the descent, arriving at the Snow Lakes trailhead by 6 PM. I drove the group back to their vehicle at the Stuart Lake trailhead and we headed into Leavenworth for burgers and beverages.
Mission accomplished
Starting elevation: 3,418 ft | Elevation Gain: 4,904 ft | Distance: 19.7 mi Equipment: poles
