Enchantments Scrambling
After I got a taste of the Enchantments a couple weeks ago I was itching to get back. I especially wanted to share those views with Kaytlyn.
So when our friend Kyle offered a couple spots on his camping permit at Snow Lakes, we rearranged plans and made it work. Camping at Snow Lakes and a day full of exploring the Core Enchantments basin? Sign us up!
We arrived at the Snow Lakes trailhead right as the sun was beginning to set. With bags already packed, we were immediately on the trail.
It was totally dark by the time we got to Nada Lake, so out came the headlamps and we pressed on, hoping we’d somehow stumble upon our friends. Luckily, as we were about halfway around Snow Lake, we saw a sign with an arrow directed towards a campsite with our friends’ names on it. We followed the route to where Kyle and friends were camping out. Meetup Success!
The next morning Katy and I woke up early and got ready for a fun day of trail running and scrambling . The goal was to run through the core enchantments, tag Dragontail, and scramble to any other high points that seemed interesting.
The beginning of our day met us with cool, crisp air and perfectly still lakes. The enchantments were even more beautiful than the last time I visited, with many of the larches beginning to turn light green and yellow — a sign of shorter days, cooler temps, and the upcoming ski season. It was a visual feast, and we kept an easy pace partially due to me stopping and taking tons of photos as we made our way up towards Aasgard Pass.
Still morning views of McClellan Peak reflected in Leprauchaun Lake.
Perfection Lake.
At Aasgard Pass we scrambled up the standard east-ridge route. The route scrambles on rock to a high point, crosses a steep snowfield, and then up and over a small notch to gain the ridge and easy summit scramble.
The trail across the snowfield was pretty thin, icy, and steep. We were glad to have some micro-spikes and poles for support. During each step I’d firmly plant the pole and then kick some steps for secure footing. The microspikes definitely helped for traction, but were not nearly as effective as crampons could have been. We treaded carefully.
The views from the summit of Dragontail were epic. To the north was Colchuck Lake and cascading Mountaineer Creek. To the west were epic views of Mt Stuart, as well as Colchuck, Argonaut, and Sherpa Peaks. To the east were fantastic eagle-eye views of the Enchantments. Looking south, Rainier dominated seemingly limitless layers of the Central Cascades.
View of the Enchantment Lakes from the Summit of Dragontail
We didn’t stay too long, and scrambled back down the east ridge towards the notch. After wandering southeast on the ~8,500′ contour for a while, we crested to the ridge proper and found a gully to descend down towards the enchantments .
The first section of the gully wasn’t too exciting, but about halfway down we encountered a moat between a snowfield and the rock. After a few spicy feet of fourth class moves to get around the moat, we boulder hopped westward, aiming for Witch’s Tower.
Descending down the gully – careful moves around the moat.
Witch’s tower was a fun and exposed scramble. Again — phenomenal views of the enchantments and surrounding high points. We summited a bit after noon, so from our high vantage point we ate some snacks and planned out our route for the rest of the day.
We decided we’d round out our scramble/running adventure by tagging Little Annapurna and then heading back to camp. We descended and began boulder hopping up towards the our last peak for the day. There was an obvious trail to the summit and once again we enjoyed seriously good views.
Rainier over the Central Cascades – view from the summit of Little Annapurna
Nightmare Needles, viewed from the Little Annapurna
Baby goat! Our website’s inspiration.
Locals
We got back to camp with a couple hours of direct sunlight left, so we relaxed, dipped our legs in Snow Lake, and settled down to make some food with our camp-mates before it got dark. The night was chilly but clear, and the star show didn’t disappoint. I felt pretty lucky to have gotten a chance at the permits, especially on a fall weekend like this.
Still figuring out how to take decent star shots with the point-and-shoot — this is from our camp at Snow Lakes.
The next morning was without frills — we woke up, packed camp, and headed home. The whole experience was in many ways the opposite from my last weekend to this area: I was well-rested, we saw a lot of success in our objectives, and we were moving at a relatively easy pace the whole day.
All in all, an awesome weekend in one of the most beautiful parts of the state. Thanks again Kyle for offering the spots on the permit!
More photos up our Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/elygerbin/albums/72157648027027108