Enchantment Lakes - 23 hour death march (hiking pics)

The 'Chants are the most coveted hiking and climbing destination in my state, and probably either of our neighbors. Every year 50,000 people apply for overnight permits; 27 are allowed to camp per night for the roughly 4 months it isn't fully buried in snow. I've been trying for 10 years, finally decided if I'm going to see it with my own eyes, I'll have to do it as a day hike.

I've long been intimidated by the prospect, I didn't think it was possible except for the very strongest few. The place, known locally as Shangri La, has a reputation for being heartbreakingly beautiful, but unspeakably difficult. Everybody says it's harder than you can begin to imagine, and even hearing that for a decade, I didn't appreciate how tough (or gorgeous) it would be.

It took us 4 hours to go 1 mile. This was after the trail ended, picking our way up an endless boulder field in the hot sun. I was on the verge of heat exhaustion at times, then we made it to Aasgard and both started shivering.

I brought 3 friends, we mostly split up, and we were able to leave a car on each end of the route. (It's 2 trails and cross country between them.)

In short: we hiked a rude trail which took us to a portal to another world.

In the upper basin, this feeling came over me, I could die there and then and it would be perfectly fine. I still regret leaving.

The upper basin was austere. Rocks, tundra grass, and lakes and streams with perfect stepping stones. You couldn't design a better place. The lower basin had more life, mostly larch trees. Photography and poetry have no power here, it's an impossible place to capture. There's no way to understand without experiencing it.

Because we took so long coming in, and because Jack wanted to enjoy evening light in the high meadows, we got benighted. It wasn't exactly planned, but we knew it was a distinct possibility and came prepared. We hoped to make it out of the really dangerous parts before dark, and were mostly successful. We hiked through the night and finally arrived at the road just after dawn. We got lost a few times in the woods, crossing talus and camps (with many side trails), but we took turns having common sense, and I brought a GPS.

I saw a shooting star from the spillway between Snow Lakes. How often do you get that on a day hike? 🙂

My Garmin credits me with 29 miles; 6,800' of ascent; 8,900' of descent. 22 hours 40 minutes car to car! We never stopped for more than about 10 minutes at a time, and not many times.

No trip to the Enchantments would be complete without goats.



Jack looking at our immediate future.



This kid was cute.





Aasgard



I didn't realize the upper basin would be a river!



Perfection Lake



I was going for contrast between the warm evening light at the top of the frame, and the cold blue water. I wound up cropping from the top and maybe ruined the effect I was going for.



My buddy, in the lower basin.



Did I mention the waterfalls?



It was very important for us to get below the infamous via ferrata section before dark. They put rebar in after somebody died here descending in the rain. Neither of us wanted to test our luck descending by headlamp. But we made it in plenty of time and didn't need to use the rods; slabby fun land is made of grippy granite.



Jack takes in the very long march ahead of us as sunset spreads across the far ridge.



A mom and her kid. So many goats!



This is what the last ten miles looked like.