I had been looking forward to this trip since I found out that I won permits back in March. Unfortunately, the schedules of my partner and I only allowed us to put in for a trip in early July, which isn't the best time to be up there in a heavy snow year. Despite this, we were still very excited to visit one of the most storied destinations in the NW as neither of us had ever visited the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
We headed out after work on Friday and stopped to play disc golf in The Dalles and that is where I realized that I left a bag of some essential gear next to the front door at home. Included in this bag were my two shirts, hiking socks, spoon and camera. I realized that I only had a cotton T-shirt and my backup socks that I'd rather not have to use...the worst part was that I was going to visit one of the best photo opportunities anywhere and I left behind my camera. My partner had his and I did have my extra CF card packed so I ended up using his quite a bit...not ideal by any stretch of the imagination. I knew that I wouldn't be able to spend multiple days in the heat (it was 95 degrees in Leavenworth) with a cotton shirt so we tried to stop by the sporting goods shop in The Dalles, but it was closed. From there we made a rush up to Yakima in the hopes that we could get there before 10pm and that we could find a place that sold the kind of shirt I needed. We got into the ShopKo parking lot in Yakima at 9:59 and the doors were locked. Luckily a woman was walking out and I slipped into the door as she was leaving. After sweet-talking the hostess into letting me run back and grab a shirt I found the closest thing to what I needed was a bright yellow Nike Dri-Fit basketball shirt...it would have to do. We got up to the trailhead just outside of Leavenworth at around midnight and slept in the parking lot next to the car.
We got going at about 8am and headed up the trail. The trail to the lake is a pleasant hike that follows a gushing stream for about 2.5 miles before reaching a split. The trail to the right leads to Stuart Lake and the one to the left goes up to Colchuck and beyond to the Enchantments. We headed for Colchuck after crossing a bridge over a beautiful mountain river below. The trail from there is fairly steep and gains 1100' in about a mile and a half. Most of this portion of the trail is in the forest and the mosquitoes were thick, especially in the sections where the trail crossed water cascading down from the melting snow above. I haven't had blisters on my heels in years, but the socks I was wearing weren't great and I quickly developed some hotspots. We stopped and I put on some duct tape, but it was too late, they had formed. Upon reaching the lake we were very hot so we hiked around to the far end and found a suitable place to jump in. Now the far end of the lake is where all the snowmelt comes down from Dragontail and Colchuck Peaks so it's much colder than the other end...we didn't think about this ahead of time so the jumps into the lake were followed with an immediate retreat to the dry rocks. The shock of the cold water felt great and it was a great way to get refreshed before heading up the steep slope of Aasgard Pass.
 
From below, it doesn't look like there is any logical (or sane) route up the pass...it's much steeper than it appears in pictures, but I know people do it all the time so I figured that there had to be some way to get up it. Aasgard Pass is a 2300' scramble up a steep talus slope that stands as the gate to the Enchantments basin and the climb up it was every bit as exhausting in the midday heat as I expected it to be. There isn't really a trail, but the path of least resistance is marked with cairns that are easy to follow for the most part.
We finally arrived on top after about two hours and were thankful to have that beast behind us (we didn't even want to think about having to go back down it). One of the things that we had heard about the area was that the mountain goats were plentiful and easy to spot. This was immediately evident when one of the first things we saw when cresting the top of the pass was a mountain goat sitting on a rock like it was welcoming people up there. My friend took a picture and then wanted to see how close he could get for a better shot...as evidenced by the photo below (he only has a little 3x zoom on his camera and he didn't have to even use it).
 
As we expected, the upper basin was full of snow and the lakes were almost completely iced over still.
We explored around a bit and found a great campsite that sat near the edge of the steep drop to the lower basin. We set up camp and within a short time a family of three goats, including a newborn, wandered through camp. We followed them from a short distance as they searched the nearby rocks for salt. We would follow from about 50' and then stop and they would often come back to us and get within 10'; it was incredible to experience the goats from such a close distance...it almost felt like being part of thier group.
The lower basin looked beautiful and I can't wait to return next year and spend some more time exploring it after it melts out.
The morning brought some beautiful lighting on the surrounding peaks and made for a very special alpine experience.
  
We broke camp among a group of about a dozen goats that decided to visit (they decided to hang around for the entire morning and we ended up leaving before they did) and decided to climb Little Annapurna to get views of the entire Enchantments below and the North Cascades, Rainier, Adams and more beyond.
The climb wasn't difficult and took about an hour from camp. The view from the top was spectacular and was truly one of the most incredible things I have seen in my life. Unfortunately, the batteries in my friend's camera ran out so we didn't get all of the shots we would have liked...just means we'll have to go back 
   
The hike back down Aasgard was a lot harder than going up and I was very happy once it was finally over. We spent the next few hours on the warm(er) end of the lake jumping off rocks and swimming in the lake...an absolutely perfect therapy for my burning leg muscles.
The hike out from Colchuck was quick and uneventful. The drive home in 99 degree heat was a nightmare in my friend's car...his air conditioning went out this past week and I was on the sunny side the whole drive home 
The trip was one of the best backpacking experiences of my life...we never saw another soul in the Upper (or Lower) Enchantments and the scenery surpassed almost anything I've ever seen. I can't wait to go back next year later in the season when the snow is gone and the lakes are ripe for swimming. | 
