An Adventureful Life

I’m kidding! Kind of… After hiking solo on the PCT (150 miles) and thru-hiking The Wonderland Trail (93 miles) in 2024, I figured doing 20 miles through The Enchantments in a day would be a piece of cake. Well… turns out The Enchantments are not for the faint of heart… I had done my fair share of research, and fixated on the ascent up Aasggard Pass, not realizing that the true challenge would be the grueling downward slog through the Snow Lakes. It nearly broke me…

Logistics & Timeline

I signed up with a “Kula’s On the Trail” – check out their other awesome events (https://www.eventbrite.com/o/kula-cloth-30263713380) for an early October thru-hike of The Enchantments. In preparation, we did several Zoom calls in advance to get to know each other, discuss logistics, and establish some basic goals for the whole trip. We met up on a Thursday and stayed overnight at The Sleeping Lady in Leavenworth,  just a few minutes away from Snow Lakes Trailhead in an 8-person bunk bed cabin. This ended up being super fun, and super affordable! If I were a crazy person… I might do that again…

Friday morning:

– 3:45 wake up call

– 4:45 Drop off cars at Snowy Lakes Trailhead

– 5:15 meet at Stewart Trailhead, final pee… headlamps on… HIKE!

– Breakfast/Sunrise stop at Colchuck Lake (4 miles)

– Assent up Aasgard Pass (1.5 miles/2,000 ft ascent)

– Hike across and down the core, including an impromptu lake swim in Perfection Lake

– Climb down the granite rock face and out of the core

– Sunset/dinner break at Upper Snow Lake where I really started to lose my composure

– 8 more miles and 5 more hours of downhill slog to the parking lot where my chariot awaited

– 9:30pm finally arrive in the dark parking lot with all the other crazy people

– Swear viciously “Never Again” (famous last words…)

My Packing List:

• Gossomer Gear Loris 25 Daypack w/fast belt
• Katadin BeFree 1.0 L Water Bottle w/Filter
• Smart Water Bottle w/hose for easier drinking on-the-go
• Lots of food and snacks
• Sitpad to rest on
• Layers (I hiked in a sun hoodie with a skirt, leggings and waterproof hiking boots because we were traveling in October and needed to be ready for anything!)
• Sunscreen & Sunglasses
• Electronics: rechargeable headlamp, iPhone, and a power bank
• First Aid Kit
• Poop Kit (use the pit toilets or pack it out!!)
• Essential 10
• Trekking Poles

Key Takeaways:

1. Believe what you heard, it’s really hard
2. Pack as light as possible while still bringing what you need – share gear across a couple people (light towel for swimming is worth the weight)
3. Bring your headlamp (you’ll need it)
4. Start at Stuart Trailhead
5. Go with super positive people that can help manage the mental and physical burden with you (or just bring some good audiobooks/music!)
6. Preplan where to stay before and after because you will need the rest!

Great Resources:

https://www.earthtrekkers.com/enchantments-thru-hike-complete-guide/

https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes

https://www.missmeghanyoung.com/blog/tag/enchantments

Final Thoughts: Winning an overnight permit for The Enchantments is notoriously difficult, so a thru-hike is often the easiest way to experience this amazing location. It is magical, gorgeous, and all the things. I said never again, but I said that after the birth of my first child (and my second and my third), so take that as you will. I also contend that there are so many beautiful places out there, so don’t feel like you have to fixate only to these “instagram” places! Find your own uncharted terrain in your backyard and explore! Time will tell if I make it back for a part II of The Enchantments, but for now… I have so many other places on my list to check out… I can’t wait to see what’s next!