Every year, the forest service holds a lottery to decide who gets to visit a magical place called the Enchantments. For the past two years, Meghan has been lucky enough to win one of the coveted permits.
We left Meghan’s parents’ house in Woodinville and headed to Leavenworth to buy supplies. We met some other friends there. By the time we got to the trailhead it was noon and we had a lot of climbing ahead of us. We made it to Colchuck Lake at 5 pm and then began our ascent up Asgard Pass. I was first up the pass and scouted some campsites. We eventually decided to spend our first night at Tranquil Lake.
Our second day was easy. I woke up and made pancakes for breakfast and then we headed to the Gnome Tarn. Last year we found a cool rock formation that would make a great campsite so we headed up there.
Meghan and I got a secluded spot with an incredible view of the surrounding mountains. We didn’t do much that day besides jump in a lake and play some cards. It was relaxing.
The next morning we woke to thick smoke surrounding us. The fire wasn’t nearby, but the smoke filled the Enchantments. Two of my friends, Damon and Evan were planning on Prusik Peak, but as you can see in the photo, the visibility was poor.
We didn’t just sit around though, we decided to scramble up Enchantment Peak. It was nearby and not too strenuous, which was good since we were pretty much breathing smoke all morning.
Near the top the smoke cleared a little and we made it to the peak. Getting to the summit required some “easy” rock climbing with pretty big exposure. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.
The next day the smoke was cleared from where we were but we could see a large plume in the distance. Our friends began their climb of Prusik Peak and the rest of us scrambled up Cannon Mountain.
Getting to the top of that was actually the scariest thing I’ve ever done. I’m so pumped I did it though.
On our way down, the smoke was looking especially imposing. It blocked the sun and created an eerie lighting.
Our friends successfully made the summit and we all met back at camp. We packed up one more time and headed into the upper core to celebrate Damon’s 30th birthday. We finished up our food and drinks and went to bed. It was the coldest and windiest night of the trip.
In the morning we packed up and headed back to Leavenworth for some beer and bratwurst. I also bought my resupply food for the rest of the trail.
We drove back to White Pass where I got dropped off to continue hiking. It was late so I only hiked 3 miles, the last one in the dark. I got to camp around 8:30 and set up next to someone else. Hopefully they’re a thru hiker too.
While I was gone, a fire closed a section of the PCT and I’ll need to hitchhike around it. It’s a bit of a bummer, but I’m glad I took the time off to see Meghan and relax.