www.wta.org July 2008 » Washington Trails On Trail Northwest Explorer »
The Enchantments in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness are packed with marvelous Randall J. Hodges scenery. A quota-permit system prevents crowding by hikers. Picture the Enchantments A photographer’s guide to one of the state’s most photogenic places
The Enchantments are one of Washington you visit, you will find the Enchantments to be state’s premier hiking areas. With peaks reach- one of the most incredible places in the world ing almost 9,000 feet into the sky and open to capture images. Randall J. alpine areas between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, To get started, there are two ways to enter Hodges this region is one of the state’s highest alpine the Enchantments: Snow Lakes trailhead and Randall J. Hodges roaming areas. The Enchantments hit all six Colchuck Lake trailhead, which takes you in via is a professional of my key hiking criteria: beautiful forests, Aasgard Pass. I recommend any newcomer to nature photogra- alpine lakes, flower-filled meadows, grand the Enchantments take the longer, harder, but pher based in Lake peaks, abundant wildlife, and—because of the more scenic Snow Lakes trail route. Not only Stevens. He has hiked Forest Service permit system—solitude. On my are the views better, but it also lets one enter and photographed last visit I observed more mountain goats than the Enchantments via the lower basin, then the more than 15,000 people. If you dare a visit to the Enchantments middle elevations, saving the upper Enchant- trail miles across the in the fall, you will witness something truly ments for last. As Harvey Manning was fond West. Visit www. spectacular: the turning of the larch, when the of noting, arriving at the Enchantments via randalljhodges.com to trees turn an amazing golden color. Whenever Colchuck Lake and Aasgard Pass is like having learn more. » On Trail July 2008 » Washington Trails www.wta.org
The Enchantments
Map by Allison Woods A string of lakes surrouned by high peaks make the Enchantments a must-do on many a hiker’s list. your dessert before the entree. location for base camp and the endless roaming I will not lie to you. The Enchantments hike you can do here. is strenuous, covering 10.5 miles and over 6,000 If you are feeling overwhelmed by the beauty feet of elevation gain. It is a stretch for an and all the photographic opportunities, don’t be experienced hiker to reach in one day. Camping alarmed, as you are not alone. On my last trip at Snow Lakes and stretching the ascent over to the Enchantments, my party and I scattered two days is better for the mind and the body. I about with our cameras, afraid it might all would recommend 5 to 7 days for the complete disappear if we didn’t shoot everything at once. adventure. Try to relax, as there will be many days to Once you enter the lower Enchantments, you busy yourself with your camera. After setting will immediately see the reason for the name, up camp you’ll soon discover you can literally as it is truly enchanting. First of the alpine capture sunset from anywhere in the Enchant- gems is Lake Viviane. Photo opportunities ments. My first night’s sunset was from Perfec- are everywhere, so make sure you have lots tion Lake right down from camp. of film or card space and batteries; this is not The following are the absolutely mandatory the place to run out. As you climb above the side trips in the Enchantments. Take your time lake, you can see Temple Lake beyond Lake here; there’s much to discover. Viviane. Make a note, as this is a good area to return to for exploration, but for now continue up to Leprechaun Lake. Notice all the glacier- Day One: Upper Enchantments Head back on the main trail and circle carved granite; even in the lower Enchantments around Perfection Lake and then up to Inspira- you can tell this place was once all beneath tion Lake. If you are here in the morning, grab glaciers. Next, you will pass Sprite Lake and great reflection shots of the lake with its small, soon enter the middle Enchantments, swinging dying glacier. Once around the lake, climb around Perfection Lake. I would recommend steeply up 500 feet and enter the world of the looking for camping in this area, as it’s a great www.wta.org July 2008 » Washington Trails On Trail «
Upper Enchantments. Passing the last of the greatly. Continue up the trail to Aasgard Pass small subalpine larches, you enter a place that and the view down to Colchuck Lake. If you resembles the moon. There is nothing left but still have energy, head to the right and climb to lakes, rock and snow. There’s more than half a the summit of the ridge for far-reaching views. Hike Details mile of creek and an abundance of small lakes Watch for the development of thunderstorms, as Permit informa- and tarns—too many to name or count. You are this is not the place to be during one of those. tion: Visit the surrounded by incredible mountain peaks and We had thunderstorms build every afternoon Enchantments perilous granite jutting into the sky. Look back and chose to stay very close to camp around permit web site at the way you came to see a fantastic view of that time. Two of our five nights produced www.fs.fed.us/r6/ Prusik Peak. It will almost always be with you incredible lightning storms and rain and hail, wenatchee/passes/ while you are here. Looking ahead you can see which was no problem to handle in the tent. enchantments. Dragontail Peak laid out before you with its Back at camp in the evening head to the Or call the glaciers hanging down into the lakes. To the Prusik Pass junction. Before heading up out of Leavenworth left is the more rounded Little Annapurna. Save the meadow turn right and head into the trees, Ranger Station at that for another day. where you pick up the trail. At the top of the (509)548-6977 for This area is something you must see to be- ridge find Gnome Tarn and your best view of information. Start lieve, as I could never fully or properly explain Prusik Peak laid out before you. This image this process early it. Continuing up the trail when the camera is of the peak reflecting in the tarn has graced as you should have back in its bag, on the left you will pass Isola- the cover of many hiking books and calendars. your applica- tion Lake. Most years there are plenty of ice- This is a great spot to spend the evening and tion postmarked bergs floating in the lakes, which have broken capture the sunset. starting February off from the Snow Creek Glacier. Take a brisk 26. You can also but rewarding swim in the coldest lake in the try for the permit Enchantments. Day Two: Druid Plateau lottery drawing Wake early and grab the trail up to Prusik You then continue to climb, passing the every morning at Pass; at the pass veer left and down a little to much smaller Tranquil Lake. This lake is much the Leavenworth pick up a scant path heading across the slope. warmer for swimming and is the highest in Ranger Station The trail will continue in that direction and the Enchantments basin. Capture the reflec- (your best bet is cross a dry creekbed. Heading up in more of an tion of Dragontail Peak in the lake. I like to use midweek). Stop at off-trail scramble across and around the hill in a polarizing filter and dial it to peer into the the ranger station front of you, you’ll enter Druid Plateau. There waters. Those incredible greens and blues at to get your permit are a handful of lakes to explore and alpine the bottom of the lake will enhance your image and map. meadows to roam. Climbing anything that looks Directions: From the west end of Mountain goats can often be found in the high meadow and steep slopes. Allow enough Leavenworth on time in the Enchantments to explore, discover wildlife and take gorgeous photos. Randall J. Hodges Highway 2, drive south on Icicle Creek Road 4 miles to the trailhead on the left side of the road. » On Trail July 2008 » Washington Trails www.wta.org
Prusik Peak and climbable will give you a fantastic view. The the edge of the lake. The swimming is spec- some of the many last time I was here, I snapped plenty of photos tacular and the tip of the peninsula has a nice tiny lakes in the Up- and enjoyed lunch with a fabulous view. But 25-foot cliff jump. Watch large trout swim by per Enchantments. we headed back over the pass and returned in the crystal-clear water. The blues of the lake Most of the Enchant- to camp as the daily afternoon thunderstorm alone make for some mesmerizing photography. ments basin sits built. In the afternoon head back to the lakelets I like to catch sunset at the back of this lake between 7,000 and and tarns of the upper basin for sunset. with the tip of Prusik Peak peeking out. Using 8,000 feet of eleva- your headlamp to head back to camp, behind tion. Perfection Lake is a great place to stop for a Day Three: Little Annapurna star picture or two. Set your camera to bulb and Crystal Lake and focus to infinity and lock the shutter. I like Wake early and head back to the upper to use 20- to 30-minute exposure times, but the Enchantments. This time, after the last of the fun is to experiment. alpine larches, turn left and look for faint trails up Little Annapurna. The climb has about Days Four & Five: Reprise You will now have visited all the major areas 1,000 feet of elevation gain in three-quarters Photo of the Enchantments. I like to spend days of a mile but is not technical. The reward from four and five revisiting places I liked or places Gear Used the summit is a 360-degree view of all the En- where I did not get the shot I wanted. Then chantments, south to Rainier and Adams, over Canon EOS Elan spend the evening and sunsets back at Gnome the Enchantments to Mount Daniel and Glacier 7 body, Canon Tarn and Prusik Peak. Peak, and north all the way to Mount Baker. 28-105 Ultrasonic Whatever you decide to do with your time, if This a great place to take a series of panoramic lens, Canon 70-300 you make the pilgrimage to the Enchantments, shots on your tripod—something you can stitch Ultrasonic zoom you will be rewarded with days of great image together in PhotoShop when you return. lens, Slik Pro 330DX making. You will also be visiting a place like no Head back to camp for a lunch break. Get an tripod, Tiffen Polar- other on Earth. The Enchantments also reward early afternoon start if the weather permits, izer, Moose Warming you with an incredibly spiritual wilderness and head back around Perfection Lake. At the Polarizer, Cokin one-, experience that you will cherish for the rest of junction, continue around to the backside of two-, and three- your lifetime... and really, isn’t that what it’s all the lake and follow the trail down to Crystal stop neutral density about? filters. Kodak Elite Lake. Chrome Extra Color After you finish with your camera, head right 100 speed slide film. around the lake and out on the peninsula for one of the best spots to relax, on the rocks at Read more about the Enchantments on p. 27. www.wta.org July 2008 » Washington Trails On Trail «
John D’Onofrio A quiet moment on Lake Viviane. The Enchantments offer solitude and serenity in big doses. Land of Enchantments A sojourn in search of mountains and myth in the Enchantments “He who knows the most, he who knows… (too hard to spell?), the Forest Service, in its the ground, the waters, the plants, the heavens, infinite wisdom, changed some of these names and how to come at these enchantments, is the in the last century. But the new names, while rich and royal man.” not quite so esoteric, still make the point: Lakes –Ralph Waldo Emerson Inspiration, Isolation and Perfection. Merlin’s Tower. Excalibur. Dragontail Peak. One hears a lot of talk regarding “must see” You get the idea. mountain destinations. The Canadian Rockies. And of course, in autumn there are the larch The French Alps. The Karakoram. trees, bright yellow and orange beneath the In our neck of the woods, much of such talk knifepoint spires, lit by the late-season sun like focuses on the Enchantments, a slice of the a Maxfield Parrish painting. The landscape of Alpine Lakes Wilderness that lies just south dreams. of U.S. Highway 2, near Leavenworth. Travel- Barb, my erstwhile traveling companion, and ers come from around the world to prostrate I have a Big Idea. We plan to spend a week in themselves before the great granite faces, to this spellbinding wilderness to experience the scale the cloud-swaddled fangs of rock and to magic, to find the heart of the myth. At Septem- immerse themselves in a mysterious and allur- ber’s end, we also hope to time our arrival with ing alpine mythology. the turning of the larches. The word on the Enchantments is that you The skies are leaden as I hoist my pack at John absolutely must make a pilgrimage to these the Snow Lakes trailhead and head up the high and splendid mountains before you die. path, burdened by the faux Bavarian breakfast D’Onofrio The word is true. I had in Leavenworth that steepens the grade. John D’Onofrio is The sculpted granite landscape is the stuff We climb beneath Snow Creek Wall and on a writer and pho- that gives birth to legends. Norse sagas. Tolkien- up beside the creek. As we reach the shore of esque misty mountains. Kingdoms gone and Nada Lake, a light snow begins to fall. We stop, tographer from yet to come. The names themselves speak to string a small tarp and make tea. The silence Bellingham. Visit the myths: Lakes named Rune and Valkyrie is ethereal. We drink our tea and decide to his website at www. and Naiad. For reasons that are inexplicable camp here beside the snow-softened lake. To jdonofrio.com. » On Trail July 2008 » Washington Trails www.wta.org
the west, rocky turrets appear high above the Past Leprechaun and Sprite Lakes we negotiate surface of the lake and then they’re gone again, the steps of the wild rockscape, finally drop- lost in the swirling clouds and dancing snow. ping our packs on the austere shore of Perfec- A great plume of water issues forth from the tion Lake. We ascend the climbers’ path to Snow Lakes above, spray carried fancifully by Prusik Pass and then trek cross-country across the wind. boulders and snow to a high saddle. Above us In the morning everything is frosted. We Prusik Peak soars, its picturesque face rising to break camp and hike along the shore of Nada an awesome knifepoint above the surrounding Lake, then climb up through a gargantuan rock spires. Below us the scattered lakes sparkle in slide to the shores of the aptly named Snow their deep cradles of stone, and the exquisite Lakes. We make our way through the snow- larches glow, backlit by the late afternoon sun. dappled forest and begin climbing in earnest Somewhere in the indiscernible distance a lone through dwindling trees and up into the granite coyote yips and howls, its lonely song held on country of the High Enchantments. We haul our the wind. overstuffed backpacks up root-choked gullies, We descend to Perfection Lake in the fading over rock slabs and across slickrock slopes. light, set up the tent on the rocky shore and Three hours of this brings us to the final push watch the stars dance in the cold sky. up a granite incline to the crystalline shores of Morning dawns clear and cold; water bottles Lake Viviane. are iced up. We load our day packs and climb We string a small tarp in a sandy alcove the rocks to the heartbreakingly beautiful In- among the rocks at the water’s edge. As the spiration Lake, its rocky shoreline rimmed with evening approaches, the clouds roll away and new snow. We follow the trail along the shore the sky clears. A cold wind blows from across and then ascend a rocky slot up boulders and the lake, and we don all of our warm clothes icy snow into the upper basin. A new panorama and watch the sun go down as the reflections of lakes and mountains spreads itself below us of the towering granite cliffs drift on the lake. as we work our way up onto the high plateau Mist rolls across the surface of the water as the dotted with half-frozen tarns, gingerly testing light fades and the temperature drops. Every- snow bridges across the multitude of sinuous thing freezes up beneath the glittering stars. streams that connect them. In the morning the skies are blue and the We reach the mostly frozen Isolation Lake in Leprechaun Lake, fresh alpine air is filled with cold sunshine. midmorning, its floating ice a serene blue. One surrounded by We load our packs and work our way across a can debate the old name/new name argument, granite and larches. tenuous log jam at the outlet of the lake, gain but this morning Isolation seems right to us. the other side and climb ice-slicked granite. Clouds are gathering around the upthrust fangs John D’Onofrio of Dragontail Peak as we ascend yet another step of the plateau to Aasgard Pass, the highest point of the upper trail. We spend the afternoon wandering beneath the towering ice-encrusted peaks amongst the sculpted granite. Water is everywhere, flowing through smooth chutes of polished stone in ele- gant tapestries. Graceful snowfields merge with the wind-ruffled surfaces of icy tarns, reflecting low billowing clouds streaming amongst loom- ing black peaks. We walk through otherworldly mosaics of stone and descend to mist-softened gardens of heather as the cold chastening wind blows across the empty highlands. As the clouds continue to descend, we follow their lead and make our way down giant stone slabs back to Inspiration Lake. We glissade down a snowbank back to camp. As the wind rises, we make dinner and slide into the tent as rain begins to fall. We rise and make coffee as the rain drifts through the spindly trees. After breakfast we load our packs and set off down the trail back towards Lake Viviane through misty rock-and- larch landscapes. It’s as if we are in a Japanese watercolor, the surroundings indistinct and muted. At Leprechaun Lake we find a perfect bad-weather campsite on a small peninsula of stone and lash our tarp to a boulder to www.wta.org July 2008 » Washington Trails On Trail «
John D’Onofrio construct an inviting little storm-proof grotto. profound joy in the moment, contentment and a The mist blows around the gnarled forms of fully realized sense of place. A perfect moment. Hiker Barb Hanson half-seen trees and visibility drops to almost Enchantment. negotiates the ascent nil. We venture out from our snug little shelter I shoulder my pack and it feels light and good of “Trauma Rib.” and explore the lakeshore in a profound silence, on my back. We commence the descent down enraptured by the stillness. It’s like walking in the steep rocks, reentering the forest with its a dream. soft textures of fallen needles and good, brown The rain stops in late afternoon, the sun dirt, down to Nada Lake where we drop our breaks through and the lake sparkles and shim- packs for one last camp. mers, its surface mirroring serrated ridges and We eat dinner, tell stories and laugh hard, gleaming wet stone. We eat dinner beneath a like people do when they’re exactly where they modest smattering of stars and drift off to sleep want to be. Barb ducks into the tent and I sit listening to the subtle music of the wind. beneath a tree, writing by headlamp. Now and The morning is glorious—sweet warm sun- again I turn it off so that I can look at the stars. shine bathes the smooth stones that form our The moon rises through the clouds, casting an breakfast nook. A solitary raven flies across the otherworldly light on the dark forest and the lake, the pulse of its beating wings echoing in night breezes animate the shadows all around the rocky amphitheatre. me. We climb up the rocks to a point overlooking We have walked amongst the mythic spires both Leprechaun Lake and the more Gothically and breathed deeply the wild and purifying severe Viviane and bask in the morning sun, wind. We’ve rejoiced in the impressionistic col- surveying the undulating granite waves of the ors of sunlit larches and observed the season’s lower basin, softened by the feathery golden first snows as summer fades to autumn. larches. Moving easily over the rocks I find Enchantment indeed. that a subtle shift has occurred—I am flowing with the terrain instead of struggling over it. This article originally appeared in Adventures Truly going with the flow. There is a deep and NW magazine.