More on my websiteThis page is copied from my website, which has several other climbing trip reports and photographs from the North Cascades and elsewhere: http://www.stephabegg.com. A classic ridge route surrounded by brilliant autumn colors in the Enchantments The easy hike up the north side of Little Annapurna. Aren't those larch trees beautiful?! |  Our camp and the west ridge (and south face routes) of Prusik Peak. |
Brilliant yellow larch trees, October sun, and fun climbing on solid granite was the theme of this weekend in the Enchantments. DAY 1, October 18, 2008: My sister, Booth, and I hiked in via Aasgard Pass on Saturday morning, scrambled up Little Annapurna, and made our way through the brilliant yellow sea of larch trees to camp at Gnome Tarn below Prusik Peak. It was a beautiful clear and starry night for some night photography. DAY 2, October 19, 2008: On Sunday morning we decided to brave the cold granite and climb the West Ridge of Prusik Peak. We smulclimbed the ridge and were on the summit in an hour and a half, enjoying the sun and views of the Enchantment basin below. We descended down the north face, and 5 hours and several thousand downhill feet later we were at the car. What a fun weekend! Below are several photos from our weekend rambling and climbing in the Enchantments. (Click here to a link to a trip report for the Burgner-Stanley route on the south face of Prusik, which I climbed in July 2006.)
DAY 1 - OCT 18 | Larch trees and Little Annapurna |
 The Upper Enchantment basin shortly after crossing over Aasgard Pass. Temple Ridge (Prusik Peak) in distance. |  The Upper Enchantment basin shortly after crossing over Aasgard Pass. Temple Ridge (Prusik Peak) in distance. |  On the flat and easy summit of Little Annapurna. Nice view of the Enchantment Lakes basin from the summit. |  Larch Tree. |  Cool ice formations. |  More cool ice formations. |  Approaching Prusik Peak. |  Sunset over Upper Enchantments from camp at Gnome Tarn. | | |
NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY | It was a perfect clear night for star photography. I probably would have been up all night if I hadn't run out of batteries. |
 Star trails over Gnome Tarn. |  Star trails over Little Annapurna. |  Planet over Little Annapurna. |  Star trails over the Upper Enchantments. |  Big Dipper over Prusik Peak. |
DAY 2 - OCT 19 | West Ridge of Prusik Peak |
 Morning sun at our camp at Gnome Tarn. |  Prusik Peak from our camp at Gnome Tarn. |  Looking up the west ridge. Fun climbing! Too bad it was shady though….. |  Jenny's reaction to the 5.7 friction pitch. |  Booth taking the second lead of the route (we simulclimbed) and rounding the horn in the ridge to an easy and exposed south side traverse. |  Jenny on the last crack (5.7ish) before the summit. (Back in 2005, on a family backpacking trip, my dad had broken his finger in this crack, so that's the reason Jenny seems to be fingering the camera…. |  On the summit of Prusik Peak. It took us about an hour and a half to simulclimb the west ridge. | | | |
Note that from June 15 to October 15 (as of 2008, at least) a permit is required for overnight trips into the Enchantments. A limited number of permits are available at the Leavenworth ranger station. Hence, as with this trip, a great time to do an impromptu weekend in the Enchantments is just after October 15 when no permit is needed!
Images
|
Stuart Range
