| Enchantments: A trip report found on the net Trip Report |
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| Enchantments: A trip report found on the net   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: Washington, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 47.50290°N / 120.8013°W Date Climbed/Hiked: Oct 25, 1998 | Page By: Dean Created/Edited: Mar 21, 2003 / Object ID: 168862 Hits: 1101 Loading... Page Score: 86.05% - 1 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Oct 25, 1998 by Pilar
Cannon Mtn./Enchanment Pk./Colchuck Lk. - The Alpine Lakes - Getting there: Drive US 2 to Leavenworth, turn right on the Icicle Creek Road. Follow it to eightmile creek road and to its end. The Trail: Well today was more of a "pleasure trip" rather than a "forced march" to get to the top... a perfect day, larch season, bug & brush free... yes, just scenic wanderings among both the enchantment basin and the "lost world plateau". The trail up to Aasgard Pass was in fine shape and in 2.5 hours found myself sitting on top of the free world looking down at the lovely Colchuck Lk.(which is probably the prettiest forested lake anywhere in the Cascades, well worth the price of admission). From the pass contour westward along the southern slopes of the Enchantment Plateau past the "black dwarves" & the S.W. summit of Enchantment Pk. (stay well above the clifs of Talisman Lk. but well below a cliffy face coming down from above). Just past the upper cliffs there are numerous gullies that lead northward towards the true summit (the N.E. peak). Once on the ridge you should be either a little west or directly below the peak (to your left is the S.W. summit, which is very similar in height to the N.E. peak). A very short scramble on the southwest side put one on top, which is a very comfortable square, almost flat, piece of granite. This whole route could be avoided by hiking to Prusik Pass and climbing the gentle east ridge (I was just avoiding loss of altitude). On the summit you can see (due north) the massif of Cannon Mtn. (your next objective), a unique look at Mt. Temple Ridge, and your first look into the "back bowl" of the Enchantments. You now descend eastward towards Prusik Pass until feasible to drop down into the "Lost World Basin" (no need to drop all the way to Shield Lk.) and hike easy terrain through meadows, larch groves, & yes more tarns. There are lots of variations possible and evetnutally you'll find yourself on the "moonlike" expanse of the Druid Plateau. Once on the plateau the peak of Cannon is just the largest pile of rocks to the northwest. The summit is a big smooth piece of rounded granite, maybe five feet of no exposure scrambling. I enjoyed the views and the sun for awhile before beginning my descent to Prusik Pass. A trail from the pass leads to Rune Lake where I hooked up with the main "cairn trail" up to Aasgard Pass. The larches are definitely past their prime... but if it's peace and solace you are looking for in this "enchanting" place than this is the time to go (1 car at the Snowlake trailhead and two at the Lk. Stuart). Hiking out in the waning hours of light, the sunset from above Crystal Lk. turned the "nightmare needles" into nothing more than a "utopic daydream".
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Enchantments
