Greg and I decided to hike the Lakeshore Trail on Lake Chelan for our first trek this season, a 17 to 19 mile hike along the shore of the lake. It was one of the few places within hours of home, that didn’t have snow blocking the trail, as we had a cool spring this year, and the snow above 5,000ft in most places still hasn’t melted out yet.
We decided to camp at Lake Chelan for Thursday night, so we could catch the ferry early in the morning, at 8:00 am. It was over 100 degrees Thursday, and the only way that we could really get cool was to jump in the lake!
Friday morning, we climbed aboard the ferry, and headed out. They dropped us off at the beginning of the Lakeshore trail, at Prince Creek, and when I say dropped us off, it really felt as if they were making us walk the plank! The ferry pulls in close to the shore line, then extends the “plank” straight off the bow of the boat, and you walk over to land!
The temps for our journey stayed in the 90’s, and I felt I would surely melt if it had not been for the fact that the wind blew constantly, seems it was a steady 30 to 40 mile an hour wind…
There isn’t much cover along the shoreline, and it’s pretty rocky. We were told to look out for rattlesnakes, but never happened along one, thankfully.
We had planned to stop for the night at Cascade creek, 8 miles from our landing at Prince Creek, but, as the trail is moderately flat, it only took us 3 hours to get there, and we thought, “ Hey, that wasn’t bad, lets push on to Moore Point, another 3.5 miles!”
We made it there, but along the way in the relentless sun, our feet got cooked, (lots of blisters), and a couple times I just had to drop the pack, and then drop myself onto the trail, as I felt I just couldn’t take another step.
Once we arrived at Moore Point, we shed the load on our backs, and headed straight for the cool relief of the lake. We just didn’t know how cool! It was so cold, it was like an instant “ice cream” headache, it literally made you ache it was so cold! Instead, we sat and rested our weary bodies. We hadn’t been there long, when one of the boat campers came over and introduced himself, and invited us over to their campsite for dinner!!! We graciously accepted, as the idea of having burgers and potato salad instead of freeze dried dinner was an easy choice!
That was one of the nice things about the lake, if you haven’t been there, along the shore are several campsites that can only be reached by boat, or hike in. There are fire pits, picnic tables, boat docks, and very nice restrooms!!!
Many thanks to Abe, Julie, and their kids for the great meal! I’ve never had that opportunity before.
The following morning, we left early for the 7 mile trek into Stehekin. Still very windy, and the lake still too cold to swim in, so we bummed around town, took advantage of a free shower, and then had dinner at the Lodge. Another excellent dinner, rivals anything around here!
In the morning, we rented bikes, and rode out to the Stehekin Pastry company for fresh cinnamon rolls, and coffee!!! Boy, never had a hiking trip like this, where I might actually have gained pounds, instead of losing them! After breakfast, we continued peddling up to see Rainbow falls, which pours into the Stehekin river, very scenic, and the cool mist rolling off of the falls, acted as natures air conditioning. We rode back into town, waited for the 2:00pm ferry ride back, and after the 4 hour tour, back to Chelan, then home by 10:00pm.
All in all, a very memorable trip, I would have to recommend if you ever get the chance to visit Stehekin, by all means, do!!! You don’t even have to be into hiking to enjoy it there.
Pictures I wish I would have taken…
The look of exhaustion that must have been on my face when I could not take another step…
the look of surprise on Greg’s face, when he disturbed some nesting Grouse, which promptly flew up in his face…
The look of gratitude and surprise on both our faces when Abe came over to camp, carrying 4 slices of ice cold watermelon for us to greedily suck down…I’m sure the look changed to something bordering on ecstasy, as we wolfed that down…
And, the look on the face of one of our fellow campers, as Greg planned his untimely demise with a pocket knife!!! That, in itself, is another story…

Lady of the Lake Ferry...The slow boat...

Walking the Plank! Drop off at Prince Creek.

View of the Lake from the Lakeshore trail.

View towards Stehekin.

The amenities at Moore Point campground.

Lake Chelan.

Dave Looking North Towards Stehikin.

Tired of the grind at work, Greg and I headed out to the hills above Leavenworth for our next adventure, in the Alpine Lakes wilderness area, and, what would a hike in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness be without a lake as our final destination???
Friday night, we got the last available site at the Rock Island campground, one of the last of a string of campgrounds along scenic Icicle Creek. As the road leaves Leavenworth, there are 7 campgrounds along the road, and the only one past Rock Island, was the Horse camp, Black Pine, at the end of the road. It’s a good thing that we left early on Friday, we may not have found a spot! We watched several unfortunates drive by our site, not minutes after we had claimed the last spot, looking forlornly for a site…
Very scenic here, next to the creek, and a great jump off spot, as the trail head for Trout Lake is only a few hundred yards away! Of course, town being so close, we ventured back to Leavenworth for a REAL dinner, not that freeze dried stuff for us tonight!
Kudos’ to the crews that repaired the campground here, as you could see the high water mark from the floods this last winter, were over the campground. The camp host, stopped by, and as she was pretty chatty, she filled us in on all the damage that had been done to the site, it was pretty extensive…But, we couldn’t even tell, so they did a great job getting it ready for the season.
Day 2. Saturday, we head out, up the Jack Creek Trail, #1558 1.2 miles to the junction with trail #1555, the Trout Lake trail. From here, it’s a moderate grade up, 4.5 miles to the lake, gaining appx. 1500ft of elevation. Mostly through forest, except for one area that runs along the east side of Jack Ridge, where a clear cut gave us a clear sighting of the area that we are in. The pictures in this area focus on Eightmile Mountain, and Cashmere Mountain, with Windy pass in the middle. You can still see the snow fields on the flanks of Eightmile, around the 6500ft mark.
We make the lake around 1:30pm, and claim our spot. It’s very much wilderness camping, with no real defined camping areas, just a couple of open spots that have obviously been used for sites, next to the run-out from the lake, which is where we get our water for the day, which, of course, is called Trout creek. So, with site secured, we head to the lake to take pictures, and not a moment too soon! I had just turned on the camcorder, to focus on the lake, and as I’m staring intently into the LCD viewfinder to frame my shot, I notice a large bird flying toward me, so, I just keep focusing on that as it comes into view, flying in front of me from left to right, and I continue following it until it lands in a dead snag on the other side of the lake. I had just captured a Bald Eagle making off with his catch, a large trout that he had just fished out of the lake! It’s too bad that he decided upon a tree so far away, I tried desperately to zoom in on him, enjoying his meal, but…The camera just was not up to the task, although, its viewable, just not in clear focus.  You can even see the trout flopping around, making it clear why this lake was so aptly named. It’s a pretty alpine lake, but the banks are pretty un-negotiable, as we tried in vain to scramble around the edges. Pretty marshy, and lots of underbrush. Makes one forget what side of the mountains you’re on, it’s very reminiscent of something on the West side!
Well, after a couple of hours of beating the brush, and taking pictures, we decide, “Hey, it’s only 3.5 miles to Windy Pass, let’s head up there!” Of course, at the time, the fact that it was also another 2,500 ft of elevation in those 3.5 miles, kind of escaped the logic at the moment…Well, by 6:00pm, we were within striking distance of the pass, at 6,600ft, but, as those last 600 feet or so looked pretty straight up, and we were 3 miles from our site, we decided to turn around and head for camp. Still, we were glad to have made it this far, as getting above the tree line gives you the opportunity to see the surrounding terrain, very beautiful, and we decide that perhaps this area will bear further investigating on another hike.
Once in camp, it starts to rain, lightly, just enough to make everything damp, but not unbearable. When we return, another group has taken up residence in the large open spot next to us, 6 people in all. They are from Seattle, and we talk with them for a few minutes, as we have to traipse through their site to get to our water supply at the stream. After hanging our food, we turn in for the night, wanting to get an early jump in the morning for the trip out. After talking to the Seattle group, we found out that they had come in the way that we had initially planned to go out, and they warned us that there was a lot of blowdown, so, we decided to go out the way that we had came in. We, too, had experienced a fair amount, probably close to 30 or so trees down across the trail from this last winter.
Day 3. It was an uneventful hike out, and we were home by 4:00pm, but looking forward to our next journey into this area. For now, we have in our sights in September to venture into the Enchantments, a group of lakes tucked beneath the Stuart Mountain range, a range that actually connects up to Jack Ridge, which we climbed over to get to Trout Lake.
Of course, there were pictures that I wished we had captured, but, as we’ve been told since childhood, “hindsight is always 20/20”.  The best one would have been, after 2 days in the backcountry, sweaty, dirty, and starving, returning to town to find a place to get a burger, having to stand in line at the local burger shop. A little place crammed with people, elbow to elbow, and there’s Dave, smiling like an idiot at the locals, not having bothered to look in a mirror for the last few days…If his buddy, Greg, had warned him ahead of time, (you know you can count on your buddies to point out the obvious), that his mustache was colored the same blue as the Power-ade he’d been drinking the last few days, I might not have been so bemused by the curious looks I had gotten in return…Those are the pictures that I wish I had now, of the locals staring at the derelict from the woods…But, I’m sure you can imagine what those looks were like.

Falls at Rock Island Campground.

Idyllic site at Rock Island Campground.

Bridge over Jack Creek.

Dave on the banks of Jack Creek.

Trout Lake.

Island in Trout Lake.

Our tent site at Trout Lake, with Eight Mile mountain in the background.

Falls passed on the way to Windy Pass.

Greg on the way to Windy Pass.

Greg barters with the locals for safe passage.

Windy Pass dead ahead.

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It was a dark and stormy night…Ok, not really, but I’ve always wanted to start a story out that way…
We started under clear skies, actually, from the Colonial Creek Campground, where the trail head for Thunder Creek started. Our first day would be relatively flat, winding along Thunder Creek under a forest canopy, the ground blanketed in a thick cover of moss, speckled here and there with a large variety of mushrooms, in all shapes, sizes, and colors. At one point of the trail, as we trekked next to the creek, we could actually feel how it got its name, as the ground vibrated from the crashing water running down a narrow ravine. It was an awesome display of power, cascading down the stepped gorge, before disappearing around the corner. It was here, that I would receive my first “souvenir” of many on our 4 day hike, as stepping over a downed tree, I got a nice gash across my thigh from a broken off branch…
Our first scheduled stop was supposed to be at Tricouni camp, but, as we were not impressed with the site, we decided to push on another 2.2 miles to Junction camp, and were we ever glad we decided to do that…What a great view!!! The site was situated at the edge of the Thunder Creek basin, with views across the valley to the prominent Boston Glacier, and the surrounding peaks, Boston, Forbidden, Tricouni, and Mount Torment. As you can probably guess, the names themselves give an indication of the ruggedness of the area.
Day 2, we would lose 1000 ft. of elevation pretty quickly, as we descended down to  Thunder Creek, then, we would have to clamber up 3,000 ft to get to our final destination at Thunder Basin. About 4 miles in, just past Skagit Queen camp, as we begin our long trudge up, we pass one of the most peculiar things I’ve seen yet out in the middle of the wilderness…Huge, heavy, mining equipment abandoned long ago, on the side of the trail! Looked like an old steam engine or something, that must have weighed over a ton!! We marveled at the ruggedness of the individuals that must have had to bring that in, as well as stay here and work. The trail in many places switched back and forth across the large 12” diameter steel pipe that ran straight up the side of the hill, until it too disappeared from sight…Not familiar with mining, I could not determine how the operation must have worked. Finally, the forest started to give way to open sightings of the mountains that would surround our camp for the night, and they were spectacular! However, as the trees gave way, we encountered the brush, and short, tangled Ash that was 8 to 10 feet tall…This part of the trail needed some serious brush cutting! For the next hour and a half, we would slog through knee to shoulder high brush, in bear country! Made me as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, let me tell you…And, also hidden in the brush? Stinging nettles! By the time we got to camp, my legs were buzzing, as if someone had hooked me up to a wall outlet…If only a flame thrower weren’t so heavy…Creek crossing! Just to make sure that things were kept lively, the trail decided to make a quick left, across Thunder Creek, so, it was time to peel off the boots, and put on our sandals, as the water was over our knees. Greg went first, and threw his boots across the stream, then followed after them. When it was my turn, I walked up to the edge of the creek, stood on the bank, prepared to toss my boots, then promptly dropped one right into the drink! I was instantly filled with horror, as my boot listed to the side, filled with several inches of water, then righted itself, as if preparing for launch…As fast as I could, I dropped to my knees, and grabbed the quickly fleeing boot. That’s where I got the second of my “souvenirs”, as I scraped all the hide off of my left knee…Of course, Greg chirped from across the stream, “ Hey, at least the boot floated good!” As I looked up, scowling at my misfortune for having done something so brilliant in front of a witness, I replied, “Yeah, I know what you wanted to say…That those gunboat shoes of mine SHOULD float!!” As you can guess, laughter ensued from here…Once across the stream, I figured I might as well continue the hike in my sandals, since the boot was already soaked…Finally, with the weather looking as if it might change for the worst, we arrived at our campsite in Thunder Basin, Tucked between the crags of Buckner Mt. to our South, and the Eastern ridgeline of Mt. Logan. It’s a beautiful alpine area right at tree line, a narrow bowl with gradually diminishing alpine firs as the small valley tapers before making the final ascent up over Park Creek Pass, a narrow cleft that dives down between the ridgelines of each Mountain, as if cleaved with a giant axe. Small Thunder Glacier clings to the flanks of Mt. Buckner, stubbornly refusing to let go of its small foothold. It, too, lives up to its namesake, as a large car sized chunk released its hold the following morning, and the sound of it crashing down the mountain reverberates across the small valley.
We had just set up camp, taken a few pictures of the area, and watched the clouds descend on us from the mountain tops, and start dumping their cargo with gusto. So, for the rest of the day, and evening, we remained in the tent, listening to the rain beat against our shelter…It must have been a lullaby for Greg, who, before long, was snoring in time with the steady drumming of the rain…Funny thing was, though, that his hearing must have remained razor sharp, for he awakened at the exact moment the rain took a break, and said, “It’s quiet!” To which, I noted, “Do you think???” with just a slight hint of sarcasm… First time it had been “quiet” in over 30 minutes…I would get even with him at night, though, filling the dark with my own refrain...Don’t misplace those earplugs, Greg!
Day 3, the rain quits, and we pack our soggy gear, and take a last look around at Thunder Basin, filling our memory banks with the sights, sounds, and smells that make up this corner of the North Cascades…Even though the rain had quit, we could still feel the effects, as all that brush that we had slogged through, was now soaked! I only had one change of dry clothes, and no rain pants, so, I put on my wet clothes, and endured the soggy brush, and gauntlet of stinging nettles once again… Fairly uneventful, until Dave passes a yellow jacket nest along the trail…Guess they didn’t care for me stomping down the path…Anyway, about the time I looked down, and saw them, it was too late…A step later, and they were on my legs down around my ankle, and I could feel them stinging me! I took off running, trying desperately to get away, and swat at my attackers at the same time, but here I’ll add a note of caution to those similarly inclined…It doesn’t seem to work too well, trying to swat pests at your ankles, with a 50lb pack on your back, and run at the same time…I only managed about 3 or 4 steps, before I crashed and burned on the trail, collapsing in a heap…In frustration and despair, I hollered at Greg, “Get em’ off of me!” He was there in a flash, and the two of us swatted at the blamed things, until I could get back on my feet and run…Once down the trail, and safely away from the local terrorists, I was able to count the damage…A few new souvenirs to add to the tally…I managed to scrape up my other knee now, and sport two new holes, courtesy of the yellow and black bandits…I suppose I should feel lucky that’s all I received, but my mind at the time was only filled with vengeance. However, given my current track record on this trip, I decided instead to head for camp, lumpy and bloodied again…
We arrived at Junction Camp again, around 2:30, to bright rays of sun, a welcome sight! It gave us a chance to dry our wet gear out, and we took the opportunity to wash in nearby Fisher Creek, boy, did it feel good to get some of the grime from the trail washed off! By evening, it was cooling down, so we foraged for firewood so that we could have a nice fire, to beat back the chill and the dark of night…This site had a fire ring, so it was a rare chance to enjoy the company of a campfire…
Day 4 Up and out! The return to the car was relatively uneventful, as it was mostly downhill, and the only odd thing happened about two hours from the parking lot. As we were walking along, we suddenly heard a loud, crashing through the brush, as if a mad Bull Elephant was headed our way!!! We turned, thinking, “Oh, boy, here we go!”, and saw the top half of a dead tree falling through the nearby tree branches, and underbrush! After it hit the ground with a resounding thump that we could feel 50 feet away, I was able to breath again…I think I’d held my breath for the entire fall!!! I was sure we’d been had…Adrenaline still pumping, we make our way back to the lot, weary but satisfied that we’ve had a great adventure, with lots of pictures, and video to document our sojourn.
I’ve learned a couple of things on this hike…One: don’t drop your boot in the creek…It’s gonna be painful…Two: Don’t try to run bent over with a pack on your back…That, too, is going to be painful. Three: Do go with a friend that you can trust, and enjoy their company. It makes the mileage go by quickly, it’s nice to share the adventure, and it’s good to know that your back is being watched…Especially when you need help swatting at angry yellow jackets!!!

First views along the trail, with Fall colors just starting to emerge.

Falls Thundering on Thunder Creek.

Mt. Tricouni as seen from Junction Camp Sites.

Angel Wing Falls, on Thunder Creek.

Same Falls, different perspective.

Abandoned mining equipment, along the Skagit Queen Creek.

Falls coming out of Thunder Basin.

Park Creek Pass.

Tent site at Thunder Basin.

Morning after the rain, with Thunder Glacier in the forefront.

Coming back from Thunder Basin, looking down the valley we had come up the day before.

The “Facilities” at Junction Camp...

Time to dry out, at Junction Camp, on our return trip.

Views from the trail home.

Greg on the bridge to McAllister Camp.

Final Views from the trail, Colonial Peak.

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Finally!!! The day has arrived! Our much anticipated trip to the Enchantments, a string of lakes in the Central Cascades above the 6000ft mark, in the mountains above the town of Leavenworth, Washington…This trip will include four of us, Dan, Greg, Ed, and myself, we merry band of brothers…Sorry, I simply couldn’t resist that…And, we arrive early, with much anticipation, on the Wednesday before our hike, in Leavenworth, as we want an early start the following morning, so we acquire accommodations at the local H.J.’s, and then hit up the local eatery for some protein and carb bulking, a necessity for the trail ahead of us…Ok, I’m looking for any excuse to stock the ol’ pantry with a hearty slice of steak!
Day 1. Thursday morning starts early, and we join the other 50 cars or so at the trail head outside of town, to begin our journey into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Only minutes into the hike, we experience our first gear failure, Dan’s Camelback has sprung a leak, and he looked a little like a water truck, dousing the dust on an old country road, as the water drooled out the bottom of his fresh, new, shiny, never been used pack…Did I mention this was the first time Dan had hiked with us? Welcome, Dan!!! Actually, this would be the first time that all four of us had hiked together, but no matter…By trial’s end, (and trail), we would have many opportunities to laugh, and commiserate together. After hasty repairs, we continued on to Nada lake, the first of many lakes that we would see, with our first viewing of the eastern slope of the Temple. And, to our wonderment, here we were able to see from the banks of the lake, a monstrous outpouring of water, shooting straight out of the side of the hillside, as if a large dam had burst, geysering  water in a torrent straight out!!! Truly amazing, I had never seen such an eruption of water before…Seems that it was man made though, and all that I was able to find out was that they are using Snow Lake as a type of reservoir to regulate water flow, to help with the local fisheries. From Nada Lake on, we will only have about another 400 feet or so to climb to Upper Snow Lake, our stopping point for the night. We found a great spot at the far end of the lake, that would shelter our two tents together, with a neck craning view of The Temple, a jagged, well-named peak that streaks skyward, decorated with several needle tipped minarets of granite, giving it the impression that it was, indeed, a temple or castle, from a bygone era. The nights are cold now, in late September, and we have to don all that we’ve  brought, to fight off the effects of dropping temperatures, a routine that we will repeat the next 2 nights, as well…
Day 2. We awoke to ice crystals that had formed on the ground, and hurry to break camp, knowing that the effort of climbing the next 1500 feet or so to the upper Enchantments, will provide the warmth we’re desperate seeking. The sun is shining, and that is welcome news, as we watched clouds blow over the top of the pass all night that lead to the entrance to the Enchantments. The climbing began in earnest, as we basically are left to scrambling, as the trail all but disappears over the hulking slabs and blocks of tumbled granite, with only rock cairns to mark the way. There are a few places that we are literally climbing on, finding hand holds to pull ourselves up, and they fill us with a sense of dread, knowing we will have to climb down this same route. Oh, if only the weather holds, as I have no desire to do this over slick rock! Finally, we crest the top of the pass, and our first spectacle is Lake Vivian! A wonder to behold, a clear, cobalt blue lake, sparkling like a gem in the sunlight, surrounded by great walls of white granite, all gleaming in the sun, decorated with a smattering of yellow from the fall foliage of the Larch population. Absolutely beautiful! It becomes a digital addiction, and I find it hard to quit snapping photos, from every different direction, hoping that I will somehow be able to capture the beauty of the place, and not miss that one picture that could capture this fantastic essence. Reluctantly, we pull ourselves away from the spectacle, and continue on, knowing that more is in store. We have to stop every couple of minutes, as I cannot pull myself away from the camera’s eyepiece, and I’m sure by now that I weary my companions…Camp for the night will be Leprechaun Lake, the next lake on the trail, and we find a spot that is on a small promontory poking into the heart of the lake, amidst tumbled boulders, and yellowed Larch. We would make camp here, in what to us felt the heart of a truly magical land, fully expecting to see mythical creatures and legends roaming the landscape. A Disneyland for backpackers, soaring granite spires, with such names as  “The Rat Creek group, Three Musketeers ridge, The Temple, Yellowjacket Tower, Monkeys Head, The Mole, Black Pyramid, The High Priest, The Chessmen,  Merlin’s Tower, Dragon Tail, and Prusik Peak” The lakes of course, were also named with fantastic and mythical names, such as the two aforementioned lakes, and such monikers as “Valkyrie,  Lorelei, Pixie, Gnome, Brynhild, and Sprite”  Words help convey the sense of the place, but it is best experienced, in person, as picture and film cannot impress the feeling of awe the way the area itself does.
After camp was secured, (and I do mean secured as the wind was becoming a steady complaint at the time), we decided to strike out for Little Annapurna, at 8400ft, a gradual in appearance mountain, that should afford us huge views of the surrounding area. Since there are no established trails to its peak, we would have to scramble again, seeking our own path. Along the way, we pass several small tarns, and larger lakes, with names like Perfection, and Inspiration. The place is full of water, but because of the abundance of ice polished granite, there are only a few places with enough soil to support plant growth, which only furthers the whimsy of the place…J.R.R. Tolkien would have been inspired by the place, as it looked as if it could have been a set for “Lord of the Rings”. As night approached, we had to reluctantly give up our bid to see the top of Little Annapurna, and return to our camp at Leprechaun Lake. By the time of our return, the wind had increased its bluster, and as the sun began to hide behind the mountains, the cool returned, and the combination of the two made for another night of being bundled in all we owned. Soon, the wind no longer just howled, it clutched and tore at us, trying desperately to hurl us out of it’s domain, as if we had somehow trespassed on it’s premises. We all decided that we needed to find some way to hide from the wind, and found a small rock outcropping, that if we sat on the ground, and leaned against it, we could avoid the pounding. So, there we sat, having abandoned the area around our tents, and watched the clouds race across the sky, all to the accompaniment of the wind, and starlight. It made for a surreal show, and at one point we all could see the block letters spelled out in the clouds above, “ O H I S”….No, I kid you not! They were as clear as the frozen nose on my face, we could all read it clearly! Before long, though, the starlight pretty much disappeared, and the clouds really rolled in. By now, we are closely watching the gnarled trees around us, defiantly holding ground against the tenacious wind, but still being bent in the direction of its force, leaving no doubt as to reason for their twisted, and gnarled state. The final straw came, though, when we started to see small snow flakes being blown around, so we all retreated to our tents. The wind has now blown relentlessly since early afternoon, and we judge some of the wind gusts to be around 60, at least! It’s enough to knock you off balance, as you walk. Hope we got those tents staked down properly!
Several times throughout the night, laying awake with my heart pounding, listening to the wind howling like a banshee outside, I thought, “OK, this is the one! This is the one that’s going to flip us right into the lake!” You could tell, as it built up steam, roaring across the bowl, sounding every bit like a freight train, that it was going to be a particularly nasty gust, almost causing the ground to tremble in front of it. When it hit the side of the tent, you could feel the pressure difference around you. Twice, that I could remember, air actually got under the floor of the tent, and then lifted us off the ground!!! I don’t remember sleeping much, but I do know that some among us got some sleep, as, on the few moments when the wind died down, I could hear the faint refrain of log sawing coming from the other tent. Even after a howitzer like blast from the screaming wind, I could still hear the unfazed snarking coming from the other tent…
Day 3 The wind had not died down all night, and was still continuing this morning. After quickly packing, we headed down, wanting nothing more than to get out of this blamed wind! Once back down to Snow Lake, and setting up camp at lower Snow Lake, out of the wind, we went over to the edge of the water, and found large granite slabs, soaking in  rays of sunshine, so we laid on them, relieved to be warm. We looked every bit like lizards sunning themselves on the rocks. At one point, Dan even managed to fall asleep, obviously thankful that he too was out of the wind…It’s amazing how quickly we desire the simplest things of life, something to eat, being warm, and out of the elements. The night would prove to be another cold one, freezing the water in our bottles.
Day 4 we head for home, and with camera cards and memory banks full, it was a hike that was well worth the wait. We’d planned this one since last April, and after being in this “enchanting” place, it becomes a high priority to do it again next year, maybe when it’s a little warmer? We might miss the beauty of the golden Larches, but…I’m sure the warmth of Summer will be welcome.

Some things that we didn’t see, that I was hoping for, were the Mountain Goats. I’ve seen so many pictures of them from this area, up close, that I was disappointed that we didn’t see. I figure they were smarter than we, and found a nice place to hunker down away from the wind. Other than that, I don’t believe we had any other mishap to darken the trip. If you Google, or Yahoo the Enchantments on the web, you will find many examples of pictures, and words that try valiantly to describe the area, but of course, you might have guessed already there is truly no description that will match the wonder that is this place. I leave you with a quick excerpt from one of the on line authors, that does do justice : “LEAVENWORTH -- It seems as though you're tripping through the inner sanctum of the gods in the Upper Enchantments, all stark granite and ice at 7,800 feet, crowned by dragon-toothed peaks, adorned with lakes and tarns linked by meltwater rivulets. It's a place where clouds billow through passes and fall's angular light casts subdued shadows.The ambience is of another place, another time, a lost world.Only it's not lost.”  Excerpted from Greg Johnston, Seattle PI reporter, Oct. 2004

Snow Creek, on the way to Snow Lake.

Nada Lake.

Dan on the edge, above Nada Lake

On the...Trail? The boys climbing up the Granite.

Lake Vivian.

Leprechaun Lake.

Admiring the view at Leprechaun Lake.

Our site on the banks of Leprechaun Lake.

Fall colors in the Enchantments.

Entrance to Perfection Lake.

Perfection Lake, with Little Annapurna in the distance.

View of Prussic Peak, from Perfection Lake.

Trail alongside Perfection Lake.

Another beautiful view of the Enchantments, and the crystal clear waters.

Stony faced Prussic Peak, with Golden Larch.

Greg and Dan, vainly trying to stay warm...Taken right before heading for the refuge of the rock shelf.

Prussic Peak, with Leprechaun Lake.

Golden Larch among the granite.

Early Morning at Lower Snow Lake.

Waterfall on Snow Creek.