When early October rolls around, it is time, once again, to visit the golden Larch trees in the Enchantments. After meeting in Leavenwoth, our ragtag group slept at the Ingalls Creek trailhead to get an early start on Friday. In the morning, we walked for several flat miles along Ingalls Creek, and then made the abrupt turn to follow Crystal Creek. The flatness was immediatlely replaced by steepness, and we labored under our heavy packs.
The four of us arrived in a large, perfectly flat, basin just as the sun went behind the hills for the last time. We had been wandering through impressively large boulders all afternoon, but at one end of the basin sat the mother of them all: a monstrous granite hulk. Dwarfed by the big rock, we paused to eat some food before the final push to Crystal Lake.
Finally, as the rushing waters of Crystal Creek swept past us, we came to the shore of Crystal Lake at an elevation of 7000 feet. The chill in the air stole through our hiking clothes, damp with perspiration. We walked to the tip of Rune Lake, before stopping for the night, and quickly changed into warmer garb. The night was beautiful with stars, and we were warmed by hot chocolate mixed with Bailey’s Irish Cream.
In the morning, Rolly and I hiked to the top of Little Annapurna. The weather looked questionable as grey clouds rapidly boiled over Aasgard Pass. The surrounding peaks were obscured, off and on, by the threatening greyness, but it was only a ruse, for the afternoon gave way to bright blue skies. From the summit of Annapurna (8400′), Rolly and I could look down on the flat basin we had walked through yesterday, and the masssive boulder that previously towered over us was only a black speck today.
Rolly and I met Scott and Gary on the far end of Rune Lake, and we dropped our packs to take a side trip up to Gnome Tarn – one of the premiere vistas in all of the Enchantments. The dry summer had taken it’s toll, as we found the tarn with only a small amount of water. The view was still spectacular, and we watched as 6 rock climbers completed the final pitch to the summit of Prusik Peak. Gary had scouted out a great campsite overlooking Rune Lake. We whiled away the rest of the afternoon soaking up the sunshine.
The sun sets early this time of year, and it was pitch black by 7:00pm. The night was loooooooong.
The morning arrived just as it had the previous day – with threatening clouds and a chilly breeze. We made our way into the Upper Enchantments, and I found myself wishing my gloves weren’t buried deep within my pack, as my fingers gradually grew numb.
Just as we were thinking, “Wow, it feels like it could snow”, some light flurries came floating down on us. We were surprised to come across three ptarmigan on the trail in front of us. The birds never flew, but darted from rock to rock maintaining a discreet distance. On our way down Aasgard pass, we saw some mountain goats as well.
Back in civilization, we happily concluded our Enchantments epic with a customary dinner at Gustav’s in Leavenworth.
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