Chasing the Enchantments
Ever since I got into backpacking, the Enchantments have been high on my list. Everyone talks about it like it’s this mythical place, and honestly, it is. Earlier this year, when the permit system opened, I found a site that broke down the odds, what dates to pick, and which zones to aim for. Somehow, I lucked out and pulled a permit for the Snow Zone.
I invited my buddy Adam Kachman, and a couple of weeks ago, we finally made it happen. Four days, three nights. We met up in Leavenworth, loaded our packs, and hiked the eight miles up to Snow Lake, where we set up base camp. That hike was brutal, long, steep, and heavy on the legs.
Each day after we’d wake up, boil water, shake off the soreness, and then hike the two hours over the ridge into the Core Zone. That’s where the magic lives. The alpine lakes, the jagged granite, the silence broken only by wind and water. We spent our days fly fishing, wandering from lake to lake, casting lines into the water.
It was everything I hoped it would be.
