… airline tickets from Detroit to Geneva and set about ordering equipment and getting into shape. Since we are both of advanced age and rather small we decided that we wanted to limit the weight we would carry (10lbs for Brenda and 15lbs for Dave). …
… Booking ahead was not too difficult even with our rudimentary French. Sometimes the person running the previous accommodation would call ahead or we would call ourselves. Most times the person at the other end would respond in English after hearing my fractured French, but they usually understood what we wanted!
Accommodation ranged from hotels, bed and breakfasts, … refuges. All were great experiences and we will elaborate in our daily reports. …
If you’ve always wanted to do the TMB without a guide, this is a great resource.
A friend’s son and his buddy arrived in Calgary on a Jack Kerouac inspired road trip across Canada.
My first inclination was to take them on a hike in the Rockies. We arranged it late night on Facebook and organized an early rendezvous next morning near Canmore at the Heart Creek Trail parking lot.
Our fearless leader, Kelly Mock, lives less than 10min away. He recommended we try for the Heart Mountain Loop.
We got immediately lost, having to bushwhack up through trees and scramble to get up on the correct ridge.
Weather perfect, the views were amazing once we got up high.
Here’s Aiden, with the Trans Canada highway in the background.
On the summit.
I loved this hike for the long, easy, gorgeous ridge walks around the horseshoe.
This mountain was crowded on a sunny Saturday in September. Raven was waiting on leftover hiker’s lunches.
Without having gotten lost, we would have been about 5hrs on the loop. It’s a scramble — you’ll get your hands dirty. But there are only a few technical sections, slight exposure.
Personally, my guided Huayhuash Circuit trek of 2004 (PHOTOS) was the ‘best’ hike of my life.
Huayhuash is fantastic.
Peruvian Soul guides that trip today:
… The demanding and strenuous trek that has place in this 30km long mountain range is one of the most rewarding in the world. With its breathtaking views of awe-inspiring snow mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes and wildlife, Huayhuash has become a must for all trekkers around the globe.
While trekking Huayhuash you will be able to appreciate all the majesty of Yerupaja (Peru´s second highest peak with 6634masl) and Siula Grande (6636masl) which was the famous scenery of Joe Simpson’s epic book, based on his and Simon Yate’s true story of survival, “Touching the Void”. …
Jill sent me a link to a site I did not know, the Experience Waterton! blog. (I’m now subscribed.)
As I’m thinking of heading down to Waterton this weekend, I was super excited to read this amazing trip report:
… On August 22nd, Shawn Elford and 2 of his friends completed the impressive and noteworthy task of hiking the entirety of the Triple Crown in one whole day! Starting at Crypt Lake, moving on to Akamina Ridge and finishing at Alderson-Carthew …
Note the link to the Triple Crown in the right hand navigation. They are a sponsor of the Best Hike blog.
… (are) located entirely within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Leavenworth, Washington in the United States. The Enchantments is regarded as one of the most spectacular locations in the Cascade Range. …
Dawn broke clear and calm. But I did not get out of the tent early, fearing mosquitoes. It’s buggy close to these lakes, even in August. Climbers told me that mosquitoes chase them all the way to the windy summits.
Once on foot, I needed to keep moving briskly to stay ahead of the bloodsuckers. The scenery was gorgeous, though.
This was the only time I got my feet wet all day. (Lucky, I thought, considering I was trekking ‘alpine lakes’.)
The many waterfalls are impressive.
But for me and most, the highlight are the high, stark lakes. And craggy ridges.
I hiked directly to Aasgard Pass. Then — for FUN — returned by scrambling off-trail high above the regular route.
Surprisingly, I made even better time on the return trip … and suffered no roadblocks … until this point …
I tried descending to the far side of the lake and walking the shoreline. It would not go.
Rather than backtrack I scrambled up the cliff. Not too smart. I was lucky I didn’t splash down in the cold lake.
From there it was an easy out back down to my tent. The double traverse took me about 10hrs walking.
Hiking the Enchantments in Autumn (PHOTOS) is highly recommended. The Larch are golden. And there are NO BUGS.
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The most unusual thing about the Enchantments are the tame mountain goats.
In recent years, they have become a little too friendly with people, in some cases acting aggressively. These are large, powerful animals, and need to be treated with caution. Enjoy them from a distance and don’t encourage them. They are also very attracted to human urine; please use the toilets where provided, or urinate into gaps between boulders or other places that will prevent them from pawing up plants and soils …
Many call it the best hike in Washington State. High praise!
A.H. Sylvester who explored the area for the forest service in the early part of the 20th century, was so impressed with the chain of high alpine tarns and lakes that he named them the ‘Enchantments‘.
Super popular, you need a Permit to camp anywhere near the Enchantments.
Applications are accepted online from February 28 through March 20 for the following summer. A lottery decides the lucky few. (The website also provides a way to decide permits later in the year as cancellations occur.)
As I had none, I tried for the “Walk-in” Permit available 7:45am each morning, excluding Sundays, at the Ranger Station in Leavenworth. Hiking solo, I felt my odds were pretty good.
Unfortunately, my name was not drawn.
Other hikers explained that I could get a Permit for Snow Zone (still available) and day hike the adjacent Enchantments. That’s what I did.
It’s cheap: $5 per person per day (per day, not per night) which funds the on the ground management of the permit area, plus a $6 per permit fee, which funds the reservation system.
From the Snow Creek trailhead to my campsite was less than 6mi, less than 4000ft elevation gain, so I didn’t start until late afternoon.
Snow Lakes Trail #1553
I found it quite a mellow trail to get up to elevation. Certainly easier than the dread Aasgard Pass alternative.
I hung my bear bag almost over the water, lifting it up there with a long branch.
Fishers should bring a rod. The trout were jumping. Washington State license required.
Everything was set for a BIG day on the Enchantments Traverse next morning. …
Many avoid the Permit hassle doing the Enchantments as a long day hike. I’d say starting at the Snow Lakes trailhead, hiking down and out Aasgard Pass to the Colchuck trailhead, is easier than the other way around.
The two trailheads are miles apart so you’ll have to hitchhike unless you stash a mountain bike at the far end. Or have two vehicles.
Rachel Tynan is a hiker who loves Waterton National Park in Alberta, as I do.
She posted at terrific trip report on their scramble of Vimy Peak:
Mt. Vimy is one of my favourite mountains in Waterton as it is the one you always see from the town site. I went online to get information and they SAY it’s a 4 mile bike ride to the trailhead and a 3 mile hike up with the last mile being a scramble. Let me warn you now, they are WRONG! …
… on the Wishbone Trail you can walk or bike this trail for approximately 4 miles (6.5 km) where you will encounter the Vimy trail which is a steep trail up a valley and onto the mountain. …
… about a mile to climb. There is no trail, you have to create your own. By this point I was so tired and had been stopping every 5 minutes, I really didn’t know how I was going to scramble up this steep peak. But we took our time and up we went! …
A few clips from my 3 day double traverse. (Trip report to come.)
Fish wanting to jump into your fry pan, the weirdest waterfall you’ll ever encounter and FRIENDLY MOUNTAIN GOATS. … They’ve habituated to humans, craving the salt in our urine. One followed me for an hour.
One of the best hikes in Washington State out of Leavenworth.
… Don’t let this hike’s bad reputation dissuade you from reaping its good views. Sure, it’s one of the snakiest trails in the Icicle Valley-save it for a cool day. And yeah, it’s one of the steepest trails in the valley-hottest too-best to save it for a cool day. And total vertical feet-oh boy, you’ll gain plenty-so save it for a cool day when the serpents are sedate.
Are you getting the picture?
But the views are amazing: from the Chiwaukum to the Entiat to the Stuart ranges and beyond-savor the panorama on any day! …
With warnings like this, I decided to start late in the afternoon on a hot August day. Temperature turned out to be no problem.
I parked my vehicle at the Icicle Ridge trailhead on (the paved) Icicle Creek Road (Forest Road 76) and cycled from there to the 4th of July trailhead, perhaps 7mi further into the mountains.
I saw no snakes.
Steepness was not really a problem, either.
Sections of the two trails were overgrown in places, though. 4th of July is a nice grade.
Once intersection with the Ridge, it’s plenty pretty. Often wide open with big views. Lots of flowers, even in August.
It was a pleasure working my way back down the ridge towards Leavenworth.
I underguestimated my slowness this day, finishing in the dark (PHOTO) without headlamp. Oops.
No shout out for the busy, grumpy (and even misinformed) staff at the Leavenworth Ranger station. Only one, a younger female, I found helpful and pleasant.
Just finished a week hiking and biking out of Leavenworth, Washington. (Trip reports to come.)
… Alpine Lakes Wilderness … is one of the most popular outdoor recreational areas in the State of Washington.
Although this area has the wilderness designation and no motorized vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, or even bicycles can operate … there is heavy foot traffic and camping throughout. … managing the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area to preserve its integrity is very challenging. …
This being my first visit, there are a couple of lessons learned:
• Mosquitoes and no-see-ums are terrible anywhere near alpine lakes. Doh!
I’d hoped it was just this summer, buggy in August due to the long, late Spring. But one regular hiker in the area told me it’s always this bad.
• The Enchantments truly are the most popular destination, with fierce competition for camping permits.
The (grumpy) Rangers in Leavenworth leave pre-booked permits outside in a rustic wooden box. At least one was stolen this past weekend, the actual group that had booked and paid for it required to wait around a few hours before getting a replacement. (Parks needs to find a way to prevent this problem.)
One solution, I feel, is simply to open up more camping permits for the Enchantments. Is that high region really much more vulnerable to human damage than anywhere else in the Cascade Range? … Or have they created an artificial shortage.
I saw plenty of campsites, plenty of toilets up there.
