“I think we’ll do 15 miles the first day,” I announced looking up from the wilderness map. “But the first 13 miles are REALLY flat,” I continue in hopes of quelling the looks of skepticism that Hanna gives me from the adjacent couch, “Don’t let the mileage scare you: we’re reasonably fit people, we’ll be fine.” I think I also said this to reassure myself that the trail I picked would be doable in a three day weekend. I will admit – 15 miles in a day seemed like a lot. But with the time constraint, I couldn’t figure out how else to spread out the mileage. Surprisingly Hanna doesn’t seem phased by the proposed expedition. “It’ll be fun!” I exclaim. All summer, we’ve been talking about doing a backpacking trip. I hadn’t been out in the backcountry since the Enchantments and was itching for some adventure time before winter sets in. And Hanna, just moving to the Northwest, was ready to explore her new home.
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4th of July in the Enchantments /
My prior experience in the Enchantments was several years ago, when me and Temo "tried" to climb Dragontail Peak via Serpentine Ridge. Little did I know that Dragontail Peak was only the start of a whole chain of alpine lakes and towering granite peaks, known collectively as the Enchantments. I have long desired to backpack up to the Enchantments to both climb some of the famous routes there and to photograph the beautiful scenery. But for the longest time, the permit system in place to protect this fragile landscape kept this desire from becoming reality. Early this winter, I circled on my calendar the day the lottery opened for permits, and signed up as soon I could. I was miraculously awarded a pass for the 4th of July weekend to the Core Enchantment Zone, which is the most coveted permit as it allows camping in all of the other zones.
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