Enchantment Lakes - Lower Lakes Part 2

Hiking Day 1 | Hiking Day 2 | Hiking Day 3 | Lower Lakes Part 1 | Lower Lakes Part 2

After Sprite Lake I was soon onto Perfection Lake. This was the largest lake so far and was halfway covered with snow. A wide waterfall was cascading down the cliff between this lake and the higher Inspiration Lake. The trail continued along the far end of the lake. I was running out of time, but I had to see one more lake. Near the end of the lake the trail was made up of a series of stepping stones that looked natural, but had to be man made. I had no time to ponder it and rushed up the final bit to Inspiration Lake at 7200 feet. As the last lake of my tour, Inspiration Lake wasn't that inspiring. It was almost entirely covered with snow, but in some ways that was good. Though I had only covered the first half of the Enchantment Lakes I wouldn't have seen much more due to the snow coverage. In any case, I snapped a picture of myself and then rushed on down though all I had seen as I had less than an hour to get back.

When I arrived at Lake Vivian I wasn't sure if I had made it back on time. I saw Jamie in the distance staring at me with her arms up in the air. Was I in trouble or was she welcoming me back? Fortunately, she was welcoming me back. Jamie's time was much more restful as she got to spend quality time with some mountain goats and a friendly marmot.

We soon departed the beautiful area and made our way back to the Snow Lake camp. While fighting off mosquitos Jamie decided it would be best for her to hike out that day instead of spending another night at high altitude. We packed our gear and made for a rapid decent to our car. Thanks to the wonders of gravity it only took us around four hours to get back to the car. In the end Jamie hiked around 12 miles that day and myself 14. We were tired, but we made it home to spend our third night in our own bed.

So, was the trip worth the long and tiring hike? Most definitely. It was unfortunate that Jamie got sick, but we managed to get the most out of the situation. The ironic part is that we never camped in the Enchantments and thus never used the permit that took us three years to acquire.


Perfection Lake and Little Annapurna


Waterfall Between Perfection and Inspiration Lakes


Prusik Peak


Perfection Lake and Stepping Stones


Looking Back at Perfection Lake


At Inspiration Lake


Inspiration Lake


Welcome Back


Lake Vivian, Goodbye Enchantments

Lower Lakes Part 1 Enchantment Lakes

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July 3-5 2004