For the guys' 2017 High Adventure (aka, man-cation) they were lucky enough to get an overnight permit for The Enchantments!!! This is exciting in that the area is incredibly popular and requires a difficult lotto pick-- I believe they'd been entering for a few years with no success up to this point.
There's definitely a reason for it's popularity .... The Enchantments is a breathtakingly beautiful spot in the Leavenworth area of the Central Cascades. I didn't think I could do it better justice, than this description on the Washington Trails Association website (https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes):
"In the Enchantments, nature has carved one of the magnificent places of this world--an alpine paradise of granite worn smooth by glaciers, larches manicured by wind and cold, and crystal blue lakes strung together by a creek that tumbles and thunders between them."
After lots of planning and packing, here they are ready to head out!!
Pretty exciting that cousin Porter got to experience The Enchantments with us for this year's High Adventure -- only one more before leaving for his mission!
The bigger group getting started on the trail (minus Doug who had to come in later in the day after work).
Nothin' but beauty in this amazing place!
And lots and lots of breaks required!!!
For those who have can't get an overnight permit and have to do the entire thing in one day--it's an 18-mile ONE WAY trip! Yikes!! Even for these guys, getting in is a minimum of a 7-mile hike with a 4,400 ft. elevation gain just to base camp before the real hiking began!
But I hear it's definitely worth it ... not many spots more beautiful!!
The lake was freezing, but refreshing!
Chillaxing on the smooth granite was definitely a favorite pastime! This one was a huge boulder right in the middle of camp about 15' up in the air. A great place to eat and hang out while minimizing the mosquitoes and goats (yes, goats...see below!).
Good times in the great outdoors!!
Porter's sleeping arrangement!
I don't know if he wants to avoid hassling with an actual tent, or if he legitimately enjoys sleeping in the open air, but this has been his preferred method of bedtime in the wilderness for the past couple years. If it's not obvious in the picture, he's somewhere in that tangle of sleeping bag!
Believe it or not, Porter stayed in this "cocoon" the entire second day while the rest of the group went up Aasgard Pass--he came down sick with something. Thankfully he recovered the next day and some of us did the Aasgard Pass ascent yet again--couldn't allow Porter to come all this way to miss the heart of The Enchantments!!
Apparently there's no longer any such thing as disconnecting!
Not even in the middle of a wilderness paradise;).
Unbeatable morning view ...
Yep, just more beauty:-).
Seems strange to see them basically sun bathing with lingering snow in the background.
To each his own ...
They came back from the week pretty tired, but I'm seeing an awful lot of resting going on here;).
JK ... I'm pretty sure the itinerary for the trip was HIKE, REST, REPEAT!
Salt or snow?? Maybe a little of both:).
Those "little" guys in the background are particularly fond of the salt!
Here's a close-up. Mountain goats are everywhere in The Enchantments!
Okay, finally some hiking!;)
I'm not so sure this is a picture of that specific trail, but there's a hike in The Enchantments called Aasgard Pass. Our group didn't have a permit to camp in that area, but they were able to hike in for a day trip. In fact, a few of our guys decided to do the Pass twice throughout the time there. Again I have to refer to wta.org for the best description of how brutal it is ...
"Achieving the pass is a thigh-burning, chest-bursting, eye-popping endeavor"
Sound like lots of fun;).
These guys definitely seemed to enjoy it.
Wowsa, really a beautiful place!!
And of course, it's not a high adventure without some fishing ...
James definitely agrees!!
I don't know if it was the meditative setting, but apparently yoga was also an important part of this year's high adventure;).
Or at least it was for Kevin ...
Showing off with his signature move!
Looks like even Porter joined in.
And as it always happens, it was suddenly time to leave Aasgard and return home to real life.
But not without a little flexing first!!
Oh, and I can't forget the yearly tradition of eating a giant meal of burgers, fries, and shakes on the way home. Looks like Mile High this time--a family favorite!!
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