Golden Larches of Aasgard Pass

Wednesday Sept 25: We arrived and improvised a Colchuck Lake base camp, Camp 1, on the shoreline as all other camps were taken. Friday, Sept 27: One of our preferred camps opened up and we quickly moved to Camp 2 which was sheltered in the trees and without shoreline boulders to stumble over. While my companions had ascended Aasgard the day prior, on the 26th, a sleepless night kept me in camp while they experienced bluebird conditions.

After actually getting some sleep I was ready for Aasgard and headed up with my friend David, who couldn’t get enough. That and he had lost his camera up there the previous day and was hoping to find it (he did not). It was at least 10 degrees colder on Aasgard than the day prior and as we reached tree island the wind whipped up and it began to snow on us. The upper section of the creek that descends the couloir hosted ice-covered rocks and dramatic icicles. I lost my prescription glasses on Aasgard. And a couple of women from the prior day lost a phone, which one of our guys actually found and returned. I joked that Aasgard is like Mailbox Peak in that both accept offerings. The difference is that Mailbox offerings are voluntary. Aasgard ‘offerings’ are not voluntary; he just takes what he wants.

In my opinion, the trail up Aasgard is more than a grueling ascent to the Enchantment Lakes Basin, it is actually one of the most beautiful parts of the whole journey. Yes, it is strenuous with meandering paths and loose rocks where you’ll find yourself head down navigating relentlessly upward. But if you stop frequently and look up and around, and you really must, you’ll find that it is heartbreakingly beautiful. It’s important to remember to keep left of larch island on the ascent and descent as the stream ravine closer to Dragontail Peak can be treacherous. Many of the larches had turned their brilliant gold and it was wonderful to be among them as we passed through towards Tranquil Lake. And because of their magical presence, the trail to the pass was my favorite part of the trip. 

As we arrived at the pass we descended towards Tranquil Lake, found a windbreak, and had a quick snack. It was frigid, and despite freezing fingers, I set up the tripod for a 360 and actually captured a mountain goat and her kid as they walked by. There were only the faintest patches of blue sky among gray cloud cover and with the weather deteriorating we packed up and headed back to spend a snowy night at our camp at Colchuck Lake. It's impossible to say but given the subsequent snow dump on the pass, we may well have made the last snow-free ascent up Aasgard Pass for that year.

I carried a 20 lb. pack with photo gear up the pass which was fine. But I really wouldn’t want to carry a heavy overnight pack up Aasgard, although people do it. Regarding poles, I did not take them on Aasgard and am glad I didn’t. I used my hands a lot both going up and coming down and I would have found poles an unnecessary nuisance. There are trails up Aasgard and some are very well-traveled and marked. That being said, it is much easier to find them when descending than ascending. Look for the biggest cairns and if your path gets increasingly sketchier, you’re going the wrong way. I found descending easier to navigate but more difficult to hike because there are many sections of loose sand and gravel that require constant attention. Also, if conditions are deteriorating and the rocks are wet, snow-covered, or icy it dramatically increases the difficulty. And the same is true of the boulder field traverse from the lake camps to the Aasgard trail.

Here are the links to the 360 at Tranquil Lake: For best viewing click on the ‘Toggle Fullscreen’ icon in the panel in the upper right of the onscreen image. Then scroll to experience the immersive image. 

Tranquil Lake, Mountain Goats, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington State: https://www.360cities.net/image/tranquil-lake-mountain-goats-alpine-lakes-wilderness-washington-state-usa