The Hazard Chronicles

Last weekend was my fourth foray into the Enchantments, and it was by far the most difficult day I have ever spent up there. Maybe one of the most difficult single days I have had in the mountains, like, ever. I did the 20 mile hike with Evelyn, Addy, and Jackson and was excited to show them one of my favorite places. We had waited until fall because I had never done it at this time of year and we'd heard that the autumn colors were a special highlight. On this count, we couldn't have asked for more. For some reason, colors are more vibrant in the high alpine- and with the cool weather the air seemed to positively dance with energy. 

What we were unprepared for was the cold. Like- really cold. Like, 9 degrees cold. We were wearing t-shirts or light flannels and all of us experienced signs of hypothermia at some point. The wind was brutal, and for about four hours it was all we could do to keep moving. We would stop briefly from time to time behind wind shelters to collect ourselves before setting out again into the open, but we weren't moving very fast. I don't think it was ever dire, but it got pretty wild at times.

And then it warmed up. Not like warm warm, but like, tolerable. Like, we could spend some time looking around at the beauty around us. Like, even though this was my fourth time up there, I was still absolutely dumbfounded at the brilliance of the area. It was magical, and though the day was rough on all of us, we all agreed that it was worth it. 

What a place!

I just read this to Evelyn at the kitchen table as she is eating a late dinner after drum lessons. She pointed out that this description seems very short for what was a very long hike, and for what felt like a very significant day. But that's how these things always are, right? Super wild and crazy, and then the next day you are sitting in math class or taking out the garbage and wondering if it was all just a dream. Well, in this case, our sore legs and still-swollen fingers tell us that it really happened, and that there are just no words. 

*****

Evelyn- This was by far the prettiest, and the hardest hike I have ever done. We started with lots of energy in the morning, despite waking up at 4:30 and sleeping in a cold car at the trailhead. We made it to Colchuck Lake in about two hours, just in time for the sun to rise. Everybody was feeling great, but we didn't know what was about to come.

Aasgard was the most difficult mile I have ever done in my life. The way up was so much steeper and longer than expected. I was already struggling, then the wind started. The wind was 9 degrees and knocked me over multiple times due to the state I was in. My body was shutting down and my vision was going in and out. By the last 40 feet I could not see where I was going or where I was. We made it to the top and I thought I was going to throw up or get hypothermia. We sat down and had some sugar, and I started regaining my vision and feeling a lot better. 

We started walking and after a while the wind died down. Soon I realized how pretty the area around me was. Every corner we turned was a picturesque view, and I was constantly in awe of how beautiful nature could be. We went through the Enchantments themselves very slowly so we could all take in the area. It was gorgeous, and I would go again 100 times just for those three miles. Eventually we started making our way down from the Enchantments. We were feeling good during the steep descent, and we saw three goats. The hike was amazing and what lay ahead seemed easy.

What we thought was 3 or 4 miles was actually around 8, and we trudged through the last couple of miles to get to the second parking lot. Despite the trudge, the second we got back to the car everyone regained their energy and there was an explosion of relief and stories. It was a memorable experience for me, from the second we left the house. I loved every bit of it and I would love to do it again. 

*****

Adalie- This hike was beyond what I thought my capabilities consisted of. Yes, I knew it would be difficult, but when we started out on the four hour drive to the trailhead, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. 

We started with a good pace and with excellent weather, making us all lament the time the sun would come up. Once we got to Colchuck lake, however, it was clear a chill had begun to seep in as the altitude rose. Oh yeah- and I didn't have a jacket.

Getting to the base of Aasgard, I was already starting to wish the sun could make its way over the mountains instead of taking the sweet time we had wished upon it earlier. Starting the steep wasn't terrible, and I figured from the base it would just get warmer. I was wrong.

Violent winds, ice threatening to push you down, goosebumps covering every part of the exposed body, hands are numb, and even some signs of hypothermia. Yeah. Aasgard Pass. It took roughly 2 hours to get up the mile-long section, the sun taunting us the whole time. When at last we stumbled through its welcoming rays at the top, discouragement swept through me as quickly as the wind. We did not find the warm relief we had expected, but instead the bitter 9 degree weather kept raging on. 

The cold extended far too long, and because of it I was focused on anything but the scenery. We encountered a group of about 10 people decked out in Antarctica Expedition clothing, and we didn't blame them. 

At long last, warmth surged through me as my fingers started tingling, telling me they would work again soon. In that moment, when the wind had taken a break and the sun had cut us some slack, I saw The Enchantments. I don't even know how to describe the next few hours. It felt like I was a kid exploring the wild, without a care in the world. It felt like we were all just friends out for an adventure, and that adventure just happened to be the most gorgeous place on Earth. It felt Enchanting.

*****

Jackson- Early in the morning, I woke up to the sound of five alarms from the inside of a tunnel that I had built in the back seat of the van. We crawled out of bed and ate a camp breakfast, then we grabbed our headlamps and started hiking. We chugged Monster energy drinks at 5 am. That was something!

We hiked six miles up to Colchuk lake without stopping once for any breaks. Once we got up there, we sat down, drank gatorade and had a break. We checked out Aasgard pass from across the lake. We packed up, and continued walking. We started to hike up the pass, and at first it was pretty steep and painful, then we got used to the steepness and we were cruising up it. Then. Came. The. Wind. It felt like we were in a hurricane or a tornado. It was insane! All of us began to struggle in the frigid wind. We kept pushing even though we all wanted to stop. Dad continued to encourage us. We tried to escape the wind by going up and over the pass, by huddling up in our jackets, and by searching for sunlight. Nothing worked, so we just powered through.

The Enchantments were beautiful. The wind died down slightly, so I wanted to stop and admire the sites, but everyone else wanted to keep going. The time in The Enchantments was a bit too short for me. Eventually, we got out of the wind, and guess what??? We had miles left to hike. 

Once we left, we found a ledge and we had to search as far as we could see for the next duckie with a stick pointed skyward. Everyone hiked around the cliff, but I took the direct route down it. We hiked from Duckie to duckie. It felt like a scavenger hunt without a real trail. I enjoyed myself. We got a decent amount of time before that game ended. We had fun doing the alphabet game with ski runs. We though of ski runs that began with every letter of the alphabet except for O and V. 

I was enjoying the hike, and I looked down and was surpirsed to see Mom! She had wanted to come, but stayed behind with the other kids. I still felt cheery on the hike, and it was nice to see her. I want to mention that earlier Ev and I made a deal. If I let her get to the top of Aasgard pass first, she would let me finish the hike first. I was excited to see Mom. She told us that we still had four miles left to go. The last four miles hurt a lot. That was the only part of the hike that felt like a trudge. Dad mentioned that when we hit a certain boulder that we would have about half an hour left. I set a timer at that time. A few miles before the end we could see the parking lot. That is when I started to hurt. Google maps said we were .5 miles away, but with switchbacks it was actually a lot more. I was ready to be done, and I could see the car! Eventually, we got to a gravel road and we saw Maren! We had a short reunion, and the we finally made it to the car. Now, it actually took about an hour from the rock. We waited for the others, then we went down and ate pizza!

The next day felt like I was recovering from an intense leg day! 

TLDR- It. Was. INSANE.

J- I love this jacket. It has a detachable hood, and I legit thought it would fly off in the wind during the hike up the pass. 

E: The top of Aasgard, elevation was high, and spirits were low,
but everyone got through it
A: I had ended up with Dad's flannel and beanie at some point through the pass.
Dad: You're welcome.

A: This was It. This was the spot where all became magical. 

E: The rugged peaks mixed with the fall colors
 are just as beautiful as people say they are

A: Pictures can't even begin to do this place justice.

J- I am looking forward to coming back for more time to explore this amazing place!

About to drop out of the Enchantments

Some of the slabs we walk on are a little bit steep

Goats

E: Ten and a half hours of hiking later, warm food tasted 5x better

On a different note, here's a picture of Rach and me at the last day of the Summer Concert Series at Arbor Crest. This is our third year as "members" up there. We love it and I'm sure there will be many years ahead of outdoor relaxation and dancing.

On a different different note, here is a poem that Lindsey wrote on the drive home, in her mind, about a dream she had. Later, she wrote it down with no hesitation.

I see a man with no coat
perhaps he's waiting for a train or boat
I take a look
Is he lost, or perhaps he's found
Then his feet slowly lift off the ground
Now he's in the sky
and then a plane happens to fly by
The man grabs the plane
Is he going insane?

This is all a dream in my head
Now I must wake up from my bed
I had some thoughts about the dream
But I can't tell you everything
Like, does the man ever get cold?
And is this man very old?

These are just thoughts in my head
I'll tell you another dream when I wake from bed