[TR] Colchuck - Colchuck Peak, Dragontail Peak, Enchantments 05/04/2019

[Ian Lauder]

Trip: Colchuck - Colchuck Peak, DragonTail Peak, Enchantments

Trip Date: 05/04/2019

Trip Report:

Decided to do a long 1-day solo trip of Colchuck Peak and Dragontail. Last minute decision to exit through the Enchantments.

22 miles, 8000ft gain, 21 hours.

Started at 10:30pm on Friday, timed it to get across the slopes to Dragontail before they got much sun. Temps through the night were in the 30s.

5 hours from Bridge Creek to the far end of Colchuck Lake, pretty good snow conditions, minimal postholing with boots.

Colchuck glacier was in great shape, easy walk up to the col.  Colchuck is melted out more than I've seen before this early.  Mix of snow and rock.

Gully from the col to Dragontail was in great shape, climbed the rocks to exit to the ridge. Started across towards Dragontail peak around 9:30am.  Summit of Dragontail by 10:30am.  12 hours on the dot.  Being that early figured I had all day to go through the Enchantments instead of Aasgard Pass.

Glissaded down the slope from the base of Dragontail into the Enchantments. Snow was firm and fine for hiking all the way across in boots.  14 hours in was almost to the exit down to Snow Lake.

Took 6 hours to finish the exit out to the Snow Lake trailhead.  Posthole hell.  Figured that would be a popular enough route there would be some kind of bootpath kicked in to follow out.  Nope.   Only saw 3 people camped at Colchuck Lake on my way in, didn't see anyone else till coming across a couple pair of skiers on their way up from Snow Lake.

And a big thank you to the awesome couple from Canada who I hitched a ride from for the 3.5 mile ride back to my truck at the end of the day as the sun was setting, I was nodding off and I lost the last bit of cell service.

 

Gear Notes:
ice axe, ice tool, crampons

Approach Notes:
Gate closed, started at Bridge Creek Campground. Road is snow free till trailhead, mixed snow and trail till branch to Colchuck lake then snow. Was fine with boots, minimal postholing.

Edited May 6, 2019 by Ian Lauder
added pics