Aasgard Pass is the high end of the Enchantment basin at an elevation of 7,800 feet. Winter is brutal at this elevation in the North Cascades; the landscape is severe and the ecology very sensitive to human intrusion. The other commonly used approach is via Snow Lakes. On one occasion we happened to meet a friend while hiking in the Enchantments; they had taken the opposite approach from us so we traded car keys and both did a traverse.

This picture, taken on a hike on the ridge north and above Aasgard Pass, shows how austere the upper reaches of the Enchantments can be. In the background are Dragontail (left) and Colchuck Peaks (center). The Colchuck Glacier lays between them.