I spent my birthday weekend, walking ~26 miles carrying a ~30-pound backpack with lots and lots of mosquitoes. Not gonna lie, it was rough but very rewarding. It was my first backpacking trip, and I did not pick an easy one. There were a lot of steep climbs / drop that almost required a little climbing, which was quite challenging with a big backpack, but we survived! I got to see the beautiful mountains, meadows, crystal-clear lakes and super cute mountain goats and kids (apparently, goat baby is called kid). Can't think of a better way to spend my birthday!
Day 1 Stuart Lake and Colchuck Lake (~10 miles)
We drove to the snowlake trail head, and took a shuttle to the colchuck trail head so that we only need to hike one-way. Stuart lake is sort of a detour but it was our first day, we were full of energy, so we decided that we should check that out as well. As beautiful as it was, not sure if the detour was the right decision. Our original plan was to hike all the way to Aasgard pass, but after the 4.5 mile detour, we stopped at Colchuck lake as it was getting late and we were tired. Because we decided to stop, we had some time to enjoy and swim in the lakes for a little bit.
Day 2 Aasgard Pass and Lakes (lots of lakes) (~ 7 miles)
We got up early and started to head up to the Aasgard pass. I was glad that we headed out early because we avoided most of the sun hitting us when we made the ascent. It was quite steep. It was about 1.6 miles of rocks with over 2000 feet elevation gain. As you climb, you can get a really nice view of the Colchuck lake behind you and some glaciers up on the mountain as well. Along the hike, we encountered a lot of mountain goats, and they were just so adorable, especially the baby goats. After we crossed the pass into the glacial basin, there were countless streams, lakes, small waterfalls, and I was just stunned by the sceneries.
After the Aasgard pass, I was super tired, and I was walking really slow. Because of that, we did not get to the upper snow lake till 10pm. I got lost a couple of times, and found my way back to the main trail. As most people might know, whenever the trails are not clear, there will be some stone piles to help guide you. Unfortunately, some of the stone piles were wrong and we ended up wasting some time and energy trying to figure things out. At some point, I was left behind without an sunscreen and bug spray because I was super slow. I got charred by the sun and almost eaten by the mosquitoes during the hike, but even then, whenever I looked around, it was so breathtaking that I thought it was all worth it.
Day 3 Hiking out from the Upper Snow Lake (~ 9 miles)
The hike from here on was a lot easier, but it was still a long stretch. Starting with walking along and crossing some lakes, to a long walk in the woods, to the downhill switchbacks at the end. We barely made it in time to catch our flight back to LA!
The aftermath of this hike was quite unpleasant: Sprained ankle, 50+ bug bites and sunburn. But, I loved it! I just wished we had an extra day or 2 to enjoy it a little more!