My friend Mark Syria and I picked a beautiful day to hike to Colchuck Lake. Located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness SW of Leavenworth, this lake is dominated by the sight of Dragontail Peak. On the left flank of the peak is Aasgaard Pass. On the right is Colchuck Glacier. It's a 4.25 mile hike to the lake, and it is mostly uphill. However, it's not a really difficult hike and the views are well worth the effort. We were not the only ones to think so, the trail to the lake (and to the Enchantments via Aasgaard Pass) were crowded on this summer Saturday.

The fishing was fair. There were decent numbers of cutthroat trout visible in the lake. The two of us caught and released seven cutts between 7 and 10 inches in size over a 2 1/2 hour period. We used flies and spinners to draw strikes.

The weather was perfect. Not too warm going up, and the sunshine came out after we arrived at the lake. The winds were calm. All in all, a great trip!

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