The Enchantments Hike: All the Questions You Didn’t Know You Had

This is not a blog post that answers logistical questions about hiking the Enchantments. If you want answers to questions like “Advanced Lottery or Walk Up,” “Can I hike from the Snow Lakes Trail Head,” or “Is Asgard Pass really that hard?” then this is not the blog you want to read. This blog is (click the link). If you want answers to questions that riddled the brains of my group members and me, you’ve come to the right place. 

Pre-hike selfie! We ride at dawn!

One of the best things about being out in the woods is that you have no access to signal or the internet. You are utterly cut off from the commodities of modern technology. We so often take for granted that we can just “Google” something and get an immediate answer or at the very least a single perspective on your question.

But out in the woods, where it is totally remote, you are confined- or should I say, liberated- to your imagination. No amount of supplication will give you answers. Questions and hypotheses reverberate through the trees, debated by your hiking team. 

Lost in thought on the hiking trail

My team and I had the great privilege of having Ryan. He recorded many of the wonders that raveled our minds. Mind you, this has very little to do with the Enchantments itself. They are merely thoughts and wonders that arose on the hike, inspired by our surroundings. Since Ryan wrote them down, we were able to look up answers once we got back into signal, which usually doesn’t happen! 

Asking the "Important" Questions

I’m still torn between looking up answers or keeping the mystery alive in my trail mind, but now my ignorance is shattered until I inevitably forget and wonder the same things the next time around. 

Approaching Aasgard!

Do Goats Chew Cud?

Yes, they sure do! According to Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, goats are ruminators, which is a fancy word for cud-chewers. Cud is regurgitated food (like grass, hay, etc.) from a ruminator's stomach that they chew again, FYI. 

goats!

This question came about right above Asgard Pass. Ryan, Max, Eric, and I dove into an alpine lake and took a break on the shore. Meanwhile, a bright-white mountain goat passed right by us, only a few yards away! The goat climbed up some rocks, then settled on a boulder with a clear view of our shenanigans. While chilling out, the goat chewed and chewed, and at certain times he appeared to be vibrating. Thus the question, do goats chew cud?

How Many Stomachs Do Goats Have?

From the same article, goats have four stomachs, there to “digest roughage (food high in fiber) such as grass, hay, and silage” (Cals Cornell).

What Is the Mount Olympus of Roman Mythology?

This question started from a conversation about Aasgard Pass. Aasgard, or Asgard, is the Norse equivalent of Mount Olympus. This got the ball rolling on mythology and different sects of mythology. We could name many of the Greek gods and goddesses, but Roman mythology was trickier, and Norse mythology was out of the question for me.

Hiking up Asgard Pass, feeling less like aphrodite than ever

From our surface-level understanding, there seem to be specific parallels between Roman and Greek mythologies. I know now that’s because Roman mythology was largely adapted from Greek mythology. For example, Jupiter is the Roman equivalent of Zeus, Juno to Hera, Neptune to Poseidon, Pluto to Hades, Venus to Aphrodite, and so on (National Geographic). Obviously, I’m simplifying. You’re here for a travel tip post, not a history lesson in a field I have no expertise in. Let’s get back to the question at hand.

If there are so many comparisons, what, we wondered, is the Mount Olympus (or relatively speaking, Asgard), in Roman mythology? From what I could find, Capitoline Hill is Jupiter’s oldest Temple (Britannica). The Italian name is Capitolium, or temple of Jupiter Capitoline. However, there does not seem to be a direct equivalent of a natural mountain, as in Greek Mythology. Instead, Jupiter was “chief of the pantheon and protected Ancient Rome” (Penn).

Is Fargo in North Dakota or Minnesota? 

Minnesota. I won a bag of Reece's Pieces for this one. 

What Is the Robber Jays Real Name? 

Robber Jays, or “camp robbers,” are birds that fly in a pack and steal food from campers. They’re an incredible, brave species. Robber Jay is just a nickname, though. Their true name is Perisoreus canadensis, or Canada Jay (Audobon). 

How Is Granite So Smooth? 

Granite is igneous rock! Igneous rocks are formed from magma (American Museum of Natural History). If you click on the link, you’ll realize it’s a children’s website because apparently, I didn’t retain anything from fourth-grade science class. The rock is formed under the earth’s surface, such as beneath a mountain. Over time, the surface mountain (or volcano) is worn away and granite is what’s left! 

So smooth! Also kind of super freaky to hike this part! That's Snow Lake below there. Photo by Max Wicklund.

Fun fact: most of the continental crust is granite! Who knew?!? (probably so many people). 

Find out more about granite at the National Park Service Granite FAQ page.

How Deep is Snow Lake?

I couldn’t find a reputable source for this one. Upper Snow lies at an elevation of 1,553 feet. The best thing I can find is 234 feet deep according to fishermap, but I don’t know how legit it is and there wasn’t any source to corroborate that.

Sunset at Snow Lake. Photo by Max Wicklund

How Do Fish Get Into Alpine Lakes? 

Many alpine lakes have fish in them because fish were/are taken there. The human-made migration started on horseback and moved to aircraft, backpacking, or mules (Idaho Official Government Website). 

Another way fish make it into those lakes is by birds! Fish eggs can get caught in feathers and drop into the lake when birds go for a bath or drink (Luis Villazon).

Look at that beautiful alpine lake!

That the F*** Is That Spotlight by Snow Lake? 

There was this CRAZY spotlight that could be seen from Lower Snow Lake. It happened every 28 seconds and went across the sky for 5 seconds (we counted, obviously). We saw it two nights in a row. I’m still not entirely sure what it is. I posed the question to a Facebook group and got the following responses:

1. Aliens, don’t go up there

2. A county fair link

3. A link to “reflect orbital” 

I’m torn between aliens and the county fair. I guess I’ll never truly know…

Playing cribbage at camp on this perfectly flat granite slab. A miracle!

There you have it! The answers to the questions you didn’t ask! I tried something new with this blog post, so thanks for hanging in here with me. It's always so fun to let your imagination roam while out on the trail. I highly encourage you to bring a pen and a small journal with you when you go out walking. Come up with your own questions, and then you can decide whether you want to know the answers or not!

I want to know some of your discoveries and mind-wanderings you have while hiking! Leave a comment below and share!