While most people recover after Independence Day, I hit the trail to hike Lake Blanca. This blue beauty has been on my bucket list and nothing, not even a patriotic hangover, could hold me back.
I arrived at the trailhead around 9 AM and temperatures already topped the 80's. The 3300-foot incline felt like forever. Sweat dripped into my eyes. I pushed onward, encouraged others and eventually made trail friends with some equally hungover hikers.
