A sunny September day. I had a craving for a fresh trail. Friends had the same craving. Seemed like a good enough reason to seek out a new adventure and go tackle Blanca Lake.

We met a fruit farmer named Apple Bob along the way. We trekked up the grinder of a trail. We stared at sunlight poking through trees and pondered the beauty of distant peaks. We soaked in the fall warmth and watched in amazement as teens plunged into the glacial lake. We fueled back up on Zeke’s Burgers and compared dirt accumulation from a day well spent trekking through the North Cascades.

All in all, a great day full of Northwest soul.