It’s that time of year again, when we choose the most perfect moments and reflect on them, hold on to them, to validate to ourselves that they were something special. We choose these memories because they are the way things should have been, would have been, had it not been for, well, life. In these snapshots, the moments are unwarped and golden. The views and sensations are in fine detail: wildflowers dancing in the breeze, rainfall streaming down my face, legs overrun by a burning sensation from pushing…

Trip Date: October 2, 2016 I was scrolling online, as one does on a Thursday night in attempt to make weekend plans and get a sense of trail conditions paired with inspiration so they might get out somewhere during the upcoming weekend to take a break from the midweek grind, when there it was, a report of a hike to Blanca Lake. The area was new to us, it looked stunning in pictures, so Ryan & I went for it on the following Sunday. Blanca Lake is located…