[Bootpathguy]

I told myself a few years ago that Blanca Lake would have been a brief visit only because I was passing through to another destination. It was understood that I was going to leave the rest of the group once we arrived at the lake. I was going to continue to another destination. We drove two vehicles and the remaining 5 in our group would return home in one of them, leaving me the other. Well, that didn't work out. We got a hour and a half late start. Also, I was enjoying the company and we took our time hiking the trail. It would have been a very dark return on my out and I wasn't in the mood for it. The title of this TR is, "It's A Shame". It is, because Blanca lives up to it's reputation. Yea, the beauty does also, but it's the depressing conditions that are such a killjoy. Trashed. What a gorgeous spot spoiled by... Empty plastic water bottles Toilet paper Bits of litter Empty beer cans Dog sh##. Bagged & unbagged Horse sh## Soiled baby diaper on the side of the trail. (That's a new one for me ) It's loud. Loud people and loud dogs And this! A man with his penis hanging out of his pants as my 2 adult daughter's passed by he and his dog. WTF!!! So pretty and so disrespected

I'll return, but only because I have to, to get to another location.

[williswall]

[Bootpathguy]

[mbravenboer]

Is the road already re-opened? Or is everybody there taking the effort to walk up? Was the penis incident deliberate exposure or unfortunate peeing? If the first, I'd report. Edit: the glacier looks pretty sad btw. Looks like in a year of 10 that lake won't be so blanca anymore ...

[lookout bob]

I worked trail there with WTA two weeks ago and although it wasn't as bad as described, we did carry out an amazing amount of trash, mostly from the trailhead. The road is not reopened and adds about 2 miles onto the hike. The area around the gated road had a lot of trash too. Why is it so hard for folks to dig a cat hole? Many thanks to those who treat places like Blanca well and those others...well...hopefully there will be karma.

[MyFootHurts]

So that's where Ed Murray's been hiding out.

[Bootpathguy]

[DIYSteve]

Sorry to hear it, although FWIW it was pretty trashed when I was there 30 years ago

[Chico]

[joker]

[joker]

[puzzlr]

[wanderwild]

[HitTheTrail]

I came down off Aasgard Pass one time and was hiking around Colchuck Lake when I rounded a corner and almost ran over a young women peeing in the middle of the trail. That was bad enough but the part that totally amazed me was the fact that there was a pit toilet about 100' away. Then when I passed by their camp some of her friends were spraying the air with a big can of Raid to chase off mosquitoes. I assumed they had not done much backpacking.

[texasbb]