When you pull off the main highway and onto dirt roads and Google tells you that you have 30 minutes left and less than 10 miles to go, you know you are in for a real treat! Our week in Boise was hot, hot, hot! While the air conditioner in the camper does a decent job, we did not want to be confined indoors all day, so we made a plan to go to higher (and hopefully cooler) ground and do a little hiking and relaxing by a lake.
The drive up to the Blue Lake trailhead was up a winding Forest Service road that really could have used some guardrails in places, if I may say so. It was truly beautiful though, and as we pulled into the trailhead parking lot, we knew we found a gem simply based on the number of cars.
We quickly ate our lunch, then packed up for our hike and afternoon by the water.
The hike to the lake was about 1 mile downhill, and the hills around us were covered with the most beautiful array of wildflowers that we have seen. The colors were remarkable, and the butterflies were loving them even more than we were.
When the lake finally came into view, we were in awe. It was the most beautiful mountain lake you could imagine. The clear, deep blue lake is situated with mountains all around. Much of the shoreline is rocky and not easily accessible, so it took us a little hike around the lake to find the perfect place to settle in.
We found a little nook where Bird was able to play in the water with her buckets and bowls, and we were able to spread out our blanket and relax. While there were quite a few people at various places around the lake, our little spot was quiet and secluded.
This is the first hike where we planned to hike to a place where we wanted to hang out for awhile, and it was so much fun. Sure, there was a little more planning involved and there are definitely some lessons we learned about what all we needed to bring, but it was absolutely worth the nice, relaxing afternoon that came with it.
As I mentioned, the hike to the lake was entirely downhill, which could only mean that the hike back to the truck was entirely uphill. And even though we had escaped the Boise 100+°F heat, we were still dealing with temperatures in the 80s, so it was not necessarily the easiest trek.
We returned to the truck hot and a little exhausted but totally appreciative for the wonderful afternoon. Heading to the mountains is the cure for just about anything, especially the city heat, and it was a relief to get back to the camper in the cooler evening and know that we missed the worst of it. Regardless of the heat, I would do this hike again and again simply for the beautiful lake views and endless wildflowers.
Nurturing Adventure 