Hello everybody!
Another wonderful week at Hope College has almost passed. This was not any normal week, but it was FALL BREAK! We didn’t have class on Monday or Tuesday, so me and 8 other of my friends decided to go camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes! Not only was it the most fun I had ever had camping, but it was also my best fall break! Somehow a group of 9 girls managed to organize this trip and all return in the same condition.
We left on Sunday afternoon after church. Once we arrived to the campsite we set up our tents and started the fire, because it was COLD outside! We cooked ourselves hobo pies for dinner. Hobo Pies are the best camping treat you can make, even better than s’mores. They are very versatile; you can make them on a grill or campfire. It starts with a cooking iron. This can be used directly in a campfire, or on top of a grill or stove. It’s best to preheat the maker before using it. Then, you would butter or spray with oil each side of the iron on the inside, to prevent sticking. Then put in your filling and close the maker and cook over heat until bread is toasty brown. We ate ours with pizza sauce and pizza toppings inside our bread. After we ate a delicious dinner we snacked on junk food and s’mores… basically the best part about camping. We sat around the fire and talked for hours and told stories. We even brought along a guitar and ukulele to play music and sing around the fire.
After we put out the campfire all nine of us piled in one tent so we could use body heat to keep warm, and let me tell you… it was cold! Despite the coldness we all woke up ready to hike in the morning. We drove out of the campsite and found a place to hike called Pyramid Point. Once we made it to the top the scenery was so beautiful. We could see every shade of blue in beautiful Lake Michigan. We then drove out to the dunes and hiked for hours in the sand going up and down the dunes. It was quite the workout, but it was more than worth it. Also, once we finally reached the other side of the dunes and landed along Lake Michigan we saw seven other girls from Hope… what are the chances???
We then drove back to the campsite and prepped for dinner, but before we ate Kimberly and I ran on the trails in the campsite. Yet again, another beautiful sight. We all enjoyed a second night around the fire and played games. Sleeping was much better the second night, because the weather was warmer, and plus we had a heater on in the tent before we fell asleep. The next morning we packed up and headed to Traverse City. We explored the city and shopped in the adorable downtown. We sampled tons of different foods with cherry in them. I also had a delicious latté from the coffee shop. After exploring the city, Kimberly and I ran along the lake there and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
Our group then loaded up our three cars and drove three hours back to Hope. This fall break was so incredible and a nice escape in God’s creation. I love the girls who I went camping with, and could not have asked for a better group. This was definitely an awesome bonding experience and one that I will always remember. College sure is full of fun adventures, and this was just one of them 🙂
