(all photos are clickable for a larger view)
Oh boy, was it ever hot and humid! After setting up camp we drove over to the beach area. Across from the lake (which looks like an ocean by the way) are the dunes. My son thought it a great idea for all of us to hike to the top, I wondered if I could make it. This is where I tried to gauge my limits and decided to forge ahead.
My son and I have hiked and camped since he was little, I have always been in pretty good shape - well until about 8 years ago when I hit a bit of a speed bump in the health department, combine that little speed bump with aging and it can make for some pretty distressing results when attempting a hike such as this one. I don't know which is worse - feeling/knowing how out of shape I am in or seeing that realization in the eyes of my son - probably the latter of the two. It's never fun when your child sees evidence of his parent(s) aging, recognizing weaknesses they hadn't noticed before.
So here is the sandy hill - doesn't look too foreboding from this perspective does it? Okay - maybe it does for the smart ones that DO recognize their limits .
Add high humidity and a temperature in the high 80's to this picture and this is what you get... a hot, red faced grandma that should have recognized her limits from the parking lot. But alas, I pushed on - determined to get to the top and find some shade to take a break before the descent! Yes that speck below is me making my way up the dune. My son was kind enough to capture it on film.
I will say - the views of Lake Michigan from the top were spectacular.
As I made the descent, I turned around to take a couple of photos, I wanted to make sure I remembered where I had been and as a reminder to myself that I actually made it.
I'm glad I went though - I had a wonderful time!
