KEEP EXPLORING | HUME LAKE

ume Lake last week was such a retreat, and great family vacation getaway! One morning I challenged myself to wake up early to watch the sunrise with my dad which ended up being worth the 4:30 a.m. alarm clock, and afterwards explored the creek that flows through the whole lake. These photos honestly don't do it justice!

This has been my seventh trip up to Hume for a vacation with my family, and every year I'm able to explore and re-visit my favorite spots. Hume Lake Christian Camps offers amazing mountain views, lush nature, and no cell phone service. This trip I ditched the pressure of capturing photos, and lived every adventure through my own eyes, and not the camera lens. The photos you see in this post are the only photos captured on my canon, plus a few separate taken from my iPhone for Instagram. Throughout the years I've taken so so many photographs of this place, so perhaps another photo of these pine trees weren't needed! Hence the simplicity, and I truly have loved that.

Hiking isn't something I enjoy, nor will ever desire to conquer in my spare time. Yet, here I am sharing about my little adventure following along this beautiful running creek. The path along the creek truly represented nature at it's finest: birds chirping, rushing waterfalls, wind through the pine trees, and the pure silence of being lost in the forest. Sounds heavenly right? Yes, it was refreshing to step into nature to escape the loud cheers, and screams coming from the high school campers...until the sun's heat beamed down on my back the whole way.

Did I mention that I wore flip flops through all the challenges of nature such as dirt, slippery rocks, moss, bark, and fallen trees? Or that my bare legs and arms were covered with bug bites? How about climbing up dirt trails, rocks, and tree stumps? Feeling my clothes stick to my body because of the heat, and dirt? Oh, well now you understand why I have such a strong dislike for hiking! Drama queen? Girly girl? Fashionista? Yes. And I'm okay with that!

Despite the crazy difficulties that challenged me, the experience and view of the many waterfalls were worth the effort. The one amazing thing I learned while being at Hume was exploring more of who I am, and what my likes and dislikes truly are. My priorities began to line up, and my standards became clear. For that, I couldn't change a thing about this hike, and my rambling complaints because through it I learned more in that hour than I have in a long time about my whole personality and being.

         THE HIGHLIGHTS 

Hume Lake will always hold a special place in my heart, and I'm so grateful for the memories that were made along the week. Despite my ramble about the trail of the hike that lead until the spectacular views, the rest of the week was pure bliss. The lake water was so refreshing, and clean this year. I was able to go kayaking which is my favorite activity in the mountains. I had my three favorite milkshakes at the Snack Shop which included birthday cake, chocolate, and mint n chip. Fourth of July lacked the fireworks, yet was celebrated with a darling patriotic parade, full of flags, confetti, music, and cheering. 

At night in the cabin my family played our famous round of hide in the seek in the dark, which ended up being completely hilarious as we were scaring each other left and right. One night we watched the stars as thousands were visible because of the lack of air solution, and city light, while sitting around a camp fire for warmth, and the perfect classic camping experience we don't have when renting a cabin. My sunrise view from the end of the dock overlooking the lake, was truly unforgettable, and so memorable with my dad by my side. Nature followed us everyday, as we listened to woodpeckers,  watched blue jays fly, and baby ducks swim in the water around us. All of these things, I will treasure, and miss deeply as I enjoy the rest of my summer. Until next time Hume!