In this Edition of "I Survived": I Survived my First Backpacking Experience

  It's about 2:50 Thursday afternoon and we rolled into Mears, MI about 1:50.  Our backpacking trip was, well...interesting.  We left the island about 11:30 Wednesday morning and made it up to Manistee National Forest about 12:40 to begin lunch and start our hike.  Lunch consisted of cheesy brats and baked beans...I'm not sure why they chose baked beans especially when there are no bathrooms, but all I have to say is I'm glad I wasn't in the boys tent!
  The group decided to hike along Lake Michigan because it was more flat and easier to do.  We started out the trip with an 80% chance of rain throughout the rest of the day, but at first the weather was perfect! We hiked a little ways and then stopped for a break until we reached a spot (after an hour of hiking) that looked like a good one.  So the kids went to check it out.  The trees had sort of been cleared out a little bit and there seemed to be a path leading up the hill to the top where a pile of sticks and a few ropes for a clothes line had been left from previous hikers.  They decided that this was going to be the spot so we got everyone to the top and started to set up camp. 
  4 tents, 2 hammocks, 2 designated areas to use the forest's facilities and one fire later, they decided they wanted to swim.  I grabbed my towel and headed down as well, but ended up taking a nap on the beach for about an hour and woke up to dinner being ready.  Dinner consisted of burritos and once again, glad I wasn't in the boys tent! After dinner we had a time of a few teachings and then they were free to do whatever.
  Still the weather was perfect, but we could see and hear the beginnings of some storms coming across the lake.  It wasn't until about midnight when the rain decided to hit, and it hit hard! There wasn't much lightning or thunder, but the wind was strong!  The shaking of the tent and the fear of the food bag, that they strategically hung in a tree about my tent, falling on me kept me up for a few hours.  But then finally I got some sleep and woke up peacefully at 8:00.
  We had breakfast and some personal devotions time in the morning, along with a discussion about what was going on with the team dynamics.  They have had a hard time all getting along and deciding where the line of fun sarcasm and hurtful sarcasm is, and now they don't feel the need to fix the problems because they go home tomorrow.  Well, my hour long break has come and gone and I better head back! :)