I’m back from my trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, Michigan. A few friends and I took the ferry over to South Manitou Island and spent three nights camping there. Being in nature always makes me feel closer to God, so it felt great to stretch my spiritual muscles, and well as my physical ones with hiking and swimming.
The highlight of the trip came on Monday when a friend and I hiked out to the western edge of the island, home to 400-foot perched dunes. We started at Weather Station campground and headed west. Our first stop was Florence Lake, then we continued on to the bluff overlooking the Wreck of the Morazan:
Wreck of the Morazan (1960), South Manitou Island, MI
The trail continued on and eventually led up the dunes to a 360-degree view of North Manitou Island, mainland Michigan, and Lake Michigan. It was stunning.
It was standing there, on the edge of a 400-foot dune, overlooking the wild, blue yonder of Lake Michigan, that I realized I had just found the exact physical location that mirrored my “location” in life.
What I mean by that is, leaving my job without another one lined up and going to Spain to walk a pilgrimage feels like I’m about to run down a giant sand dune: a steep descent into the beautiful unknown. It’s nerve-racking when taking the first few steps, but totally worth it in the end.
It was so amazing. I mean, how often do we find places in this world which visually represent where we are in life? It was a first for me, and I treasured every second we stood on top of that dune, breathing in the sweet dune grass, and preparing ourselves for the run down.
Here is the view from the top:
View from the Top (Perched Sand Dunes, South Manitou Island, MI)
It’s hard to tell from the photo just how steep it is. (I had hoped to post a video of my friend running down, but I’m having technical difficulties at this time.) In some ways though, I think that adds to the “coolness” of the visual image though. You can’t tell from the photo what you’re about to run down. Kind of like my life. Who knows how “steep” the “descent” of the next few months (or years) will be. It’s up to me to take the leap of faith and find out.
