Backpacking the Silver Creek Pathway along the Pine River (Luther, Michigan)

We always emphasize the annual niece/nephew backpacking trip may be a learning journey. it is a weekend in Michigan to realize some backcountry and independent skills like fixing a tent or hammock, filtering water, making a fireplace , and in fact , pooping within the woods. On the fourth annual trip, we landed in Luther, Michigan, to hike the Silver Creek Pathway alongside the fast-flowing Pine River. Our campers ranged from ages 8 – 16: Asa, Sylvie, Jude, Luke, Olivia, and Delaney. Josh and that i are the lone adults responsible of keeping this crew safe, watered, and fed.
We asked the youngsters a series of questions after our adventure, and upon reading their answers, it proved to be an excellent thanks to highlight the trip.
1- Tell us about something you learned on the trip?
2- Favorite memory or activity and why? Least favorite and why?
3- Favorite camp food?

Hot topics, per usual, were weather-related, along side camp meals and snacks. It should be noted that youngsters at this age eat about five to 6 meals per day!!!
A Cold Night and Snack Attacks

We experienced a primary on this trip. Everyone froze their gummy bears off on night one! It dipped into the upper 40s on Friday night, proving that a sweatshirt and bag layer (especially during a hammock) won't suffice. Saturday at 6 AM, I awoke to grumbling and teeth-chattering paired with the sounds of six kids building a fireplace for warmth, to not keep off mosquitos. Begrudgingly, I got up and fired up the Jetboil to heat water for a few hot breakfast granola. the youngsters got creative and roasted their sausage bites over the hearth on whittled roasting sticks. Yum, blueberry granola MRE's and fire-roasted sausage! jerky or sausage bites was the fan-favorite snack. Delaney eloquently answered question #1, “Check the weather and convey more beef jerky!” Olivia chimed in with an identical theme, “Pack consistent with the weather, and you'll always trade with someone to urge more of the food you wish .”

Trading for snacks was an ongoing activity. in the least mealtime prep and fireside time, a furious frenzy of “snack day-trading” occurred, similar in intensity to the ny Stock (Snack) Exchange. Each camper gets a stocked snack bag crammed with beef bites/jerky, fruit snacks, gummy bears, chocolate bars, spread , flour tortillas, applesauce squeezes, trail mix, and granola bars. Of course, the meat jerky and chocolates provide the foremost bargaining power if you do not eat all of your candy on day one!
Crime Scene and a Rope Swing

Thankfully Saturday warmed to a typical summer day, and that we headed off on a day-hike in search of the rope swing I had examine in my hiking book. Instead, we found two things that day: a rope swing and a criminal offense scene. While exploring the riverbanks and dune climbs, Luke discovered a ripped and waterlogged gunnysack , a bone, and a knife… beat a pile on the far side of the river. Luke and therefore the kids decided the bone was human, perhaps the wrist or arm. The gunnysack , of course, was wont to dump the body within the river, and therefore the knife was probably the murder weapon. Hence, Luke's answer to question #2, “My favorite memory was finding the dead guy, Billy Bob Joe, because I found a knife.”

Josh smirked while examining the “arm bone,” finding it strikingly almost like alittle animal carcass. to not deter a scary campfire story, the dead-guy crime scene was discussed as we hiked north through the thick and scratchy canopy. We came across the intersection of the ATV trail and therefore the second bridge that connects the hiking trail. We ambled right down to the riverbank again and watched paddlers cruise round the corner to beach their kayaks or canoes. From that viewpoint , Jude spotted the long rope dangling from a tree across the river. A frenzy of activity ensued to work out the way to get thereto .



Hiking along the Pine River

To build up the journey factor, Josh led the youngsters on a brief and chilly swim. From the safe side, I snapped video and photos as each kid swung on the rope and splooshed and/or butt-dragged into the present . Everybody took a turn with a cheer. Eventually, Asa, Delaney, and Sylvie were cousin-pressured into a rope swing dunk. just one mishap left Jude with nasty abrasion when the slack within the rope got stuck for one last swing. After a furious group swim back across, we decided to hike back to camp to ascertain if we could catch a trout.



Rope Swing action

That last afternoon was a mash-up of gathering wood, hammock napping, devouring snacks, and attempts at fishing. Josh and Olivia gave it a solid try with a couple of bites, but Luke's attempt became a wet and cold low-light. He selected a nasty entry point, misjudged the depth, and fell in up to his armpits. Jude describes the instant , “I liked once we all went on the rope swing and across the river, but it had been funny when Luke fell within the river, but my least favorite was once I got the rope burns.” Luke added, “Don't go near the river wearing all of your warm clothes and things you're getting to sleep in.”

More storytime and a crackling fire lit up our evening, followed by unexpected rumbles of thunder around 10 PM. We quickly sent the youngsters to secure their tarps and put gear under the rain flies. because the storm approached and lit up our sky, all six kids crammed in Sylvie's tent, played cards, giggled, and let some flatulence fly, little question from eating an excessive amount of jerky. Josh and that i lay in our tent cracking up, taking note of their stories and laughter. Eventually, everyone retired to their sleeping bags while Mother Nature dropped a doozy of a thunderstorm on us for about an hour!

I'll leave you with one piece of recommendation from our youngest camper, Asa, who unfortunately contracted poison ivy (again) after returning home. “Don't pass plants with purple stems and sometimes purple bubbles on the leaves.”



Hiking along the Pine River on the Silver Creek Pathway