A new spin on an old tradition

Hiking the dunes has been a time-honored summer tradition in my family.

As a kid, we used to spend two weeks each summer at a cottage on a little lake near the Lake Michigan shores. My sister, cousins and I spent hours trudging up the mountains of sand, watching the buggies zig-zag up and down them and shaking their remnants out of our shoes and clothes for weeks.

We'd summit the behemoths and then charge down straight into the water. We'd hike the mile or so over to the "Big Lake," then get an ice cream cone afterward.

Over Thanksgiving, Mrs. VFR and I saw the dunes in a new way. Instead of wearing bathing suits, we wore ski gear.

We spent a few days near the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes west of Traverse City. Before sitting down for a fantastic meal, we hiked the dunes with my cousin and her husband. Mrs. VFR made the arduous trek while seven months pregnant.

The harsh winds churned through the sand canyons and we navigated some snow, but it was nonetheless a fun time. There's a few pictures from the hike above.