Eek guys I’m so excited that my first ever blog post is about one of my absolute favorite things: camping in northern Michigan!
I love being able to make impromptu plans, and thankfully this trip aligned with one of my friend’s work schedules, so we took off to Higgins Lake! To me, this is Northern Michigan. I know that’s somewhat of a controversial region (i.e. some people think north of Grand Rapids is “up north” while others don’t think “up north” starts until after the bridge. But as someone that has lived in both the UP and LP, this is the start of Northern Michigan for me. It just feels different once you hit that point in the drive north, and that’s my only explanation.
I love camping at Michigan state parks, and yes, I may be a little biased being a former park worker, but the DNR just does it so well and usually the views are great (spoiler alert: this trip was no different).
Immediately we were greeted by this sign, so you already know the vibes were high because I love Bob Ross. I took a chance on switching our campsite the day before because it was in a lower spot than one that just had a cancelation… and yeah let’s just say I’m glad I did that.
I tend to pack pretty lightly when camping, especially solo and only for a couple nights, but one thing that I will forever bring with me is my Coleman camp stove. As a lazy gal and an environmentalist worried about how many forest fires are happening seemingly every day now, this stove saves me from having to start a fire and can go anywhere I go. I made coffee on it both mornings, as well as our soup lunch! I swear everything was hot within minutes, and I can make anything from pancakes to chili on it.
We started our first morning at camp eating brekky and then headed off for a hike around Marl Lake, just across the road from the state park! I will say that the mosquitos were out, but I didn’t get bit (thanks deet) they just kept flying around our faces. The trail was really well maintained and each little glimpse we got of Marl Lake from the brush was lovely. We heard a couple loons, which is always a treat even if they’re so common in Michigan.
The rest of our days we basically spent the days swimming in Higgins Lake, which is so gorgeously clear and calm. I’m so grateful for the brain break I get when I’m in the water, it’s like a total reset for my body. Books were read, s’mores were consumed, and we even did a mini sunset shoot because it was just so perfect outside.
Also, need to give a massive shoutout to our campsite, because it was massive and had unrestricted views of the lake, #240 South Higgins I’ll be back!
It felt like a short trip, but I’m definitely back home in a fresher mindset and ready to be productive again, which is honestly all I needed. If you’re looking for a life lesson in all of this, yes getting outside and touching grass does help!
Okay that’s all love ya bye
Life between Lakes 
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