A couple of weeks ago my dad and I went snowshoeing along the Empire Bluff Trail out in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The sun was out and the air wasn't too cold, so it was a beautiful day for a hike. We weren't the only people who took notice either because there were plenty of other people to talk to along the trail.
Even my two left shoes couldn't get me down. I hadn't been snowshoeing in years and was a little worried the trail would be too much for me. Luckily the path is only about a mile and a half long round trip and nothing too strenuous.
The views along the trail are breathtaking. Sometimes I forget how beautiful the area is since it's so close to home. Part of the reason we wanted to go out was so I could get some practice in with my new Nikon camera. I took a photography class in college using an old film camera but there was a lot of basics that needed refreshing. Unfortunately I had to drop out of digital photography after two weeks due to my workload in other classes that semester. I don't regret that decision because there was no way I could have done everything, but the extra knowledge would come in handy now.
Photo credit to my dad for this one
The sun went away for a bit and these next photos all turned out a little dark but they're also my favorite of the bunch. I was going to edit them but I didn't want to ruin the mood. It was fun to check out all my photos afterwards and try to pick out what was wrong with each one. Being able to identify the problem is the first step right?
I love getting outside and spending time with family. Sometimes it's easy to forget how beautiful nature is, especially the nature in your back yard. People come from all over to see the Sleeping Bear Dunes in the summertime but it's just as beautiful in the winter (and even more so in the fall). I can't wait to get out again.
-S
