The majority of my Sunday was spent hiking and beaching it up at the Dunes National Lakeshore. I’ve mentioned this many times, but we are just a quick drive away from the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan.
We chose to hike our favorite trail once again – trail 9. Halfway through the trail, there’s a path leading to a private beach. It’s private because you have to hike there – you can’t park and walk. So we hiked to the beach, hung out for a while, and then hiked back.
Let’s get to the pictures!
As you can see from the pictures, I was the first to the top of this killer dune. I prefer to get up the Dune as fast as possible and then I take a breather.
Apparently Tristan’s strategy is a little different. Hike a bit, breather, tackle the rest of the dune.
Adam and Jamie are bringing up the rear.
First glimpse of the beach. 
Some parts of the trail are really overgrown since the last time we hiked. Must have been all that rain!
Ah, we made it! We all sprinted to the water since it was a super hot day! My dad was already in the water before I even made it down to the beach! ha!
Our own private beach – at least it felt that way. 
The water felt amazing! After getting cooled off, it was time to hike back!
Dinner was next on the agenda!
I chose the roasted beets, arugula, and gorgonzola salad.
It was absolutely delicious! I’ve been so crazy about goat cheese that I forgot how much I love gorgonzola cheese!
After a leisurely dinner, we headed back to the beach to watch the sun set.
We had an amazing view of the Chicago skyline from the shore.
Can’t tell we’re sisters or anything, can you?
The water was SO warm.
[Courtney’s iPhone shot – see I gave ya credit]
It was a wonderful day!
<3 Stefanie
What was the highlight of your weekend?
