LAKE MICHIGAN UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

             Whether it’s summer, fall, winter, or spring, Lake Michigan is one of my favorite places to be. Some of my fondest summer memories are the ones that include being on or near the water. How lucky are we Michiganders to have so many fresh water beaches? Trust me, I've been to a beach on the ocean and I really think our great lakes give the ocean a run for their money. I love to lay on the beach and let the sun cook my skin until I’m so hot that I can’t take it anymore. I grab a boogie board that my dad so conveniently always brings along, and slowly wade into the ice cold water that is Lake Michigan. I let myself float out until I hit the buoy, and lay my stomach on the boogie board and allow the waves to carry me in to shore. I do this on repeat until I get bored, or cold and then I go back to bathe in the sun and start the process all over again.  Swimming in “The Lake” (as it is known to my family) is one of my favorite things to do when the water isn't cold enough to freeze my blood. But there is one thing that might even beat swimming under the sun, and that is swimming under the moon.

                Just this last summer a large group of us (around 12 people) decided we wanted to swim in Lake Michigan after dark. Some of our group had done this before and knew the path through the woods in order to get there.  Some ground rules were set before we took off. Pretty much if the DNR showed up it was “all for one and one for all,” meaning you better run and hide and hope they don’t shine a spotlight on you. We also had to stay very quiet. When we made it to the woods we formed a human train by holding the persons’ hand both in front and behind us. We walked through the somewhat hidden path behind stranger’s private property, only to have someone’s dog start howling in our direction. Luckily dogs do that sort of thing all the time and therefore it didn't draw too much attention to us. After about a ten minute not so quiet walk, we reached the shore of Lake Michigan. The reflection of the moon onto the water would have made for a beautiful picture. Unfortunately we decided technology was not allowed on this little adventure. Which was a good thing, because we didn't need anything creating any unnecessary light or noise to draw attention to ourselves.

                The water at night time is magical. The temperature of the air falls when the sun goes down, but the temperature of the lake remains the same. Therefore there is nothing to get used to. The water almost feels like a swimming pool. A lot of us didn't actually plan on going swimming. But once we were there and felt the water we all decided that we had to enjoy every aspect of Lake Michigan after dark. So most of us jumped into the water fully clothed and enjoyed what our wonderful Pure Michigan had in store for us that night.

                Thousands of people from all over crowd the beaches of Lake Michigan during the hot summer days, but few actually get to experience the beauty of the lake at night. This swim in the lake was unlike any other. It could have been because if we got caught we would most likely be fined. But I think it had a lot to do with the calmness of the lake under the moon and the stars. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen. If you ever have the chance to swim in one of the Great Lakes under the moonlight I would highly recommend it.