HUME LAKE - By Jessica

Hi everyone! This is Jessica writing! I just recently got back from vacation at Hume Lake Christian Camps. The trip was amazing and extremely fun. We stayed for a week with some friends in a nice cabin with a great view. Once we arrived we were surprised to see the the vast amount of green pine trees and blue sky just from our back porch!

During our trip we were able to take bike rides and walks on their scenic trail, which loops around the entire lake!

A highlight for me was going horseback riding. As I have previously mentioned in my earlier posts I enjoy working with horses so this was the perfect excursion for me.

                  The trail was very dusty but the views were great!

Although my horse kept eating plants along the trail I really enjoyed the experience.

After horseback riding we stopped for lunch at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks. We walked along their dusty trail, climbed huge rocks and dead trees, and stood next to the General Grant tree (the 3rd largest tree in the world). It doesn't look very big from the tree shown below but compared to the small, baby trees that grow where we live it was huge! We also saw a rattlesnake sleeping along the trail! 

One of my favorite things we did on our trip was visiting Sandy Cove National Park. It looked like a small beach except with pine trees everywhere and a lake instead of waves and an ocean. At Sandy Cove they had a large part of a tree that floats in the lake. The "log" has been there for over 35 years and is a large source of entertainment every day there. The log fits about 8 people. The goal of the log is to stand up on it and balance with it rolling back and forth. The log has multiple grooves in it so that you can pull yourself onto it. It's super fun (I spent 2 hours on it and it only felt like ten minutes)!

(I fell off a lot)

One of the attractions we visited at Hume Lake was the blob and the rope swing. The blob is a large rectangle that is inflated and floating above water. The goal is the launch the person sitting on the opposite end. The goal of the rope swing is just to hold on and let go once you reach the water. CAUTION!!! If you ever try the blob be careful not to lean to far forward. It resulted in a belly flop and hurt very bad…but besides that it was fun to try. 

It was fun the when we rented some kayaks and a paddleboat. With them we were able to go all the way to sandy cove (which is not easy). It was fun being able to explore the lake and its wildlife (plus it was a great workout)!

It was beautiful visiting some hidden spots at the bottom of the mountain. There were these huge rocks placed in the water next to a majestic waterfall. We were able to climb the rocks and jump off of them into the FREEZING water (it takes your breath away once you're submerged into it). There was also a big cliff you could climb and jump from also but I wasn't able to actually climb it (but it was fun watching everyone else do it).

After rock jumping we drove down the windy roads of the mountains to a place called the "End of the Road." We also did rock jumping here. It was amazing to see how clear the water was compared to the lake water.

(I'm on the far left)

We ended our last night with a walk along the main lake and  milkshakes from Hume Lakes snack shack. Their milkshakes are delicious especially because they allow you to mix up to three flavors into one delicious shake. My favorite combination was coffee, Oreo, and reese's peanut butter cup. 

(Hume Lakes snack shack)

Throughout the trip I took multiple pictures of the nature that surrounded us…here are some of them. 

(on the trail in Kings Canyon)

(The moss growing on a tree)

(Whenever you looked up you could see the vast amount of trees)

Overall the trip was amazing and I would definitely come back. I loved posting about my trip and it made me miss it all over again. I would recommend Hume Lake as a great vacation destination. 

I hope you enjoyed my post this week!