Compass Junior High Backpacking Trip to North Manitou

For our last trip of the 2025-2026  school year, we traveled out to North Manitou Island for our annual backpacking excursion. We started our day by driving to Leland and boarding a boat towards the island. The boat ride was full of laughs and ended with soaking-wet clothes due to the fierce waves. Once we arrived on the island, we immediately started our hike. We trekked through beautiful green forests and walked about nine miles on day one. Once we found a suitable location to set up camp, the groups pitched their tents, rolled out their sleeping bags, and started filtering water for dinner. We enjoyed some much-needed downtime by cooking our dinners, watching the sunset, playing volleyball, and chatting with friends.

Day two started off strong! Many ate breakfast on the beach as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. We embarked on our hike around noon and walked a couple of miles before stopping for lunch at Swenson's Barn. Our hikes usually include many games, climbing over dead trees, and many snack breaks. After lunch, we enjoyed some downtime at the beach, filtering water and sunbathing. Then we heard “Packs up,” and our hike started again. We hiked about seven miles before we reached a secure campsite on the beach. We swiftly set up our tents and ate some dinner before heading to sleep.

On day three, we had a very chill hiking day. We left our spot on the calming beach a little after noon and started our short walk. Once our beachwalk came to an end, we enjoyed our first official campground of the week.  That night we found over 40 Morel mushrooms. We also got even more beach time! A few people caught fish with their bare hands and filleted them for dinner. We all ate dinner and enjoyed each other's company. We ended our night by watching plays directed by some students around the campfire. Eventually, the last night of our last trip came to an end.

On our last day, it was bittersweet. We headed out bright and early to catch our boat back. This boat ride was much less wavy. We got to eat some yummy bagels in Glen Arbor before stopping for some Grocer's Daughter ice cream to celebrate Mia's birthday. We played some cornhole and basked in the warm sun. We also got to hang out at another beach before driving back to Traverse City.

Thank you so much to the guides for making this trip possible! Also, congratulations to the eighth years on completing your last compass trip!