Photo by Sleeping Bear Tour Company’s Julie Den Uyl
By Calli Crow, FLOW Development Specialist
On Saturday, April 25, members of FLOW’s board and I joined a few hearty volunteers on a trek to North Bar Lake in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to join Sleeping Bear Tour Company for an exclusive two-hour wilderness tour highlighting the lakeshore’s gorgeous light sand beaches, beautiful turquoise waters, cedar swamps, and maple beech forests. The hike was led by former Park Ranger Julie Den Uyl, who recently launched Sleeping Bear Tour Company.
Our group benefited from great weather for hiking but we still dressed in layers to accommodate what Julie referred to as the “four seasons” of this particular hike. One moment we were peeling off sweaters and hats as we filed up sunny, sandy slopes and the next we were zipping our windbreakers and donning hoods as we faced the refreshing inland sea breezes. We had lovely, casual conversations about water and life as we strolled the shore scanning for Petoskey stones. A favorite moment of the hike was a snack break in the woods between the Lake Michigan shore and North Bar Lake. We all enjoyed the fresh air and pine trees and great company.
Speaking of great company, our FLOW group was joined by Tim Rehard and his husband Curt Titus of Camp Dubonnet, a top Hipcamp site located on a 16-acre horse farm in Grand Traverse County with access to Lake Dubonnet. This new “secret” spot is friendly and fun and home to really cute new baby goats.
The Sleeping Bear Tour Company (SB2R) was recently featured in the Leelanau Ticker as one of the county’s “Budding New Businesses.” SB2R has the special distinction of being authorized by the National Park Service as the first-ever personal guide service company to be able to lead tours into the National Lakeshore’s “wilderness lands.”
FLOW is proud to name Sleeping Bear Tour Company as a business partner and looks forward to collaborating this summer to get FLOW supporters out experiencing the beauty of the Great Lakes. Click here for a list of our Business Partners. Visit Sleeping Bear Tour Company online or email guides@sb2r.com to arrange your own Wilderness Hike. Don’t forget to mention FLOW.
To learn more about how your business can collaborate with FLOW, contact Calli Crow, Development Specialist at calli@flowforwater.org.
