Note: This is a very picture-heavy post, so apologies for the slow load time!
My husband’s family has had a “Great Camp” in Upstate New York since the late 1800’s, tucked away in the Adirondack Park. It’s a gorgeous, isolated place with a lake, myriad hiking trails, and the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. We have been extremely blessed to spend a lot of time there over the years, and even more blessed to have had our wedding there in July of 2011.Most recently, we had the opportunity to make a spur-of-the-moment trip to Camp with my graduate school friends (whom I’ve missed dearly ever since moving back to Virginia). The driveway alone is a 30 minute drive, so we hardly ever leave once we’re up there. It was a lovely, lazy weekend, and I can’t wait to head back up that way for Thanksgiving.The weekend started off with the obligatory jump in the lake…  

…while the more sane of us sipped hot chocolate and whiskey in the 50 degree weather.

During the first day, we spent a bunch of time fishing…

…relaxing with delicious beverages…

…fishing some more…

…and reading.

My husband taught one of our friends how to prep fishing rods…

…while we hung out and shared stories from our times apart.

That evening, we made a huge pot of chicken, sweet potato, and asparagus risotto (recipe coming soon!), and played games/ hung around by the amazing fireplace until we couldn’t keep our eyes open.

The next morning, I made hash browns with the beautiful potatoes one of our friends brought from his garden.

(It was a shame that they didn’t retain as much of their color once cooked!)

While I cooked, other folks took a walk around the Lake Trail…

…and got a chance to explore some of the local wildlife.

I think it’s about time for a whole mess of lake/ house pictures, don’t you?

Our last morning there was (of course) warm, bright, and clear.

My husband couldn’t resist snapping some pictures of the mirror-like surface of the water, or the morning mist dissipating in the warming sun.

For our last breakfast, we cooked up one of the fish straight from the lake (learning to clean fish has been one of my favorite skills), scrambled eggs with bacon, and leftover potatoes.

I also had the chance to carve one of the endemic fungus growths (which will harden and keep for years if cared for properly).

We spent time during our last morning playing with the sweetest dog in the world, Kelly:

…and had a friend take a picture of my oldest friend, the sweet dog Kelly, and me (which, hilariously, came out like an engagement picture).

It was such an amazing time, and my husband loves the opportunity to bring friends up to see the place for the first time.

We can’t wait to do it again! Thanks for reading!- Kaitlin