Words by Molly Sugar // Photos by Gritchelle Fallesgon and Rie Sawada 

We pushed our bikes through overgrown vertical single track from the lake to the only gravel road that bypassed the highway. It was only about a mile long but it was one of those hike-a-bikes where you stopped a couple of times so you didn’t fall face flat from the steepness. As each of us made it to the top, we clapped and gave each other high fives as if we just completed the Tour de France. It was supposed to be a ‘Super Chill Campout’ weekend but we joked that it was actually misspelled from ‘Super Hill Campout’.

That moment showed our crew’s true colors and set the tone for the weekend. Like any good campout we biked on winding gravel roads, shot slingshots at cans, ate snacks by the lakeside, roasted s’mores over the campfire and had a ‘no talent, talent show’. Sixteen of us came together to share our quirky selves and celebrate the longest day of the year in the only way we knew how. 

Huge thanks to Swift Industries’ #swiftcampout movement for inspiring this campout and celebration. The magic from these trips are what makes me wish every day was the longest day of the year.