KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Beginning in 2021, two teenagers set out to create something truly special that they would ultimately have to destroy a year later.
Kouper and Hudson are best friends and self-described military history buffs who spent an entire year creating a WWII era bunker not far from the North Country Trail in Kent County.
The two 15-year-olds surveyed the land and picked a spot between Red Pine Dr. NW and N. Division Ave. NE, just north of 18 Mile Rd. NW as the location for the bunker.
After a year of hard work, using WWII era tools they purchased from a flea market, the kids' nearly complete bunker was discovered by a hiker and reported to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Because the bunker was built on state land and it's illegal to chop down trees or dig holes without approval, the boys had to tear down their engineering feat.
So, on Sunday, they set out on the mile and a half hike to the site of their bunker with their tools in tow.
The weekend weather was perfect for Kouper and Hudson to tear down the bunker, which is in contrast to many of the weekends the boys worked on their creation.
Kouper's mom said the kids loved "survival camping" and would deliberately pick weekends with inclement weather to camp at the site. Whether it was blizzard-like conditions, torrential downpour or sweltering heat, the teens loved showing their ability to survive with only camping supplies.
Once the boys arrived at the site, they got down to business and over the course of the day, they completely dismantled the bunker and returned the land to its natural state.
Kouper and Hudson hope to find some private land to begin their next project and through the generous offers of 13 ON YOUR SIDE viewers, that could be possible.
Kouper's mom told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that the boys picked up a couple of jobs to make some money for their next project from the previous article we posted.
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