Horseshoe Harbor on the Keweenaw

Ben standing before a wall of 

conglomerate stone

While hiking the shores of Lake Superior on my 1000-mile Great Lakes Hike, I explored a bit of the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Ben was along on this part of my adventure.

A solitary sandpiper works the marshy edges

I enjoyed learning about the geology of this unique landmass. The peninsula is actually a  syncline, the tilted edge of the earth's crust. Eons ago, this area bubbled with lava and the weight of that cooled magma depressed what would become the basin of the lake and the earth's crust tore and lifted at the edges.

I hike along a trail at the tip of the Keweenaw 

Ben scurries down a rocky hillside

Ben stands on the tilted edge of a slate layer 

I explore the geology of Lake Superior and its edges in my upcoming book:

A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES WALK

The book will be released in 2013. Please "like" my Facebook Author Page in order to keep current on the release of the book and my speaking engagements.

Walking, Walking...and more Walking

I've been working on the manuscript for my book as the year comes to a close. 

And I've been reliving my time walking the edges of our Great Lakes.

Taking a break!

I covered 1,004 miles total in 76 days!

Wow...I wore that gray shirt a LOT...

Through all sorts of terrain, 

and in all sorts of weather.

This was a little tough on the ankles!

Walking in the rain

Sunrise on Lake Huron

The book about my adventure 

will be released in 2013, 

so watch for

A 1000-MILE GREAT LAKES WALK

at your favorite bookstore soon!

"I Will Defend"

The seal of Michigan (above) has the state motto in Latin that translates:

"If you seek a pleasant peninsula, 

look about you."

The word "Tuebor" translates:

  "I will defend."

I walked 1000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline this year. There are many areas that remain wild and protected, but there are stretches that need to be defended, cleaned up, and restored.

Water from the upper Great Lakes flows through the St. Clair River, into Lake St. Clair (upper right of photo), through the Detroit River (narrow waterway) to merge with Lake Erie (at bottom of photo).

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has resulted in measurable improvement in the health of our Great Lakes. 

From an article on Model D (a web-mag about Detroit):

The Brookings Institution has estimated that every $1 invested in Great Lakes restoration results in $1.50 to $2.50 in short-term economic benefits. In the long term, the economic benefits of Great Lakes restoration efforts will almost double the initial investment. Benefits include increased property values, improvements to quality of life, and lower municipal water treatment costs. In this era in which metropolitan areas are feeling the effects of climate change more acutely and unsustainable development is occurring in water-poor areas like Phoenix and Atlanta, now is the time for Metro Detroit to protect its freshwater assets to ensure future economic growth and ecological health.

Read the entire article.

And in the New Year ahead, let us all seek ways to better defend these most vital fresh waters.

MIchigan Radio's Morning Edition

It's always fun for me to be interviewed.  Sometimes it's for a magazine article like in Natural Awakenings (page 46-47).

Often it's a quick chat with various radio stations all over the nation. I've been on the radio from coast-to-coast as people want to hear about my adventures and learn more about our Great Lakes.

The Great Lakes contain 84% of the fresh, 

surface water in North America

Recently, I was honored to be included in Michigan Radio's series of interviews called 

"Seeking Change."

Listen HERE for the interview with Christina Shockley.