This blog has been nominated for the "Liebster Award" by the the dynamic duo, Mary Catterlin & Amy Lukas. They made a dugout canoe from a cottonwood tree, named it Makeba, then paddled/sailed it all the way around Lake Michigan!
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Mary and Amy in front of the museum in Indiana where their boat was on display after they made their historic paddle around Lake Michigan |
This award is passed on from blogger to blogger as a way to share stories and connect others. Once nominated, you have to answer the questions given. Then you continue the chain by nominating your blogger friends with your own questions.
Here are the questions Mary & Amy asked:
Well, I'd rather have time with a naturalist or conservationist. If I can choose people from the past, I'd choose John Muir, Rachel Carson, or Aldo Leopold. If I can only from the living, I'd choose E.O. Wilson. It would be wonderful to discuss the natural world with any one of these people while walking the edges of our Great Lakes.
* What surprised you most about choosing this lifestyle?
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Wild hiking weather during my first adventure |
I knew it would be difficult to walk a 1,000 miles, but I didn't know HOW difficult. That was surprising. Then the fact that it became easier to hike 15+ miles a day the longer I did it was also surprising.
* What's the stickiest situation you've found yourself in on one of your adventures?
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Sunset in the Apostle Islands |
While kayaking in the Apostle Islands, a microcell storm descended on me while I was trying to paddle across an open channel. The wind and waves were so strong that I had to paddle like a mad woman to just keep from being pushed backward.
* If your journey had a soundtrack, what would it's signature track be?
Kelly Clarkson's "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger"
* What's your dream trip?
My three adventures exploring the Great Lakes have been the fulfillment of my dreams.
* What's the most valuable lesson you've taken away from your travels?
Learning to read the land, the geology, has been a wonderful new skill.
* What pet would you bring on your next trip?
I would probably leave pets at home. Time in the wild is wonderful, and I would worry that bringing a pet along may scare off wildlife.
I nominate Kate & Mike (who walked all the way around Lake Superior) to answer the same questions!
Nice answers - these are difficult questions to answer. We fortunate to have so many great people walk with us on different parts of Lake Superior, but I would have love to have Sigurd Olson wander with us and bring his sense of lake country with him.
ReplyDeleteKate and I did not think about the next days or weeks or months, it was truly one day and one mile at a time and that really intensified our discoveries and the satisfaction. It also meant the next day would be a surprise and that in itself was motivating.
Out toughest situation was on Otter Island when one of the guys paddling with us on the Voyageur canoe fell off a cliff.
The most valuable lesson is not to listen to the loud mouths who have nothing but negative to say, engage with the world and the people and stand for things you believe in like Fresh Water.
Thanks, Mike. Nice to hear from you. All the best to you and Kate on your next adventure!
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