Kayaking Artubus Lake

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile journeys exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

I continue to explore the many inland lakes near me. This network of dozens of lakes funnel water into nearby Lake Michigan.

This week, I paddled the multi-lobed Artubus Lake southeast of Traverse City.

There, I saw some of the largest snapping turtles I've ever seen.

It was a gorgeous day for a paddle.

These lakes are full of life and they funnel clean water into the Great Lakes.

Great Lakes Speaker

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

I've had a busy year traveling and speaking about my adventures exploring our magnificent Great Lakes. Last week was my busiest with 6 events in 5 days.

I love sharing my journeys with audiences, and these events were packed.

The venues ranged from Senior Centers, to a community college, to an expo center, and a library. 

My newest talk:  Isle Royale, Wilderness Island
was delivered at two of these packed venues.

Georgetown Connections Senior Center in Jenison, MI 

The big screen at the Wyoming Senior Center

Nice crowd for my Lake Michigan talk

The room fills for my Isle Royale talk in Northville, MI

120 people attended my talk on the islands of our Great Lakes at Schoolcraft College

The room was packed at Schoolcraft College!

My final event was at the Buy Michigan Now festival in Jackson, MI. Hundreds of people came out to support Michigan products and Michigan authors.

I am currently booking engagements for 2020.

See my list of events past and future HERE.

And to inquire about my availability to speak at your event, go HERE.

National Indie Bookstore Day!

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures. 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to 

http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

I took a long training hike today. I'm getting ready to hike Isle Royale next month, leading a team of hikers on a Moosewatch Expedition.

After that hike, I headed into Traverse City

To celebrate National Indie Bookstore Day,

I stopped in at one of my favorite indies, Brilliant Books. I poked around a bit and bought a new novel by Miriam Toews.

They had me sign a few copies of my own books on their shelves (always a pleasure!).

Stop in at your favorite indie today, and support them all year long.

And if you think there's nothing wrong with buying books from Amazon, click on link below to read why:

Amazon is Evil 

Updates on my Adventures!

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Great Lakes Keynote Speaker

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and dynamic speaker. 

She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has authored three books about these adventures: 

A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach  [A Heartland Indie Bestseller]

A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk   [Winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award] 

A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure  [Long-listed for the Chautauqua Prize]

 

To learn more about her work, or to engage her as a speaker, go to http://www.laketrek.com/great-lakes-speaker/

Westminster Annual Art Festival

in Portage, Michigan, chose a theme this year that is close to my heart:

H.O.M.E.S.

That's the acronym used to remember the names of the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior).

Festival organizers (L>R): Co-Pastors Jerry and Janet,  and Sara Vogel 

 Here are a few of the entries into this year's juried art show:

This year was the sixth art festival focusing on the intersection of the environment and the arts.

I was honored to be the keynote speaker for this event.

Hiking Alligator Hill

"Alligator Hill" is a strange name for anything in Michigan. However, when viewed from the top of the nearby Dune Climb, this wooded dune resembles the outline of an alligator's snout.

This area was devastated by a brutal, summer storm in 2015. Thousands of trees were felled in a matter of minutes, and the trails on Alligator Hill were blocked for months by fallen trees.

I recently hiked this fascinating area on a cool and rainy February day.

Deer track

Devastation from the storm is still evident

More info on this area HERE.

Beaches of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan 

I recently moved closer to "my lake," Lake Michigan. Here are some photos from my favorite beaches before and after the ice formed.

 Leland Beach in January (below)

A Shining City on the Lakeshore

Loreen Niewenhuis is an author, adventurer, and Great Lakes speaker. She has completed a trilogy of 1,000-mile adventures exploring the Great Lakes and has written three books about the Great Lakes [A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach *a Heartland Indie Bestseller*, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk *winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award*, and A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure]. To learn more about her work, or to book her as a speaker, go to http://LakeTrek.com

This January, I spent some time in the largest city on the Great Lakes: Chicago.

I love this city in the winter. 

I began my first 1,000-mile Great Lakes Adventure here in the final days of winter in 2009. 

My hike around Lake Michigan began on Navy Pier.

Enjoy these photos from this shining city on the lakeshore.

Ice on the Chicago River

Lake Michigan and the Chicago River

Ice on Navy Pier

Ice on the lake and one of the water intakes for the city

 Chicago's water comes from Lake Michigan.

*Over 30 million people get their drinking water from our Great Lakes.

Navy Pier and the lake

Navy Pier

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

The Empire Bluff Trail is one that I revisit many times each year.  Here it is in late fall.

Enjoy:

2017 is Record Year for Great Lakes Piping Plovers

I once spent a week with piping plovers.

Great Lakes Piping Plover with colorful leg bands

This small shorebird is endangered, so the population is monitored during nesting season. 

I volunteered to help monitor the population nesting on North Manitou Island as part of my 

1,000-Mile Great Lakes Island Adventure.

Piping Plover on the edge of Lake Michigan

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At the lowest point in the 1980s, the population of this diminutive bird had dwindled to just 13 nesting pairs.

Scoping to identify individual plovers

Keeping track of the birds was a meticulous and difficult task. Each bird has a unique set of colorful bands on its legs and that code had to be deciphered in order to know the identity of each individual bird.  

Piping Plover nest 

Putting a protective cage around nests is the best way to keep predators from stealing the eggs.

Protective netting around a nest

2017 was a milestone year for these little birds as a record 76 breeding pairs were recorded this summer.

And, it was the first year that this bird nested on all five Great Lakes since 1955. The Fish and Wildlife Service called this "a remarkable development for the recovery program."

Nesting areas are restricted and protected

These little birds still choose Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (including the Manitou Islands) as their primary nesting site. This year a record 41 pairs nested there.

Tiny plover tracks

Learn more about this record year HERE.