The Finale in Niagara.

The End of the hike is near!

(check out the details by clicking link above)

I'll hike the final 15 miles this Friday and Saturday (October 19 & 20) along the Niagara River Recreational Trail from 

Niagara-on-the-Lake 

to 

Niagara Falls!

Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail Part 1

The Waterfront Trail stretches from the city of Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border in Ontario, Canada. 

I hiked 146 miles of the trail last month from the city of Belleville to Toronto.  

From the Website for the trail:

Do More on the Shore!

The Waterfront Trail has been an instrumental part of Lake Ontario’s regeneration. Along it you will find a 900 km [that's about 560 miles!] celebration of nature and culture - where peaceful countryside, small towns and big cities are linked in bringing Lake Ontario to this province's residents and visitors, alike. Enjoy it for a day. Or make it a summer-long adventure. The Waterfront Trail will let you discover the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River waterfront...and what it can mean to you.

The Waterfront Trail represents a whole new way of thinking about the Lake Ontario and St Lawrence River waterfronts that emphasizes the links between ecological health, economic vitality, and a sense of community. It has helped inspire people to rediscover and improve the lakeshore, and been part of a transformation of under-utilized and environmentally degraded lands to vibrant places with businesses and jobs, parks and recreational facilities, natural habitats, cultural venues and attractions.

The trail is marked with this symbol along the way

Helpful signage at a turn

View from the trail west of Port Hope

I always stopped at fruit stands along the road!

Me and Lake Ontario!

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 13

This has been the busiest month of my Book Tour, and this last leg took me all the way to St. Louis!

Second Year Anniversary of Lake Trek Finale

Today marks the second anniversary of the completion of my hike around Lake Michigan, a journey of just over 1,000 miles.

It is amazing to look back on that adventure. In some ways it feels like just yesterday, and in others so distant. It is nearly miraculous that the book about my adventure has been out for over six months, and I'd like to thank Crickhollow Books of Milwaukee and Philip Martin, my editor, for doing such a fantastic job editing and publishing the book.




I'd like to thank everyone who has embraced this book about "my" lake. A 1000-MILE WALK ON THE BEACH spent four weeks on The Heartland Indie Bestseller List this summer. And I've met hundreds of people on my book tour who share a love and concern for Lake Michigan and all of our Great Lakes.



What happens now? Well, I have many events still on my scheduled book tour (see sidebar here or go to LakeTrek.com). The big finale of my book tour will be a week-long tour of Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago in early December. Then, I will begin training for my NEXT ADVENTURE.

Next year I will undertake another 1000-mile hike,
one that lets me touch all five Great Lakes.

Please "LIKE" my fan page on Facebook (if you haven't already) and tell me about YOUR favorite place on the shores of the Great Lakes. Which Great Lake is YOUR favorite? Which park is YOUR favorite? Where have YOU found the best rocks? Where is YOUR favorite place to walk the beach? What is YOUR biggest concern about our Great Lakes?

I will announce my hiking route soon here and on my Fan Page, so stay tuned!!

Book Review in Women 2 Women Magazine

A big thank you to Leslie Charles who wrote this book review for the upcoming issue of
Women 2 Women Michigan Magazine.
[Reprinted with permission.]

Michigan’s Write Stuff

She might be described as an ordinary middle-class, middle-aged woman but Loreen Niewenhuis is anything but. She’s a woman who had an extraordinary vision, dream, or passionate goal (call it what you will) and unlike most of her counterparts or peers, she fulfilled it.

In her book, “A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach” (Crickhollow Books) Niewenhuis chronicles her journey around Lake Michigan. Think of journey as in “walk.” Yes, step-by-step, she walked around her favorite place in all the world, Lake Michigan.

In a counter clockwise trajectory, she hoofed it, starting and ending at the Navy Pier in Chicago. I must admit my eyes teared up at the end of her trek where, accompanied by her family she was welcomed by admirers and followers of her journey.

Overcoming personal fears, physical challenges (including bleeding blisters and a rogue gall bladder and pancreas attack) this plucky woman stayed true to her passion of getting to know the lakeshore at an intimate level and studying its history so that each reader may emerge enlightened and invigorated.

On all levels, the author delivers, with honesty, gentle authority, and a restrained excitement for what she accomplished. Feeling a little stale, restless, or vaguely unfulfilled? Follow her advice and “live your life as an adventure.”

What is your secret dream, passion, or vision, and will you ever fulfill it? Read this book and take on the challenge Niewenhuis leaves her readers with: “I urge you to find those things and take them on, to launch out on an adventure to find yourself, be it on a weekend or weeks, be it a few miles or a thousand.”

Review her adventures on:

http://Youtube.com/LNiewenhuis

http://LakeTrek.Blogspot.com

C. Leslie Charles, author and speaker, one who pursues everyday life with a passion. http://LeslieCharles.com

http://www.w2wmichigan.com/

Tales from the BOOK TOUR...part 8

The book tour continues in NW Michigan this month. A big thanks to all the venues and organizations who hosted me for an event, and especially to the indie bookstores who have been so supportive of my adventure and book and book tour.