Perimeter: around

Loreen, Amy and Mary © kjm

Earlier on my trip, I had the pleasure of meeting Loreen Niewenhuis, who hiked the perimeter of Lake Michigan and wrote the book, A 1000-Mile Walk on the Beach.  Not content with just Lake Michigan, Loreen is working on trekking all the Great Lakes, and is currently striding along Lake Huron.

When photographing her, she told me about best friends Amy Lukas and Mary Catterlin, who were paddling a homemade dugout canoe (it took Mary 4 years to build) around the perimeter of the lake. I caught up with them on Friday near the Lily Bay boat launch near Sturgeon Bay.

Jenn Gibbons is also on a trek around the lake, which began by rowing solo to raise awareness for her organization Recovery On Water, which promotes healthy exercise for survivors of breast cancer. Sadly, Jenn was assaulted while on her boat in the Michigan UP last week. But amazingly, she is continuing her trip, currently on a bike (and with fellow travelers) until she can once again board her boat in a more populated area. Jenn and I had exchanged emails about being photographed for the project, and I still hope to make her picture when she's back in Chicago.

And I can't forget the women of the Mother Earth Water Walk, who made their way around the lake in 2004 and 2008.  I'm back home now, but am inspired by all these women, and will continue to follow their travels. They make my little drive around the lake look like a jaunt to the grocery store.