#175-57 Days Around Lake Superior: Conny Simes Solo Sea Kayak Odyssey encore

WEBVTT

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Welcome to Paddling the Blue. With each episode, we talk with guests from the

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Great Lakes and around the globe who are doing cool things related to sea kayaking.

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I'm your host, my name is John Chase, and let's get started paddling the blue.

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Welcome to today's episode of the Paddling the Blue podcast.

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It's been a busy paddling year for me, so I'm bringing you a few episodes from

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the archives. As the season winds down here, look for some fresh content coming your way.

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There's a lot of great stuff in the archives, and I'm really proud of each one.

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It's been really fun for me to dig back in and relive some of these episodes,

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and I'm hoping you're discovering ones that you didn't know about too.

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So today's guest is Connie Symes, formerly Belle.

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She's our encore guest for today's episode of the Paddling the Blue podcast.

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And we recorded this episode in June 2024, where we talked about her 57-day

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circumnavigation of Lake Superior.

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In this episode, she shares the experience of this voyage of self-discovery,

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how this trip helped her manage personal challenges, and she describes how the

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lake changes as you make your way around.

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It's an inspiring tale that makes you want to start planning your own trip.

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And one more note, Connie's about to welcome a new little one into her life,

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possibly right when this episode is about to release, so congratulations in advance.

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We'll hear from Connie in just a moment. James Stevenson and Simon Osborne at

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OnlineSeaKhiking.com continue to produce great content to help you evolve as a paddler and as a coach.

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Visit PaddlingTheBlue.com, click the Courses and Trips link at the top of the

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page, and I hope to see you on the water.

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With that, enjoy today's episode with Connie Symes. Hi, Connie.

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Welcome to Paddling the Blue.

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Hi, John. Thanks for having me. Yeah, I appreciate you taking time to join me

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today. So we are here to talk a little bit about Lake Superior, one of our favorites.

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But tell us, tell our listeners a little bit about you and your personal paddling background?

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So I'm originally from Iowa, so not a lot of water there.

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Just started paddling a little pond in central Iowa and started paddling around

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there and then got invited by a friend to come up to Lake Superior and paddle

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to these amazing Apostle Islands. And ever since then, I was hooked.

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So I moved up in 2013 and started guiding for an outfitter.

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I have been guiding on and off ever since for about eight years now.

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And just always wanted to do a little bit more personal paddling and decided

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to do the lake because the islands were just beautiful and stunning in their

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own. But I wanted to see more of what the lake had to offer. Yeah.

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All right. Now, have you visited all of the apostles?

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I just finally did that last fall.

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There's a couple that are rookeries that you can't actually go to in the summertime.

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You only have kind of the shoulder and winter seasons to go to just to prevent

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people from impacting the nesting habits of these local birds.

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And got out to Gull Island, which is very small.

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Shouldn't probably be too much of an island, honestly, because it's just a big pile of rocks.

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But it was beautiful and stunning and got out to Michigan Island as well.

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So those were my last two that I finally got out of the 23.

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All right. So there's 23 Apostle Islands or 23 islands in the Apostle Archipelago. 22.

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22. Yeah, that would be an edit. Okay.

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I added Madeline twice in my head for some reason. Yeah, 22 islands. All right.

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21 in the National Park. Well, congratulations on making it to your 22nd island on the chain.

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Thank you. That's pretty cool. Now, for those that aren't familiar,

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the Apostle Islands, tell us where they're located so everybody knows.

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So they're on the south shore on the state side of Lake Superior,

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kind of more on the western side, just I believe it's like 80 miles from Duluth.

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So the westernmost part of the lake, Duluth is the biggest port on that side.

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Now, you've had quite a journey here. So you've been at Lost Creek Adventures, Trek and Trail.

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Yeah. So I started at Trek and Trail. I was about five years and then I just

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moved around. And so I decided to go to the nearest ones was Lost Creek for a year.

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And then last year, I was actually at Wilderness Inquiry, which is a nonprofit

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outfitter up here in the Apostles. They do a lot different than the other ones,

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which is amazing and was really fulfilling.

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I've also guided another place, not in the Apostles, in New Zealand in the Marlborough

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Sound. So kind of totally switched it up for one winter.

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Out of the main outfitters up here, I've paddled with most of them.

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So you did summers on Lake Superior and then did the winter in New Zealand.

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Yeah, I did that for one year. I've wanted to do it some other years,

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but then with the pandemic and whatnot, it just made it a lot more difficult to get down there.

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That's a dream destination, certainly.

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Yes. But Lake Superior is not so bad in its own right.

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No, I definitely missed it when I was there. Apostle Islands.

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I know we're going to talk about your circumnavigation of Lake Superior,

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but Apostles is one that we really haven't had a chance to talk about much on

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Paddling the Blues. So tell us a little bit about the Apostle Island Archipelago.

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So, as I said, it's on the western side of Lake Superior. It's a little peninsula,

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the Bayfield Peninsula kind of sticks out.

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It's the northernmost point of Wisconsin.

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There's 22 islands and filled with beautiful pine forests, sandy beaches,

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some really beautiful sandstone formations that are very, very unique.

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Definitely after paddling the whole lake, I can definitely verify that there's

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nothing like these islands anywhere else on the lake.

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There's caves that you can paddle through. It's just stunning all year,

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whether you can hike the trails or paddle especially.

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It's a whole different level when you can paddle through them.

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Yeah, and you've got some beautiful sea caves on the mainland side and then

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also out in the islands as well, correct?

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Yeah, so there's this main formation called Devil's Island Sandstone,

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and it's along the mainland for about three miles, and then it hits Sand Island

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for a little bit, and then it goes.

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All the way out to Devil's Island, which is definitely the northernmost point of Wisconsin,

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and it's maybe a mile long, and about half of it is just stunning orange-brown

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lichen-covered sea caves, And

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then the northernmost point is a beautiful lighthouse that you can see.

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Just really stunning scenery. Very cool.

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How much land area or water area, I guess you'd call it, does the Apostle Island Archipelago occupy?

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So I don't have that right off hand, but I know the farthest island out that

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you can paddle to from mainland is 22 miles out to the farthest island.

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And that's its southern tip. And it's about, I think, 26 miles around the island.

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So I would say probably between Eagle Island and Goal Island,

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which are the farthest west to east, it would have to be probably 30 to 40 miles

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between there and then a good 20,

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to 30 miles north and south at least.

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Yep. So a pretty good amount of land and water area all together.

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And you're not 20-something miles out directly with nothing at land.

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You've got your island hopping all along the way.

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Yeah, there's not, they're not too far. A lot of them are honestly about four

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miles apart and it's just like a perfect little island hop for snacks,

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lunch, and then go to the next one and then camp.

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And it's just really easy to, you know, make your own path and find your own

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little adventure within it all.

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Yeah. And they really are a stunning set of islands. And like you say,

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each one has its own personality.

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You'll find something different on every one of the islands.

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So beautiful area. Yeah.

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Yes, indeed. Good. Now, how did you go from art history and mathematics to paddling?

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That's a good question. So I didn't get into paddling and wasn't really,

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you know, super outdoor adventurous household growing up.

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So once I finished college, it kind of was not the greatest time,

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a little bit of a recession time, 2008 to 2012 area.

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And I had a job and I lost it within a month of graduating. And so I needed

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something to occupy my time and I found paddling that way.

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And so you went from a little pond in Iowa and decided to make your way up to

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the biggest pond, Lake Superior.

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Yes, yes. The biggest by area.

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It was definitely a switch. And then from there, you guided,

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you mentioned for eight years, or have guided for eight years.

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And then when did you do your circumnavigation of Lake Superior?

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So I did that in 2022. So, you know, a year and a half ago now.

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I had the summer off before guiding as well.

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So 2021, I didn't guide as well and just wanted to do personal stuff for a little

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bit, take a break, deal with some health things that were going on and,

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figured I should probably, you know, check this off my bucket list before too

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long, just in case anything was getting worse.

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And so tell us about the trip itself. Give us kind of the initial overview and

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then we'll dig into the trip in detail.

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Awesome. So I started at Little Sand Bay, which is in the Apostle Islands,

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not quite the northernmost point, but pretty far up on the peninsula.

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And then I went counterclockwise.

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They didn't really have much of a reason for that. Besides, I know I wanted

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to finish my trip doing the sea caves on Myers Beach, the mainland caves.

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And even though I've seen them thousands of times guiding, because that's kind

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of our bread and butter trip when you're doing prophet guiding out here.

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I just that was home to me and so I wanted to finish somewhere that just totally

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was like I am back I am here I I completed this okay so I went counterclockwise,

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went through the Keweenaw waterway and then went down and into Whitefish Bay,

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and didn't go into any of the three bays Thunder Bay Nipigan and Black Bay I

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didn't do those so why'd you go through just out of curiosity Why did you go

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through the Keweenaw channel as opposed to going all the way around the Keweenaw Peninsula?

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A few reasons. I had some friends tell me stories about going around it.

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And sometimes you get really stuck out there because it is just so exposed and

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it's really, you know, swings out into the lake pretty far.

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And so I just heard of people getting stranded and taking way longer than they wanted.

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And then also technically it is an island. It's Copper Island.

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And so that's where I kind of started my thought on, okay, I'm just going to

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focus on circumnavigating the lake and then I can come back to these islands.

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So like Copper Island, the Slade Island, Mishapicotton, Isle Royale,

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those are all going to be side adventures for later on in life.

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Gotcha. Okay. All right.

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Now we will make sure that, just for reference, I'm going to put links in the

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show notes to a map of Lake Superior so folks who are listening and aren't familiar

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with Lake Superior can kind of follow along about some of the places that we're talking about.

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All right. So you're doing the counterclockwise tour.

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And so tell us what you're experiencing along the way. So as you leave Little

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Sand Bay, you know, what are you seeing along the way?

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So along the South Shore is a lot of sandstone, really erosive cliffs,

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most sandy beaches. If they are rocky, they're really small rocks,

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you know, nothing too rough.

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Sometimes there are a little bit of slab sandstone kind of rock that you can

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just gently nudge up to and it should be shallow enough. Nothing too steep.

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If you're not by the cliffs or like steep for landing, it is very shallow approaches.

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So nothing too crazy as far as you know not being able to find a spot to land

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it's pretty accessible here,

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going up to you know through the waterway i went under the only bridge that

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i did the whole entire lake because it's a lift bridge connecting

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the mainland to copper island and saw the transport out to isle royal the boat

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the airplanes that was really

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an interesting kind of traffic situation there.

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And then as I continued through the waterway toward Soussaint going eastern

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along the south shore, kind of found some more rocky little outcroppings of

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islands along Marquette.

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And then toward Munising, there's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

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So it's similar to the Apostle Islands in that it's sandstone,

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but it's a little bit lighter and has a lot more interesting banding of colors

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along it and they are a lot taller and so,

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thankfully I had friends join for a day paddle there to show me all the nice

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beautiful sights and caves there

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and then after that was some beautiful huge sand dunes by Grand Marais Michigan

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I you know I wish I could get out and hop up and slide down on they're just so tall,

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And along the way, too, there's just so many lighthouses. I know there's one

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near Grand Marais that I actually got out and climbed up real quick to get just

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a different view and stretch the legs while I was taking a snack break.

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And then, yeah, that continues really all the way on the state side to Whitefish

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Bay where there's just, you know, little, beautiful little coves of sand beach. It's stunning.

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How long was your circumnavigation? How many miles and what kind of time?

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I did in 57 days. I left. June 22nd and finished August 17th.

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And I estimated I did 1,134 and a half miles roughly. So it's about 1,800 kilometers.

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And over those 57 days, how many off water days? Or is that 57 days paddling or 57 days total?

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That's 57 days total. I had eight off days.

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So technically only paddled 49 days, whether it was due to a couple weather

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days, you know, 30 mile an hour, 11 foot waves predicted or resupplying or just

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found a really beautiful beach,

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or just, yeah, wanted to spend a land day to,

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just see Sault Ste.

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Marie and a few other areas and just not have to paddle for a day or two.

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So it was kind of nice to have some off days.

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There was definitely a couple where I was stuck in Marathon,

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which is all the way most north, northeast part of the lake.

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After the big remote Puckasaw area, I had to spend a couple days there because

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my package was stuck in Toronto for my resupply.

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And so I just hung out in this little peninsula for a few days and honestly

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did not see another soul unless I really wanted to that day.

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And I just mainly hung out and did my own thing.

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Along the way, you see a lot of different types of landscapes.

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So you start out from the sandstone in Little Sand Bay, and then you move along

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and you get through the Keweenaw Peninsula area, and you get to Pictured Rocks,

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as one of the other locations is going to pick on that.

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So tell us how that landscape, the Pictured Rocks, was so much different than

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some of the other areas up until then.

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And give us a visual of what the Pictured Rocks are like.

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So up until then, there's those golden sand beaches with really shallow approaches

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and nothing too tall of cliffs.

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You know, the Apostle Islands, I think they're maybe 60 feet tall.

00:16:29.497 --> 00:16:34.285
And then as you get around past east of the Keweenaw you get to Marquette and

00:16:34.285 --> 00:16:37.496
there's just kind of more kind of black rock,

00:16:38.169 --> 00:16:42.195
you know pebbles but not like too big of rocks but some of them do get a little

00:16:42.195 --> 00:16:45.188
bit more slab like in that and then,

00:16:45.803 --> 00:16:49.065
yeah then you get all of a sudden and it was really interesting as I approached

00:16:49.065 --> 00:16:52.455
pictured rocks it was really foggy the day before and so I didn't get to see

00:16:52.455 --> 00:16:55.788
too much like around me and so it kind of,

00:16:56.565 --> 00:17:00.235
like once it cleared it just was like wow there's some really tall cliffs here

00:17:00.235 --> 00:17:01.639
and I've been there before but,

00:17:02.203 --> 00:17:06.875
I you know I got close to Grand Island and whatnot and it was just they're hundreds

00:17:06.875 --> 00:17:10.885
of feet tall I mean I could be over exaggerating that but it felt like they're

00:17:10.885 --> 00:17:15.425
100 feet tall and there's just huge caves like arches as.

00:17:16.495 --> 00:17:20.625
Is probably a better way to put it so there's huge arches it's like a golden

00:17:20.625 --> 00:17:24.565
light colored sandstone and it's kind of banded a little bit and with black

00:17:24.565 --> 00:17:25.877
and other colors and then

00:17:26.272 --> 00:17:29.965
lichen as well but then And sometimes you'll just see these areas where the

00:17:29.965 --> 00:17:31.984
water is leaking through and it just kind of,

00:17:32.646 --> 00:17:35.625
leaks out these beautiful stains of the rock.

00:17:35.625 --> 00:17:40.305
And so there will be like a turquoise blue next to this orange and yellow and

00:17:40.305 --> 00:17:45.015
black. And it's just streaking down the cliffs as well as them being banded

00:17:45.015 --> 00:17:47.565
horizontally. It's really, really beautiful.

00:17:47.885 --> 00:17:49.620
Yeah, it is. It is quite stunning.

00:17:50.489 --> 00:17:54.447
Now, you go from there and you transition completely out of the,

00:17:54.447 --> 00:18:00.085
you go from sandstone to pebbles to slabs to 100 plus foot cliffs.

00:18:00.277 --> 00:18:01.716
And then you go to sand dunes.

00:18:02.283 --> 00:18:05.637
Yeah. Yes. And I didn't really land there because it was just,

00:18:06.037 --> 00:18:07.377
they met the lake so well.

00:18:07.697 --> 00:18:12.417
Like, you could barely land if you wanted to, not even a boat length on it.

00:18:12.417 --> 00:18:16.307
And they're just really majestic. And I think right at the end,

00:18:16.307 --> 00:18:19.347
or right before them, actually, was this beautiful lighthouse.

00:18:19.347 --> 00:18:25.067
So you just have this like stunning, bright white with red roof kind of lighthouse

00:18:25.067 --> 00:18:28.017
structures. And also you turn the corner a little bit and there's just these

00:18:28.017 --> 00:18:33.937
huge sand dunes and just nothing, no houses, nothing else, kind of human insight.

00:18:34.799 --> 00:18:38.617
And did you do this trip solo for the most part? Yeah, I did it solo.

00:18:38.617 --> 00:18:42.857
I definitely had some support on land. My fiance met me a few times.

00:18:42.857 --> 00:18:48.293
And then I paddled with a few day trips with friends that met me,

00:18:48.508 --> 00:18:51.354
friends I've never met a couple times, but new friends.

00:18:51.882 --> 00:18:55.537
And then my last day, I had some friends join me for the last stretch.

00:18:55.537 --> 00:19:00.417
And then I made sure to do my last few miles alone, though. But through Canada,

00:19:01.057 --> 00:19:02.737
I didn't see anyone I knew.

00:19:03.337 --> 00:19:06.187
I did connect with a few people that I talked to beforehand,

00:19:06.187 --> 00:19:10.743
like an outfitter that I was connected with, naturally superior outside of Wawa.

00:19:11.218 --> 00:19:16.047
Yeah. Oh, also Zach Cruzen's up at Rossport. I've connected with him over social

00:19:16.047 --> 00:19:17.867
media and stuff, but never met him before.

00:19:17.867 --> 00:19:21.617
And so it's really awesome to finally meet people that I've been chatting and

00:19:21.617 --> 00:19:23.897
be like, wow, your place is so cool to paddle up there.

00:19:23.897 --> 00:19:28.147
I can't wait to be there. And could I stay the night and stuff like that?

00:19:28.147 --> 00:19:32.547
And yeah, it was just really interesting. I think it was 25 days that I was

00:19:32.547 --> 00:19:36.837
in Canada and I just, yeah, didn't see anyone I knew, which was very interesting.

00:19:37.357 --> 00:19:40.326
That's pretty cool. That's quite an experience.

00:19:40.881 --> 00:19:44.857
So now after you go from the dunes, you mentioned you kind of continuing to

00:19:44.857 --> 00:19:48.887
head east, you go through Whitefish Bay and then you start to get to the Canadian

00:19:48.887 --> 00:19:52.116
side. So what's it like to be able to cross from the U.S. to Canada?

00:19:52.798 --> 00:19:57.694
One, I tried to go from, I wanted to originally go from Whitefish Point to Coppermine

00:19:57.694 --> 00:20:01.204
Point, which is a 15-mile crossing across the shipping channel.

00:20:01.204 --> 00:20:06.704
But the lake had other ideas that day. It started to slowly build from the northwest.

00:20:07.404 --> 00:20:12.194
So that's a really, you know, a couple hundred miles of fetch coming through

00:20:12.194 --> 00:20:15.925
to this little bay and narrowing to 15 miles only.

00:20:16.564 --> 00:20:22.317
And so I had to add in about four or five more days, I believe, in Whitefish Bay.

00:20:22.520 --> 00:20:25.714
And that was interesting paddling to say the least in there.

00:20:25.714 --> 00:20:29.954
Just always seemed to be calm when I left. And then all of a sudden build when

00:20:29.954 --> 00:20:33.440
I was halfway through my day paddling and whatnot.

00:20:34.061 --> 00:20:39.516
And then on the Canadian side, I crossed from what is it? Point Iroquois lighthouse.

00:20:39.881 --> 00:20:43.314
And then just to kind of a no point spot across.

00:20:43.314 --> 00:20:48.284
And this is right after COVID, you know, two years, but still they're,

00:20:48.284 --> 00:20:53.583
you know, restricting access and whatnot. And remote border crossings were still

00:20:54.001 --> 00:20:57.130
not happening or were almost going to happen.

00:20:57.426 --> 00:21:02.964
And so I was calling before and all of that to just see what my options were.

00:21:03.632 --> 00:21:09.772
And so I filled out you know an app online and then once I got across I called and,

00:21:10.283 --> 00:21:13.884
they let me in but I definitely could have done it a little smoother but they

00:21:13.884 --> 00:21:19.302
did let me in and allow me in and give me a you know a number to reference for my entry and whatnot,

00:21:19.871 --> 00:21:22.944
but yeah I just I hung out in this bay as I made the phone call so I'm like

00:21:22.944 --> 00:21:26.224
I'm not touching Canada yet but I'm just hanging out making sure I'm allowed

00:21:26.224 --> 00:21:29.739
and then I'm sure enough they let me in that was about a four mile crossing.

00:21:29.739 --> 00:21:33.474
So I was okay if I had to go back and figure something else out.

00:21:33.474 --> 00:21:39.314
But thankfully, I did everything right to let them or to have them let me through.

00:21:40.192 --> 00:21:43.559
Now, yeah, if you had if you had taken that original path of planning the 50

00:21:43.559 --> 00:21:46.716
mile crossing and get across, it's harder to just turn around and go back.

00:21:47.714 --> 00:21:51.756
Yeah. Yeah. And sorry, I should not say it. 15. So not 15. Yeah,

00:21:51.756 --> 00:21:54.056
15. But yeah, that would have been harder.

00:21:55.398 --> 00:21:59.990
So once you get over to the Canadian side, how does the landscape then change again as you get there?

00:22:00.697 --> 00:22:07.096
So the first place that I actually landed was just probably softball size rocks

00:22:07.096 --> 00:22:08.666
and boulders just kind of everywhere,

00:22:08.666 --> 00:22:11.645
like a little rough on the boat and ankles as you're trying to.

00:22:11.965 --> 00:22:15.256
I had my boat loaded for about three weeks of food, definitely then,

00:22:15.256 --> 00:22:19.436
because I got reapplied right before I left the States.

00:22:19.436 --> 00:22:23.586
And so it was really heavy and just trying to slowly pull it up.

00:22:23.586 --> 00:22:28.899
And then I would just unload it as quick as possible and then carry it up farther when it was empty.

00:22:29.549 --> 00:22:34.407
And so that kind of happened throughout most of Canada or most of the eastern

00:22:34.407 --> 00:22:36.520
side, I should say, was just these boulders.

00:22:36.851 --> 00:22:41.921
Some one spot near Lake Superior Provincial Park, which is the most eastern part of the lake.

00:22:42.321 --> 00:22:46.767
There's just huge, like almost volleyball size boulders and just on top of each

00:22:46.767 --> 00:22:48.437
other. Like, I don't know how they

00:22:48.437 --> 00:22:52.660
stayed there without just falling down constantly, but it was just stum.

00:22:52.799 --> 00:22:54.669
Launch and land for sure.

00:22:55.035 --> 00:23:00.037
But thankfully, I did my own keel strip before, and it definitely took a beating

00:23:00.037 --> 00:23:03.707
through the entire trip, but definitely protected my kayak a lot more.

00:23:04.047 --> 00:23:08.252
How did you plan the trip and determine the general areas that you thought you'd stay?

00:23:08.815 --> 00:23:12.417
So thankfully, I had some great resources along the Bayfield Peninsula.

00:23:12.417 --> 00:23:16.197
There's a couple of friends of mine that have actually done the lake before.

00:23:16.197 --> 00:23:22.157
Some were 14 years ago, and then one was a couple of years before me, maybe five years.

00:23:22.157 --> 00:23:25.527
So I got to connect with them and look at their maps.

00:23:25.527 --> 00:23:29.227
We, you know, have the main, it's like a sailing chart, you know,

00:23:29.547 --> 00:23:34.737
80 some pages long of all the different sections of little flags where,

00:23:34.737 --> 00:23:38.380
you know, like, oh, this is a sandy spot. Oh, this was rocky.

00:23:38.612 --> 00:23:42.627
This was really populated kind of stuff like that. And talk to them.

00:23:42.627 --> 00:23:46.147
And then I talked to, I think you interviewed them before Tracy Lynn Martin

00:23:46.467 --> 00:23:48.938
when she was doing her Great Lakes record. Record.

00:23:49.106 --> 00:23:53.037
I actually met her when she was doing that, just randomly on a day trip guiding.

00:23:53.037 --> 00:23:56.457
And so I got connected to her through that and then was like,

00:23:56.457 --> 00:23:57.758
oh, hey, I'm going to do the lake.

00:23:58.240 --> 00:24:02.847
Would you mind chatting about things and, you know, tent and general areas and,

00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:07.017
lowdowns of, you know, these sections and what to watch out for?

00:24:07.623 --> 00:24:11.653
It's good to have good friends and especially folks that have come before you and done the trip.

00:24:12.332 --> 00:24:15.027
Now, you mentioned Lake Superior Provincial Parks on the most eastern,

00:24:15.347 --> 00:24:17.742
eastern most end of the park or of the lake.

00:24:18.357 --> 00:24:20.848
And you go through that area and through the whole Puckasaw coast.

00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:22.780
Tell us what that area was like.

00:24:23.477 --> 00:24:27.221
From Lake Superior Provincial Park, it was absolutely stunning.

00:24:27.221 --> 00:24:30.771
A lot of canoeists, surprisingly, but there's a lot of islands,

00:24:30.771 --> 00:24:32.748
so it gets really protected in some areas.

00:24:33.137 --> 00:24:36.312
And there's some private islands and whatnot where there's little houses.

00:24:36.806 --> 00:24:41.341
It was just absolutely stunning. There's a certain part there that is Warehouse

00:24:41.341 --> 00:24:45.911
Island and Chair Island. They're kind of old remnants of the volcanoes there

00:24:46.251 --> 00:24:47.760
that are in Lake Superior.

00:24:48.115 --> 00:24:53.321
So there's like little rims that you see like popping up and just really roller

00:24:53.321 --> 00:24:56.961
coaster kind of views underneath you with the clear water you're just paddling

00:24:56.961 --> 00:24:58.526
along and you're like oh there's like three,

00:24:59.111 --> 00:25:03.061
feet underneath of me and all of a sudden just drops in this huge crevasse and

00:25:03.061 --> 00:25:07.371
you just know like there's some history there with geology and whatnot but it

00:25:07.371 --> 00:25:09.697
actually like made my stomach drop on a few times,

00:25:10.330 --> 00:25:15.763
just because i had perfect days paddling there um and then once i get into Wawa.

00:25:16.413 --> 00:25:20.621
And then, yeah, along the Pakistan, there's some sandy beaches, but it's not much.

00:25:20.621 --> 00:25:26.549
It's still kind of that rocky, not as steep of areas too, but just absolutely,

00:25:27.071 --> 00:25:30.194
serene location where there's some like kind of,

00:25:30.810 --> 00:25:34.194
I don't know the rock quite really, but it's kind of more like granite,

00:25:34.792 --> 00:25:40.272
you know, the Canadian shield style of rock where trees are just growing right to the.

00:25:42.151 --> 00:25:48.381
Some spots I could find no one else, no presence of human, and just would stop

00:25:48.381 --> 00:25:50.761
and listen to like utter silence.

00:25:50.761 --> 00:25:57.251
And it just was really, really moving. And I didn't think that places like that

00:25:57.251 --> 00:25:59.753
actually still existed. And it was really cool.

00:26:00.331 --> 00:26:03.891
It was amazing. But I was going against the natural flow of people.

00:26:03.891 --> 00:26:09.151
Most people start up in marathon and go from north to south on the Pukka Saw.

00:26:09.151 --> 00:26:15.681
So every day I did see other kayakers just because I was going against the natural

00:26:15.681 --> 00:26:17.562
flow of traffic. Ah, okay.

00:26:18.003 --> 00:26:21.614
But I think if I went the right way, yeah. Then you wouldn't have seen anybody.

00:26:22.265 --> 00:26:27.411
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I've been to read a lot of folks that have done similar

00:26:27.411 --> 00:26:31.542
areas or have done that area and said that they've gone days without seeing a person.

00:26:32.148 --> 00:26:36.671
Yeah, that didn't happen to me until I was up by the kind of the Rossport Island

00:26:36.671 --> 00:26:38.711
set, you know, near Black Bay.

00:26:38.711 --> 00:26:43.451
Nipigun Bay that's where I probably went a week without actually talking to

00:26:43.451 --> 00:26:48.181
anyone or anything like that like I saw some old you know little cabins with

00:26:48.181 --> 00:26:51.465
saunas and maybe some boats way off in the distance.

00:26:52.671 --> 00:26:54.153
The solitude you've been seeking right?

00:26:54.865 --> 00:26:58.102
Yeah. And I, again, had some great weather there.

00:26:58.102 --> 00:27:03.292
And so instead of having to take more of a sheltered route, I was able to take

00:27:03.292 --> 00:27:09.672
the farthest southern side of those island sets, the exposed sides of the lake and just really,

00:27:10.165 --> 00:27:14.372
you know, island hop, you know, not too far of distances, but really get a sight

00:27:14.372 --> 00:27:17.155
that side of the islands that most people don't get to see.

00:27:17.427 --> 00:27:19.719
Tell us about the people you experienced along the way.

00:27:20.662 --> 00:27:24.232
I, you know, met some really amazing people. I had definitely,

00:27:24.232 --> 00:27:26.709
you know, had my support system meet me along the way.

00:27:27.086 --> 00:27:30.465
There's some really great people I met up in Lake Superior Provincial Park.

00:27:30.755 --> 00:27:35.262
Again, I was paddling against the natural flow, mostly, and saw some other sea

00:27:35.262 --> 00:27:38.272
kayakers. I figured I'd like, okay, I should chat with someone.

00:27:38.272 --> 00:27:42.162
It's been probably a week since I've talked to someone. And so let's go talk

00:27:42.162 --> 00:27:44.983
to these nice looking people. And they have some really nice kayaks.

00:27:45.586 --> 00:27:49.172
And just, yeah, they were just doing a couple day trip. And then actually they

00:27:49.172 --> 00:27:51.122
told me that they were going to do pukka saw.

00:27:51.122 --> 00:27:54.792
And I was like, well, that's actually where I'm going next. And sure enough,

00:27:54.792 --> 00:27:59.722
they walk in a few days later when I'm having dinner with David up at Naturally

00:27:59.722 --> 00:28:01.022
Superior with all of his guides.

00:28:01.022 --> 00:28:04.932
And they walk in, they're like, Connie, who are like everyone else is like,

00:28:04.932 --> 00:28:06.450
who are these people? I'm like, I know them.

00:28:07.002 --> 00:28:12.644
And then we, so I met them there and then I actually met them paddling the Pukka Saw again.

00:28:13.352 --> 00:28:16.942
Like that's where we were on land, but I actually met them paddling and swapped

00:28:16.942 --> 00:28:20.318
some maps and some knowledge of the rest of their route and.

00:28:21.154 --> 00:28:25.228
But overall had really great, you know, interchanges of people,

00:28:25.228 --> 00:28:28.378
but I didn't really go out of my way too much to talk to people.

00:28:28.378 --> 00:28:31.138
But, you know, people would come up and be like, oh, hey, where are you going?

00:28:31.138 --> 00:28:34.937
You know, just natural chat. And I would usually just kind of downplay it for,

00:28:35.181 --> 00:28:39.388
I felt like more safety reasons and not saying like what I'm doing exactly or

00:28:39.388 --> 00:28:41.688
where I was going. I'm like, oh, I'm going roughly here.

00:28:42.094 --> 00:28:45.758
But I wouldn't say like, oh, yeah, because it's day 30 of this trip.

00:28:45.758 --> 00:28:48.258
I would just be like, yeah, I'm just staying over here for the night.

00:28:48.258 --> 00:28:52.868
It's really nice. And I paddled. I just stayed here. So give them little suggestions

00:28:52.868 --> 00:28:58.241
and whatnot. But overall, it kind of kept to myself more than I think most people.

00:28:58.750 --> 00:29:01.780
Now, what did you find most unexpected along the way?

00:29:02.393 --> 00:29:07.928
So I did kind of people say I did kind of rush it, which I didn't feel like I was.

00:29:07.928 --> 00:29:11.617
It just was, you know, time of the year. I have like 14 hours to paddle and,

00:29:12.296 --> 00:29:16.748
why be on land and whatnot. But there's some unexpected sections like Whitefish

00:29:16.748 --> 00:29:21.799
Bay was, I looked through my journals earlier and I wrote spiteful.

00:29:22.778 --> 00:29:26.247
I feel bad, but I like maybe I should give it another shot. But I just,

00:29:26.653 --> 00:29:30.838
again, it was that every time I left, it was calm. And then as soon as I got

00:29:30.838 --> 00:29:34.498
far enough out, it would just start really quickly picking up.

00:29:34.498 --> 00:29:36.603
And it's just that chop that's really rough.

00:29:36.980 --> 00:29:41.548
Overall, you know, Puck-A-Saw is stunning, like Superior Provincial Park was.

00:29:41.548 --> 00:29:47.051
But again, those Rossport Island sets, like Zach up there told me about this

00:29:47.312 --> 00:29:52.998
50 plus day that, or 50 plus day expedition that he did up there to make the

00:29:52.998 --> 00:29:54.298
little guidebook up there.

00:29:54.298 --> 00:29:57.808
And he didn't even touch everything. You know, he didn't see every single part

00:29:57.808 --> 00:30:03.258
of that. And that's just amazing that you can spend that many days and not see everything.

00:30:03.658 --> 00:30:07.078
Yeah. Let's really, let's start to get into that area. So you've gone to the

00:30:07.078 --> 00:30:11.738
Puckasaw Coast, you've passed Marathon, you start to get into the area that

00:30:11.738 --> 00:30:13.812
you're referring to. So tell us a little bit more about that.

00:30:14.427 --> 00:30:17.858
So that area, how to describe it? Let's think.

00:30:18.498 --> 00:30:21.921
This is kind of the northwest side of Superior, right?

00:30:22.720 --> 00:30:28.388
Yeah, northwest side, some really big islands that if you just glance at the

00:30:28.388 --> 00:30:32.360
map that you wouldn't know they're islands, but some of them are just really massive area.

00:30:32.673 --> 00:30:37.518
And there's so many little ones and it's all, again, pretty rocky,

00:30:37.518 --> 00:30:42.648
more Canadian shield like where it's kind of a dark gray, blacker rock.

00:30:42.648 --> 00:30:47.168
Actually, in some areas, I was told that my compass, my deck compass,

00:30:47.168 --> 00:30:51.468
might have some weird little spinning axe going on because it's going to just

00:30:51.468 --> 00:30:56.138
be hitting that iron and just really alter the magnetism in my compass.

00:30:56.422 --> 00:31:01.858
So it just kind of that kind of shaly on the rocks, pine trees right to the,

00:31:02.358 --> 00:31:07.048
lake. And then there's some remnants, you know, the First Nations up there,

00:31:07.048 --> 00:31:11.113
too, with their pukkasaw pits and whatnot, and definitely respected those.

00:31:11.560 --> 00:31:16.654
I didn't really see any of those just because I didn't want to impact that area personally.

00:31:17.077 --> 00:31:21.688
I saw some from the lake at a distance and respected them that way,

00:31:21.688 --> 00:31:26.658
but did not want to go on to land and impact it and perhaps damage it.

00:31:26.658 --> 00:31:31.918
But yeah, it's just beautiful. I've walked on lichen spots that were just cushy.

00:31:32.238 --> 00:31:37.910
It was like three inches of lichen and moss on the land and then agate beaches,

00:31:38.457 --> 00:31:41.975
which I haven't really found agates until this trip. and it was really awesome.

00:31:42.427 --> 00:31:48.148
It's just really interesting, like old saunas, old forestry camps that people

00:31:48.148 --> 00:31:51.477
just, you know, they say, you know, here's a journal, write your...

00:31:52.179 --> 00:31:55.643
Days that you're here and whatnot, share your story, but like just leave it

00:31:55.643 --> 00:32:01.803
as you found it or better and respect it and you're free to use this area and it's really awesome.

00:32:02.425 --> 00:32:06.923
So you mentioned a couple words earlier, Puckasaw Pits. So share with us,

00:32:06.923 --> 00:32:08.793
with our listeners, what's a Puckasaw Pit?

00:32:09.362 --> 00:32:15.713
So from what I understand, people don't really know the real reason for them.

00:32:16.061 --> 00:32:19.733
But some people say it's for cooking.

00:32:19.733 --> 00:32:27.953
Some people think it is for sheltering, but it's mainly this dome or semi-circular

00:32:27.953 --> 00:32:32.479
area that is then built up with rocks around it.

00:32:32.955 --> 00:32:36.393
And since they've been there for so long, they're just covered with moss and

00:32:36.393 --> 00:32:38.723
lichen, at least the ones that I saw from a distance.

00:32:38.723 --> 00:32:45.073
And just sacred spaces for First Nations and just really spread out through

00:32:45.073 --> 00:32:49.111
the Pukasaw and then, of course, all the way up into the Rossport Islands. set.

00:32:49.933 --> 00:32:52.333
So they're just, they're, they're pits that have been dug into the,

00:32:52.333 --> 00:32:55.458
into the cobblestones to be used for a number of purposes, right?

00:32:56.171 --> 00:32:59.841
Yeah, and then, yeah, then they take the rocks that they pulled out and stack

00:32:59.841 --> 00:33:03.097
it along the edges to create a little bit of a wall.

00:33:03.660 --> 00:33:09.004
So back up to the Rossport Islands. So what else, what else was so fascinating about those?

00:33:09.590 --> 00:33:13.641
Just the solitude was amazing. There's some islands that were so close together

00:33:13.641 --> 00:33:15.586
that it was actually like a river channel.

00:33:15.917 --> 00:33:20.683
And so all of a sudden, you know, the lake is stunning and beautiful and bright blue.

00:33:21.118 --> 00:33:25.961
And this was like kind of a milky, pale or blue color through,

00:33:25.961 --> 00:33:27.604
I think it was Fleur Island.

00:33:27.772 --> 00:33:31.092
Just had this interesting little river channel.

00:33:31.539 --> 00:33:36.651
These tiny little islands that have no way to land on them because the pine

00:33:36.651 --> 00:33:38.964
trees are just so dense all the way to the edges.

00:33:39.445 --> 00:33:42.685
Beautiful eagles swooping around and fishing.

00:33:43.033 --> 00:33:47.261
Interesting little peninsulas coming out in very dynamic waters.

00:33:47.261 --> 00:33:51.809
I think I had the biggest swells there just due to the depth changes so quickly.

00:33:52.088 --> 00:33:56.851
And then, yeah, they exposed. So it's opposite. Like if you go Whitefish Bay

00:33:56.851 --> 00:33:58.671
is all the way in the southeast corner.

00:33:58.671 --> 00:34:04.281
It's going all the way directionally northwest of Whitefish Bay.

00:34:04.281 --> 00:34:09.121
So it's a pretty long fetch there. So when you do get waves, they can get pretty big.

00:34:09.121 --> 00:34:13.231
But thankfully, it all happened overnight. So the swells were just really beautiful

00:34:13.231 --> 00:34:19.405
and splashing off these old, you know, towering peninsulas that would gently slope into the lake.

00:34:19.795 --> 00:34:22.494
Sounds beautiful. Now, did you get to Norivia?

00:34:23.175 --> 00:34:26.301
I did not. Zach told me about it, but I did not.

00:34:26.621 --> 00:34:30.866
I think I was out a little farther than where that's located. Okay.

00:34:31.051 --> 00:34:33.691
You mentioned you went on the outside, so you didn't get a chance to get to

00:34:33.691 --> 00:34:36.261
the inside of all that. Yeah. All right. Yeah.

00:34:38.776 --> 00:34:44.608
What did you enjoy most about the experience? I really enjoyed kind of planning

00:34:44.608 --> 00:34:49.268
my days and like doing what I wanted and not having like a structure.

00:34:49.268 --> 00:34:53.169
Like, all right, I'm going to paddle and then never had a big,

00:34:53.285 --> 00:34:54.838
you know, I must get to this point.

00:34:54.838 --> 00:35:00.708
Obviously, certain areas you have to plan around to like the cities or the landscape

00:35:00.708 --> 00:35:02.018
and where you actually have to make it.

00:35:02.018 --> 00:35:06.088
But I had a very loose plan and just went with what the lake gave me.

00:35:06.088 --> 00:35:12.758
And I just, I had, I think, a very nice and beautiful experience of the lake.

00:35:12.758 --> 00:35:17.898
I did have some, you know, interesting waves and interesting and scary moments.

00:35:17.898 --> 00:35:21.888
But overall, I had a beautiful summer with it.

00:35:21.888 --> 00:35:27.078
Everything blew mostly overnight. So I would just get swells the next day and

00:35:27.078 --> 00:35:31.438
just really just took in what the lake could give me and not fight it.

00:35:31.438 --> 00:35:36.343
And found that to be very peaceful and just very fulfilling in that like,

00:35:36.848 --> 00:35:39.518
all right, I, you know, I've guided so many years.

00:35:39.518 --> 00:35:44.378
I can read this a little bit better than I thought and that I could actually

00:35:44.378 --> 00:35:49.318
do something like this because I had some health things going on before the.

00:35:49.918 --> 00:35:51.048
Year before and whatnot.

00:35:51.048 --> 00:35:54.608
And I wasn't sure if I could do something like this. I honestly thought I would

00:35:54.608 --> 00:35:59.188
probably be going to urgent care or something at some point during this trip

00:35:59.188 --> 00:36:02.992
and whether just sidelining or actually not completing it.

00:36:03.317 --> 00:36:08.268
So I was really proud. And I've actually have never felt physically better than

00:36:08.268 --> 00:36:13.638
during this trip, which is crazy because I did, you know, over 30 miles a day some days.

00:36:13.638 --> 00:36:16.848
And that's, you know, pretty taxing on the body. But overall,

00:36:16.848 --> 00:36:23.378
just really something about the water, sunshine, repetitive moments of the paddle

00:36:23.378 --> 00:36:26.496
just really was soothing to my body and.

00:36:27.297 --> 00:36:28.783
My spirit as well, obviously.

00:36:29.427 --> 00:36:33.098
So you've mentioned your illness a couple of times, but let's take an opportunity

00:36:33.098 --> 00:36:36.643
to talk a little bit about that illness. What is it and how is it affecting you?

00:36:37.380 --> 00:36:41.931
So I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and it's a hypermobile version.

00:36:41.931 --> 00:36:47.861
And so with that, it's a different collagen buildup and makeup.

00:36:47.861 --> 00:36:52.841
And so I'm really stretchy and really flexible, but that also can cause organs

00:36:52.841 --> 00:36:59.118
to stretch, causes pinching of nerves pretty easy, lots of tendon tears that I've experienced.

00:36:59.356 --> 00:37:05.759
There's also like normal homeostasis with your like balance of your sleep or

00:37:06.124 --> 00:37:10.931
like intake, outtake, all that stuff. It kind of really messes with all your systems.

00:37:11.128 --> 00:37:15.131
So it's really interesting. Yeah, it sounds like it's quite complicated for

00:37:15.131 --> 00:37:16.928
especially if you're in a wilderness situation.

00:37:17.791 --> 00:37:22.865
Yeah. And so I did, I have taken a few years off of actual active guiding with that.

00:37:23.237 --> 00:37:29.172
And so my trip kind of was me seeing where I was at and proving to myself,

00:37:29.172 --> 00:37:32.496
is this make it worse or does it make it better?

00:37:32.739 --> 00:37:36.112
And honestly, during my trip, I felt the best I've ever felt.

00:37:36.344 --> 00:37:40.582
But within weeks coming back, I definitely had those post-expedition blues,

00:37:40.582 --> 00:37:46.652
but also just noticed my body definitely feeling different effects of just not

00:37:47.032 --> 00:37:48.733
being as active and whatnot.

00:37:48.844 --> 00:37:52.589
So I wonder what it was during the expedition that made you feel better.

00:37:53.309 --> 00:37:57.502
Yeah, I don't know. I think it's a certain positional thing for sure.

00:37:57.502 --> 00:38:02.472
So I think like, like if you ask me to hike definitely any kind of elevation,

00:38:02.472 --> 00:38:07.502
I am like at the end of the pack, like no matter how, how much I can paddle

00:38:07.502 --> 00:38:09.492
in a day, I cannot hike upright.

00:38:09.912 --> 00:38:13.043
So I think there's something postural going on for sure with that,

00:38:13.315 --> 00:38:16.652
whether it's just something's out of place now or it's a constant thing.

00:38:16.652 --> 00:38:18.736
It's always hard to tell.

00:38:19.020 --> 00:38:24.132
And also before my trip, so I did my trip in 2022.

00:38:24.132 --> 00:38:30.642
In 2021, February, I had some really bad neuropathy issues and it's never been

00:38:30.642 --> 00:38:34.582
really explained why, but I think maybe I pinched something or something got

00:38:34.582 --> 00:38:37.776
subluxed or displaced in a weird position in my neck.

00:38:38.397 --> 00:38:42.222
And I couldn't get out of bed, couldn't lift 10 pounds.

00:38:42.222 --> 00:38:45.262
I was just having massive pains in my hands.

00:38:45.262 --> 00:38:49.512
And so I got really worried that I couldn't even hold a paddle and grip a paddle.

00:38:49.512 --> 00:38:55.012
And that was at least a couple months of pretty major pain and definitely like

00:38:55.012 --> 00:38:58.912
taking time off for personal recovery of that for my job.

00:38:59.313 --> 00:39:06.592
And so that kind of really definitely sparked my, I need to figure out what

00:39:06.592 --> 00:39:11.052
this is, but also I need to do this trip if I really want to do it in my life

00:39:11.052 --> 00:39:13.191
because who knows where I'll be next year.

00:39:13.928 --> 00:39:17.394
So how did you manage that issue on the trip?

00:39:17.979 --> 00:39:24.504
So the neuropathy, it kind of wanes. I haven't had that big of a flare-up since, thankfully.

00:39:24.655 --> 00:39:29.161
I do have some numbness occasionally, whether it's a pressure point or a position,

00:39:29.161 --> 00:39:33.692
I'm still really figuring it out, but it's definitely not even close to as bad as then.

00:39:34.209 --> 00:39:39.611
But I just really focused on doing yoga every morning, lots of stretching,

00:39:39.611 --> 00:39:42.929
kind of always doing a kind of a body scan of like where I'm at.

00:39:43.143 --> 00:39:46.351
Thankfully I had different paddles too so with my arms having the neuropathy

00:39:46.351 --> 00:39:49.215
issue so I had a Greenland paddle I had,

00:39:49.961 --> 00:39:55.211
a Werner Cypress that was zero degrees feathered and then I had got my Lindell

00:39:55.211 --> 00:39:59.561
cadence later on that was a two-piece so I could alter the feather I think there

00:39:59.561 --> 00:40:00.801
was one more at some point.

00:40:01.696 --> 00:40:05.421
But I just like I would just switch them out with when my partner came and saw

00:40:05.421 --> 00:40:08.251
me I would just switch them out for what I thought I would need for the next

00:40:08.251 --> 00:40:11.491
stretch Oh, I had a Greenland paddle from Roy Martin.

00:40:11.491 --> 00:40:15.331
That's the other one. I think I mainly had his paddle and the cadence after

00:40:15.331 --> 00:40:20.031
a while. And that just was a nice combo of impact on my shoulders or elbows

00:40:20.031 --> 00:40:26.017
and just angle differences that really helped my body not get tired out in one position too much.

00:40:26.302 --> 00:40:28.511
When you first started mentioning those paddles, I'm thinking,

00:40:28.511 --> 00:40:30.581
how are you carrying all these paddles with you?

00:40:31.961 --> 00:40:36.271
Yeah, no, I would switch them out. I didn't order the cadence soon enough because

00:40:36.271 --> 00:40:37.813
I was getting my Werner fixed.

00:40:38.121 --> 00:40:42.081
And that's when they told me that it had to be fused together and so,

00:40:42.761 --> 00:40:45.721
I chose zero because that's usually what you know most days I would like to

00:40:45.721 --> 00:40:48.924
paddle at no matter what and so I just started,

00:40:49.545 --> 00:40:52.841
looking around and saw that Lindos were pretty awesome and some friends had

00:40:52.841 --> 00:40:57.661
some really high regards towards them and so I decided to go and get a two-piece

00:40:57.661 --> 00:40:59.315
from them and it actually got shipped,

00:40:59.837 --> 00:41:04.561
and didn't arrive till I was probably like at least a week and a half in and so,

00:41:05.181 --> 00:41:09.130
then and my partner was able to drive out and provide me with that one.

00:41:09.908 --> 00:41:14.088
Are there any other ways that you continue to manage that to keep yourself paddling today?

00:41:14.692 --> 00:41:17.477
You know, I keep trying to do yoga. I've been a little slacking lately,

00:41:17.477 --> 00:41:21.356
but I try to get on that when I'm like actively paddling and whatnot.

00:41:21.530 --> 00:41:26.424
And yeah, I just have different medicines in case I have flare-ups that can kind of help with it.

00:41:26.830 --> 00:41:33.647
But for the most part, I still am really figuring it out and hesitant to lead participants out.

00:41:33.647 --> 00:41:38.177
But like day trips and stuff, I feel very confident. But if I do like long expeditions,

00:41:38.177 --> 00:41:43.287
like in the islands, people can do up to like five days, even seven days out in the islands.

00:41:43.287 --> 00:41:46.537
And I just, I don't feel confident being a solo guide on that.

00:41:46.537 --> 00:41:51.728
So I'd always want to have someone with me if I did happen to get on one of those routes.

00:41:52.323 --> 00:41:55.255
Any message that you have for anybody else who also has this condition?

00:41:55.861 --> 00:42:00.647
Oh, it's all this is a big it's a variable condition because it could cause

00:42:00.987 --> 00:42:04.557
issues with your heart and organs and so many things.

00:42:04.842 --> 00:42:07.707
But honestly, just find what works for you.

00:42:08.107 --> 00:42:11.177
But honestly, you can get out of bed.

00:42:11.177 --> 00:42:15.187
That's the hardest part with this condition is like, I just want to lay in bed all day.

00:42:15.187 --> 00:42:20.087
But once you start moving, your body starts loosening up and getting active.

00:42:20.087 --> 00:42:23.887
And that's the hardest part is just try to even walk to the end of your driveway.

00:42:23.887 --> 00:42:26.679
Because that's that was hard for me last that 2020.

00:42:27.601 --> 00:42:31.008
Early 2021 was even hard to walk to the end of my driveway.

00:42:31.438 --> 00:42:36.419
And so if you can do that, just slowly keep at it and do what you can.

00:42:36.575 --> 00:42:41.075
Every day you're giving 100%, even though you might not feel like it's your

00:42:41.075 --> 00:42:44.203
best percent, but that's what you have to give for that day.

00:42:44.829 --> 00:42:48.755
Well, movement is medicine. And to go from just barely being able to walk down

00:42:48.755 --> 00:42:53.262
to the end of the driveway to be able to circumnavigate Lake Superior is a pretty impressive feat.

00:42:54.005 --> 00:42:57.425
Thankfully, I had lots of time in between, but you never know what I'm going

00:42:57.425 --> 00:43:01.853
to get with this syndrome. So it's day-to-day and do what I can.

00:43:02.103 --> 00:43:04.525
Well, we'll include some links in the show notes so people can learn a little

00:43:04.525 --> 00:43:06.547
bit more about it. Awesome. Thank you.

00:43:07.058 --> 00:43:10.145
A few minutes ago, you had mentioned waves and you'd mentioned swell and you'd

00:43:10.145 --> 00:43:13.845
mentioned conditions. So let's talk a little bit about some of the conditions that you faced.

00:43:14.165 --> 00:43:16.840
What, any particular sketchy moments?

00:43:17.590 --> 00:43:22.825
As most paddlers of the lake will tell you, my scariest moment was probably in the Pukasaw.

00:43:23.145 --> 00:43:27.140
Just because it's a really remote area and really dynamic landscape,

00:43:27.785 --> 00:43:34.310
and I had a nice day a little chop a little rebound reflective waves happening

00:43:34.582 --> 00:43:36.605
but I was trying to kill time because,

00:43:37.065 --> 00:43:41.270
I was waiting on my resupply package so I decided to paddle up the White River

00:43:41.653 --> 00:43:44.833
and hike a little bit to the suspension bridge jets over that,

00:43:45.416 --> 00:43:49.255
and then as I was paddling down I was faced with a headwind all the way down

00:43:49.255 --> 00:43:53.105
the river where I was expecting to take a nice little easy float down but it

00:43:53.105 --> 00:43:54.936
obviously something changed on the lake.

00:43:55.423 --> 00:43:59.335
And once I get out, I paused before I exited the river mouth because there's

00:43:59.335 --> 00:44:03.895
actually been some fatalities on that. And so I wanted to get out at this little

00:44:03.895 --> 00:44:08.425
campsite that's there, hike across and check out the actual conditions of the

00:44:08.425 --> 00:44:10.205
lake. And it was pretty choppy.

00:44:10.665 --> 00:44:14.035
And there's another paddler there. And they said, yeah, it was really rough

00:44:14.035 --> 00:44:17.025
coming around the corner because they were coming from north to south.

00:44:17.365 --> 00:44:19.298
So they just did the stretch that I would be doing.

00:44:19.978 --> 00:44:22.861
And so, you know, I asked, you know, I know this is your campsite,

00:44:22.861 --> 00:44:27.101
but do you mind me hanging out for a moment to see what's going to happen in

00:44:27.101 --> 00:44:29.377
the next 20 minutes? Let's see what the lake decides.

00:44:29.824 --> 00:44:33.211
And thankfully, it did calm down wind-wise. And I said, all right,

00:44:33.211 --> 00:44:36.546
I'll give you your peace. I appreciate, you know, let me hang out here.

00:44:37.202 --> 00:44:40.701
If I can get out the river mouth and I, you know, it was nice running into you.

00:44:40.701 --> 00:44:44.162
If not, I'll come back and I might have to share the site with you.

00:44:44.632 --> 00:44:50.221
And so he explained that there's a little sandy actually like perfect sand because it's really it's.

00:44:51.447 --> 00:44:55.091
I wouldn't say it's common in Pukasa but it is you know few and far between

00:44:55.091 --> 00:44:58.851
those sandy little beaches and he's like oh yeah it's about a quarter mile around

00:44:58.851 --> 00:45:02.891
there's this nice little bay tucked around these little rocky islands and so

00:45:02.891 --> 00:45:04.083
I was looking forward to that,

00:45:04.677 --> 00:45:09.421
and so I get out and get past the river mouth which was pretty good you know

00:45:09.421 --> 00:45:12.891
I just made sure I had enough power through it to get through the currents and,

00:45:13.367 --> 00:45:17.280
the, you know, the lake was coming opposite of the flow of the river.

00:45:17.918 --> 00:45:22.281
And so that was okay. And then I turned to go north. And as I got a little bit

00:45:22.281 --> 00:45:27.391
farther on, it just, the depth, the topography underneath the lake obviously

00:45:27.391 --> 00:45:29.691
just changes from shoals to really deep,

00:45:30.266 --> 00:45:33.281
which is very different from what I'm used to in the Apostle Islands,

00:45:33.281 --> 00:45:34.804
where it's just shallow and gradual.

00:45:35.413 --> 00:45:38.881
And then there is, you know, it's not cliffs, but it's still some,

00:45:38.881 --> 00:45:41.804
you know, hard rocks that it's hitting and rebounding off that.

00:45:42.251 --> 00:45:49.151
In my NDK Explorer LV, which is like 17.6, I was suspended in air a few times

00:45:49.151 --> 00:45:54.906
on those waves. And so it wasn't much of a paddle, more of a bracing for that quarter mile.

00:45:55.515 --> 00:46:00.431
And then I finally snuck between these little rocky islands that this guy told

00:46:00.431 --> 00:46:05.139
me about and found this beautiful little beach. It was so Absolutely stunning.

00:46:05.956 --> 00:46:10.641
Definitely worth it. But, you know, I might have waited it out a little bit longer.

00:46:10.798 --> 00:46:15.385
My brain should have told me a little bit better, like wind means wave on wind

00:46:15.385 --> 00:46:19.476
means waves on the lake. And I should have just given it a little bit longer to calm down.

00:46:20.283 --> 00:46:24.658
So aside from that, that moment, what were your biggest challenges along the trip?

00:46:25.393 --> 00:46:30.125
So at the beginning i had some wrist tendonitis actually flare up which i've

00:46:30.125 --> 00:46:34.681
never had you know i've during the summers when you're guiding you're out there every day,

00:46:35.274 --> 00:46:38.465
for three months you know a few days off here and there but you're paddling

00:46:38.465 --> 00:46:40.385
every day hauling kayaks up and

00:46:40.385 --> 00:46:45.537
downstairs but i had really bad wrist tendonitis like my it was so swollen,

00:46:46.054 --> 00:46:49.885
like i had to take off my watch and relocate it to the other arm and stuff like

00:46:49.885 --> 00:46:52.845
that so i could actually like calm the swelling but Thankfully,

00:46:52.845 --> 00:46:56.745
the lake is very cold, and I was able to ice it on my bricks and just,

00:46:57.162 --> 00:46:58.655
you know, rest it in the water.

00:46:59.137 --> 00:47:02.695
And that finally calmed down. Just past the key went on to Marquette.

00:47:02.695 --> 00:47:05.308
It calmed down. That's pretty early in the trip.

00:47:06.156 --> 00:47:09.922
Very early in the trip. Yeah, again, the year before, I didn't paddle much.

00:47:10.242 --> 00:47:14.392
I did a few little solo missions, but nothing too much that maybe I just think

00:47:14.392 --> 00:47:17.516
my body was like, okay, this is a lot of work all of a sudden.

00:47:17.870 --> 00:47:22.562
Day three, I gave myself a mild little concussion, I think, from my bear hang.

00:47:23.622 --> 00:47:28.942
So that was an interesting one where I was like, oh, so early on.

00:47:29.522 --> 00:47:33.572
All right. So we got to hear about that one. so you know there's some black

00:47:33.572 --> 00:47:39.219
bears up here along the lake and so there's not bear boxes at every spot that you can camp on and so,

00:47:39.666 --> 00:47:44.492
i was tossing my toe rope which i was using as my bear hang over a tree limb

00:47:44.492 --> 00:47:46.132
and it just wasn't heavy enough so

00:47:46.458 --> 00:47:51.352
some idea came into my mind to put a rock in it and i tied it closed and was

00:47:51.352 --> 00:47:55.553
able to throw it over and finally got it over the branch but as i was trying to shift it

00:47:55.936 --> 00:47:58.812
away from the trunk because you're supposed to have it so far away from the

00:47:58.812 --> 00:48:01.149
trunk so the bears can't climb up and reach it.

00:48:01.665 --> 00:48:06.512
I was trying to shift it over by flicking the tow rope. And that's when the

00:48:06.512 --> 00:48:10.272
rock decided to come out and hit me squarely in the face.

00:48:10.887 --> 00:48:14.662
I didn't pass out, but I definitely saw, you know, the whole stars and whatnot.

00:48:14.662 --> 00:48:21.284
And my sunglasses didn't fit very well the next few days as the swelling came down.

00:48:21.743 --> 00:48:26.742
But that was my only like incident where I was like, I might have to go and

00:48:26.742 --> 00:48:30.942
get checked out. Other than that, I didn't have many animal encounters.

00:48:30.942 --> 00:48:35.088
I think it was just because I was very wise and bear hanging and, you know, bear safe.

00:48:35.682 --> 00:48:40.352
Yeah, I saw some in the distance. But other than that, I didn't have many interactions

00:48:40.352 --> 00:48:42.072
that were too frightening.

00:48:42.577 --> 00:48:45.131
You mentioned safety earlier and you just mentioned frightening.

00:48:45.683 --> 00:48:47.320
Any concerns about safety along the way?

00:48:47.959 --> 00:48:52.349
Not really. I just had a few, I think, I can't remember what it was,

00:48:52.349 --> 00:48:56.300
but I wrote down in my journals that it was like, oh, I felt a little odd this day, or

00:48:56.718 --> 00:49:01.259
I didn't really feel scared from any humans or any animals, but I think I was

00:49:01.259 --> 00:49:05.079
more skeptical of people, and that's why I didn't really reach out too much

00:49:05.079 --> 00:49:09.163
to every person paddling by and whatnot, just because I just wanted to be,

00:49:09.680 --> 00:49:13.802
a little wiser, a little safer by just not interacting.

00:49:14.167 --> 00:49:17.749
There's only one spot where I had a confrontation of where I should camp and

00:49:17.749 --> 00:49:22.260
not camp, but overall that went actually really smooth. It just was more like,

00:49:22.689 --> 00:49:26.269
you know, Hey, what are you doing here? I'm like, Oh, I'm doing this adventure.

00:49:27.149 --> 00:49:28.666
But overall,

00:49:29.299 --> 00:49:33.106
There's some traffic around pictured rocks with the cruise boats and stuff kicking

00:49:33.106 --> 00:49:38.436
a lot of waves up and stuff, but interactions, most people slow down pretty good around me.

00:49:38.436 --> 00:49:41.816
If they were going too fast and they see me come around the point,

00:49:41.816 --> 00:49:45.564
they'd slow down in their boats and be very nice in that manner.

00:49:45.808 --> 00:49:47.716
How did you know you were ready for this trip?

00:49:48.846 --> 00:49:52.076
I don't think anyone really knows they're fully ready, honestly.

00:49:52.076 --> 00:49:54.833
At least I can't guarantee that ever.

00:49:55.100 --> 00:49:59.306
Again I just in my life I just knew I had to do it at some point I kind of started

00:49:59.306 --> 00:50:04.326
this brainstorm of it during quarantine saying I need to do something and the

00:50:04.326 --> 00:50:07.395
only thing that was really drawing me was doing the lake,

00:50:07.941 --> 00:50:12.976
and then I just had chats with friends that have done it and then I found a

00:50:12.976 --> 00:50:16.996
book at a thrift store about the woman who claims to be the first one to do

00:50:16.996 --> 00:50:20.566
it in sea kayak and Linnea and that was probably in,

00:50:21.129 --> 00:50:24.880
March and I just was like all right this is the year This is a sign.

00:50:25.263 --> 00:50:28.686
I've already had it on my brain for a few years, and now I'm going to do it

00:50:28.686 --> 00:50:33.215
this year. Now, what was that inspiration that got you started thinking about this?

00:50:33.662 --> 00:50:39.216
So during quarantine, I was with my now fiance and a really good friend,

00:50:39.216 --> 00:50:44.516
and they both had their own solo adventures. My fiance did the whole Mississippi

00:50:44.516 --> 00:50:46.061
source to sea by himself.

00:50:46.380 --> 00:50:50.296
And then my friend did the whole superior hiking trail which is all the way

00:50:50.296 --> 00:50:53.839
from Duluth along the north shore of the lake superior,

00:50:54.304 --> 00:50:57.586
all the way to the Canadian border and she did that by herself and I was like

00:50:57.586 --> 00:51:01.996
I didn't want a solo expedition and so kind of thought of it and then I had

00:51:01.996 --> 00:51:05.171
some health things go on and made me really,

00:51:05.664 --> 00:51:09.246
kind of start to worry if I'd be able to paddle or how long I would be able

00:51:09.246 --> 00:51:14.308
to paddle in my life and so I figured I need to do it sooner than later and go from there.

00:51:14.966 --> 00:51:16.586
And here you are. I did it.

00:51:17.526 --> 00:51:20.736
I didn't believe it then and it's still crazy to think that I did it,

00:51:20.736 --> 00:51:24.803
but I did. What were your biggest learnings from the experience?

00:51:25.467 --> 00:51:30.117
Honestly, when you have something that you're passionate about and,

00:51:30.441 --> 00:51:34.850
you know, do the proper planning and really like with this, like listen to the

00:51:34.850 --> 00:51:37.920
lake and know your skill level.

00:51:37.920 --> 00:51:42.183
I feel like anyone could do this. That's like my biggest takeaway was that like

00:51:42.618 --> 00:51:45.210
maybe I just got really lucky weather that made me think this,

00:51:45.210 --> 00:51:50.461
but I feel like I just was really smart and just listened to my intuition of go or not go.

00:51:50.734 --> 00:51:55.210
This seems like a safe spot. This doesn't. And just really listening to that,

00:51:55.210 --> 00:51:59.157
anything is kind of possible if you take all of that into consideration.

00:51:59.714 --> 00:52:03.810
That being honest with ourselves and asking the question, should I be paddling

00:52:03.810 --> 00:52:09.223
today? And then being honest with your answer is the most important decision we can make.

00:52:09.652 --> 00:52:13.007
Yes, definitely. Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

00:52:13.517 --> 00:52:18.884
Well, now I would definitely make sure I get a little smoother crossings into

00:52:18.884 --> 00:52:24.384
Canada. You know, those remote border crossings are definitely key to have.

00:52:24.384 --> 00:52:26.451
But it was just, you know, timing of everything.

00:52:26.846 --> 00:52:31.194
I definitely would have paddled my boat, my kayak a little bit more before and,

00:52:31.614 --> 00:52:32.744
you know, with it loaded.

00:52:33.092 --> 00:52:36.034
Because I only paddled it. I got the year before, I only paddled it for like

00:52:36.034 --> 00:52:38.874
a four days in the summer before. And that's it.

00:52:39.117 --> 00:52:42.474
Because I felt so comfortable in it and whatnot. But it turns out when I was

00:52:42.474 --> 00:52:46.454
a little more submerged that a few of the foot peg bolts were loose and I got

00:52:46.454 --> 00:52:49.979
a little water in the first few days and had to problem solve that.

00:52:50.530 --> 00:52:54.004
So circling back to the trip here for just a moment. So you've you've passed

00:52:54.004 --> 00:52:57.996
that northwest corner. You're starting to head back toward the U.S. from Canada.

00:52:58.466 --> 00:53:03.644
What are those last bits like as you're making your way back in toward the Paso Islands?

00:53:04.213 --> 00:53:07.694
So I was back in the States on day 47.

00:53:07.694 --> 00:53:15.634
So I had 10 days from Grand Canyon area in Minnesota to go down back into the Apostle Islands.

00:53:15.634 --> 00:53:22.243
And for the most part, it was really interesting because I just shifted from probably the,

00:53:22.731 --> 00:53:25.834
one of the most remote areas, which was the Rossport Islands,

00:53:25.834 --> 00:53:29.224
and then all of a sudden into, you know, they're not big cities,

00:53:29.224 --> 00:53:32.874
but, you know, there's just houses along the shore, you know,

00:53:32.874 --> 00:53:36.794
few and far between areas where you don't see any kind of human impact.

00:53:36.794 --> 00:53:40.504
And it's really stunning along the North Shore. There's huge cliffs like Palisade

00:53:40.504 --> 00:53:45.184
Head is 100 feet tall, just a sharp iron-like kind of rock coming out really

00:53:45.184 --> 00:53:46.714
sharp and jagged as well.

00:53:46.714 --> 00:53:51.654
And Shovel Point is one of my favorite spots. Again, it's a lot of people actually

00:53:51.654 --> 00:53:54.575
rock climb along it above the lake. It's kind of interesting.

00:53:54.911 --> 00:53:59.224
That's how tall and steep and just jagged it is. That creates a little adventure

00:53:59.224 --> 00:54:02.765
for them to do that. But it just felt really interesting. Like, oh, this is...

00:54:03.386 --> 00:54:07.716
Back to the real world kind of scenario. And I didn't really rush it by any

00:54:07.716 --> 00:54:11.896
means. But again, I just was, I feel like maybe reflecting, I was a little anxious

00:54:11.896 --> 00:54:15.443
to get back because I just wanted to get to somewhere where it was a little quieter.

00:54:15.663 --> 00:54:19.930
So I went all the way into the Duluth channel across the lighthouses in Liftbridge there.

00:54:20.578 --> 00:54:25.385
And then once you get across, it's just quiet and it was just really foggy.

00:54:25.838 --> 00:54:29.100
There's still houses along the lake, but it's not as dense.

00:54:29.379 --> 00:54:34.352
A lot more, you know, isolated beaches and back to sand, which was really nice.

00:54:34.932 --> 00:54:39.704
I know people hate sand with packing and stuff, but it just that that's just what I know.

00:54:39.821 --> 00:54:44.502
And just was really thankful to be back on that south shore and definitely took

00:54:44.502 --> 00:54:50.872
my time, but it only took a couple days to get from Duluth, Superior to back to Little Sand Bay.

00:54:50.872 --> 00:54:56.342
And on that last paddle day, waking up and packing, and then also seeing my

00:54:56.342 --> 00:55:00.752
friends come out with this little river mouth to meet me to paddle with me for the day.

00:55:00.752 --> 00:55:04.792
It was stunning. And then the whole trip, I wanted a rainbow and I didn't get

00:55:04.792 --> 00:55:08.812
it until that day. It decided to downpour very quickly on me and my friends.

00:55:09.361 --> 00:55:13.132
And then I turned back and see all my friends and then this rainbow over them.

00:55:13.132 --> 00:55:18.252
And it was just, it just made coming home just seemed like it was like,

00:55:18.252 --> 00:55:20.258
this is your place and you made it.

00:55:20.409 --> 00:55:23.242
And it was a nice, like, end to the trip.

00:55:23.567 --> 00:55:27.677
So no rainbows for 57 days until that last, last little bit.

00:55:27.927 --> 00:55:30.411
Exactly. Did you have rain along the way otherwise?

00:55:30.701 --> 00:55:35.612
I had some. I definitely had some, you know, squalls over the lake that I definitely

00:55:35.612 --> 00:55:40.242
took shelter from a few times, but nothing like huge and treacherous.

00:55:40.242 --> 00:55:43.952
It was mostly, again, And overnight or on those few days that I had taken,

00:55:43.952 --> 00:55:46.632
you know, weather days where it was like 30 mile an hour winds.

00:55:47.312 --> 00:55:51.312
But no big, you know, thunderheads or anything like that the whole trip.

00:55:51.752 --> 00:55:55.667
No chances to see those just massive storms come rolling across the lake.

00:55:56.155 --> 00:56:00.952
No, I had I seen some wall clouds pass by, but none of them actually hit me.

00:56:00.952 --> 00:56:04.532
But yeah, I was very, very lucky in that sense. That's good.

00:56:05.930 --> 00:56:10.625
So thinking of other people who might be considering their own Lake Superior

00:56:10.965 --> 00:56:16.325
circumnavigation, what advice might you have for someone thinking about that? Do your research.

00:56:16.814 --> 00:56:22.085
Make sure, you know, how to respect the land and how to, you know,

00:56:22.405 --> 00:56:25.667
leave no impact kind of on the area.

00:56:26.004 --> 00:56:30.285
There's definitely certain spots where you shouldn't land, whether they're reservations

00:56:30.285 --> 00:56:35.093
or private clubs, just so you avoid some confrontations there

00:56:35.407 --> 00:56:39.435
and yeah honestly figure out like what you want out of your trip like I wanted

00:56:39.435 --> 00:56:41.045
to see what the lake could do,

00:56:41.525 --> 00:56:46.105
like the water and what conditions I could handle where I had a friend that just she was

00:56:46.485 --> 00:56:52.265
really into going to into every single bay and checking out what every little

00:56:52.265 --> 00:56:56.195
cove had to give and so she wanted to see what the landscape was like where

00:56:56.195 --> 00:56:59.155
I wanted to experience the water and so it's kind of like what is your,

00:56:59.654 --> 00:57:04.060
what what do you want to get out of that trip if you do want to paddle the lake.

00:57:04.789 --> 00:57:07.862
What was the most awe-inspiring thing you saw along the way?

00:57:08.497 --> 00:57:13.995
I think like the most moving kind of awe moment was up in the Pakistan.

00:57:14.331 --> 00:57:17.899
Can't remember, it was not Otter Island, but somewhere near there,

00:57:17.899 --> 00:57:21.489
where I just kind of was in between an island and the mainland and just this

00:57:21.489 --> 00:57:23.161
little channel area. And then

00:57:23.573 --> 00:57:27.829
it was just that other silence and just fog kind of lifting off the land.

00:57:28.249 --> 00:57:31.409
So I couldn't see too far distance-wise, but just enough around me.

00:57:31.409 --> 00:57:34.856
And it just was so quiet, could hear even a few birds.

00:57:35.141 --> 00:57:40.069
I think that day I also had an owl fly by me in the morning, which was kind of odd.

00:57:40.069 --> 00:57:42.979
I was like, what is this animal? And sure enough, it was an owl.

00:57:42.979 --> 00:57:47.609
And I didn't see one the whole trip except for during the daytime.

00:57:47.609 --> 00:57:51.729
And it was really, I don't know, something about it just really sparked just

00:57:51.729 --> 00:57:55.128
like, this is solitude, this is serenity, this is beautiful.

00:57:55.685 --> 00:57:59.929
If you had to put an estimate to it, how many lighthouses would you say you passed?

00:58:00.349 --> 00:58:06.360
Oh, I would probably say at least 30. There's quite a few in the Rossport Islands as well.

00:58:06.708 --> 00:58:09.559
You know, Whitefish Point along the south shore, there's quite a bit.

00:58:09.559 --> 00:58:14.653
But yeah, I'd say about 30 that I got close to. Do you have a favorite?

00:58:15.284 --> 00:58:18.489
I like Cris Point and that's over by Whitefish Point because that's the only

00:58:18.489 --> 00:58:20.029
one I actually climbed up real quick.

00:58:20.929 --> 00:58:24.209
So that one kind of will always stick out in my mind. But yeah,

00:58:24.209 --> 00:58:28.319
it's between Grand Moraine and Whitefish Point down on the south shore on the

00:58:28.319 --> 00:58:29.369
eastern side of the lake.

00:58:29.789 --> 00:58:33.359
We'll put a link in there to Crisp Point Lighthouse in the show notes so people

00:58:33.359 --> 00:58:36.439
can see that as well, along with some of the other resources and things that

00:58:36.439 --> 00:58:37.750
you've talked about along the way here.

00:58:38.365 --> 00:58:43.623
So now that you've had a taste of a big expedition, 1,134 miles over 57 days.

00:58:44.456 --> 00:58:47.977
There's got to be something that's next. I'm still trying to figure out what

00:58:47.977 --> 00:58:52.437
that is. I definitely want to go back and paddle around Copper Island,

00:58:52.437 --> 00:58:55.531
do Isle Royale, Mishapikaten, Slates.

00:58:55.817 --> 00:58:58.527
Definitely Slates because I didn't get to see any caribou. I was really trying

00:58:58.527 --> 00:59:01.637
to be quiet and find those little quiet spots along the lake.

00:59:01.637 --> 00:59:05.637
And I didn't find any caribou, but I hear the Slates have a lot to offer.

00:59:05.637 --> 00:59:09.557
So that would be kind of like the next ones. Most of them wouldn't take more

00:59:09.557 --> 00:59:14.181
than, like Copper Island takes like five days, people say on average.

00:59:14.594 --> 00:59:17.847
Again, it depends on whether Isle Royale might be a little bit longer.

00:59:18.387 --> 00:59:23.217
I don't know. I've been reading some really amazing expeditions around Ireland

00:59:23.217 --> 00:59:26.807
and New Zealand that maybe one day.

00:59:27.267 --> 00:59:29.946
All right. They've all captivated the imagination.

00:59:30.433 --> 00:59:32.233
So, Connie, where can listeners find you?

00:59:32.828 --> 00:59:38.947
I'm on social media, on Facebook, Instagram, or you can email me at bell.conny,

00:59:39.407 --> 00:59:41.704
C-O-N-N-Y, at gmail.com.

00:59:41.907 --> 00:59:45.467
I might not respond right away, but I'll try to get to it if I see it in there.

00:59:45.467 --> 00:59:48.917
Well, we'll make sure that we put links to those social media channels in there

00:59:48.917 --> 00:59:52.627
as well. And then we'll share that email so folks can get in touch with you

00:59:52.627 --> 00:59:55.447
if they've got questions and they're thinking of planning their own expedition

00:59:55.447 --> 00:59:57.375
and they can learn from you as well.

00:59:58.218 --> 01:00:01.137
So I've got one final question for you, and that is, who else would you like

01:00:01.137 --> 01:00:03.152
to hear as a future guest on Paddling the Blue?

01:00:03.604 --> 01:00:07.907
Well, I've heard some of his stories personally, but I know there's a lot more

01:00:07.907 --> 01:00:12.260
that he can always share. My friend Sam Crowley, he's over in Marquette, Michigan.

01:00:12.469 --> 01:00:17.897
He has amazing paddle adventures, whether around Scotland, England,

01:00:18.135 --> 01:00:23.933
or even along the Canadian West Coast. So would definitely love to hear his adventures.

01:00:24.182 --> 01:00:27.915
All right. Well, we'll get in touch with Sam. He does have some good stories. So I appreciate it.

01:00:28.948 --> 01:00:32.207
Connie, I appreciate the opportunity to talk to you, to learn about your Lake

01:00:32.207 --> 01:00:33.887
Superior circumnavigation.

01:00:33.887 --> 01:00:39.437
Again, 1134 miles over 57 days. And what an experience. So congratulations on

01:00:39.437 --> 01:00:42.167
completing that. And we'll look forward to hearing what's next.

01:00:42.507 --> 01:00:44.163
Thank you so much, John. Thank you.

01:00:45.358 --> 01:00:48.922
If you want to be a stronger and more efficient paddler, Power to the Paddle

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so visit paddlingexercises.com to get the book and companion dvd.

01:01:31.341 --> 01:01:35.491
I hope you enjoyed today's Encore episode. I loved Connie's can-do attitude

01:01:35.491 --> 01:01:38.946
of wanting to create your own expedition, and then, quite frankly, just doing it.

01:01:39.329 --> 01:01:42.651
She seemed to have such a carefree approach, and that, along with a desire to

01:01:42.651 --> 01:01:45.506
really experience the landscape, made a successful trip.

01:01:46.085 --> 01:01:50.661
Visit the show notes for this episode, number 175, at paddlingtheblue.com slash

01:01:50.661 --> 01:01:55.101
175, to find links to many of the places that she visited, outfitters that she

01:01:55.101 --> 01:01:58.683
connected with along the way, and learn more about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

01:01:59.146 --> 01:02:02.001
You'll also find links to connect with Connie if you'd like to learn more about

01:02:02.001 --> 01:02:04.041
creating your own superior experience.

01:02:04.488 --> 01:02:08.592
Thanks again to our partners at OnlineSeaKyking.com for extending that special offer to you.

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Visit OnlineSeaKyking.com, enter the coupon code PTBpodcast to check out and

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01:02:17.885 --> 01:02:21.081
And don't forget, I'd love to help you put those skills to work through a number

01:02:21.081 --> 01:02:23.621
of different programs that I offer throughout the Great Lakes and beyond.

01:02:23.968 --> 01:02:27.451
Visit PaddlingTheBlue.com, click the Courses and Trips link at the top of the

01:02:27.451 --> 01:02:29.354
page, and I hope to see you on the water.

01:02:29.790 --> 01:02:32.981
Until next time, thanks as always for listening, and I look forward to bringing

01:02:32.981 --> 01:02:35.731
you the next episode of the Paddling the Blue podcast.

01:02:36.474 --> 01:02:39.791
Thank you for listening to Paddling the Blue. You can subscribe to Paddling

01:02:39.791 --> 01:02:44.032
the Blue on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

01:02:44.316 --> 01:02:47.172
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01:02:47.312 --> 01:02:48.995
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01:02:49.326 --> 01:02:52.420
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01:02:52.542 --> 01:02:58.184
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01:02:58.492 --> 01:03:01.528
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