My Lake Superior Circumnavigation

[mattabbotts]

Hey Everyone,

I posted a few months back about my girlfriend and my kayak circumnavigation of Lake Superior. We finished up on Labor Day after over 70 days of paddling. We aren't really sure how many miles it was because we haven't added it up yet.

I thru hiked back in '08 and I can't help but compare the two trips. I would have to say that paddling is physically much easier than hiking because you aren't carrying any weight and there is no real impact. But mentally the paddle was much tougher. No matter what the weather is doing you can always hike. It just might suck. It's not the same in the kayak. We spent a lot of days just sitting and looking at the lake, wishing we could move on.

We just redid our website and have most of our journals from the trip on there as well as a bunch of photos. We should have the rest of the journals typed up and online in the next week or so. If you want to check it out we are online at http://www.asuperioradventure.com

We are also starting to plan our next big trip: A thru hike of the PCT next summer. We will be keeping our journals for that trip on the same site. I have a lot of questions about that so I am sure you will see me around a lot over the next few months.

Thanks,
Marathon

[The Weasel]

Damn. You just did something incredible. 70 days on the nastiest piece of fresh water on the planet. Damn.

TW

[brotheral]

Just viewed the beautiful photos of your Lake Superior trip. Thanks !! I wish you folks a wonderful future together.
I can't imagine why TW posted such a negative comment.:eek:
God Bless.... BrotherAL:welcome

[Rocket Jones]

Thanks for sharing that link. I'll be spending some free time going through it.

[MedicineMan]

i've live out of a kayak in the San Juans for a week, on Yellowstone Lake for 5 days, in the Everglades for 7 days, on Kabetogama for a week, etc. etc. etc., but the only place I've paddled where I was constantly aware that the body of water could kill me quickly and easily was on Superior. My hats off to you both for your fortitude.
Yes you can sit and wait for calmer weather but on this lake in a moments time all can change.
This might bring back a memory from your paddle:
http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2653640480084634827XfNdJj

Of course that pic was taken probably before your were born and def. before digital :)

[Lilred]

Just viewed the beautiful photos of your Lake Superior trip. Thanks !! I wish you folks a wonderful future together.
I can't imagine why TW posted such a negative comment.:eek:
God Bless.... BrotherAL:welcome

It wasn't a negative comment, it's the truth. Lake Superior is deadly. There were more shipwrecks along it's coast than any of the other lakes. Ever hear of the Edmond Fitzgerald? It's the nastiest out there and my hats off to these folks. Congrats!

[The Weasel]

Dude, Lake Superior is 350 miles long, 150 miles wide, and 25% bigger than West Virginia, which would fit in it with all of its land and STILL be navigable by ocean freighters. We're not talking some piddly-ass little bit of stream like the things you call lakes down there. We're talking about the biggest damn piece of fresh water in the whole blinking world. And it's bottom is littered with the bodies of thousands of people over the last few centuries who were damn fine seamen (and women) and couldn't sail in 100 mile winds and waves that crash 600 foot boats to the bottom in minutes. OK?

Mattabbotts et al did some damn incredible work doing 1000 miles of that water, and I am speechless in admiration. If you think that's negative, well, what they did is the physical equivalent to climbing Denali, say, with only a backpack...and starting their walk in Juneau. Except what they did was more dangerous.

Great job, Mattabbotts.

TW

[The Weasel]

Oops, sorry. Looked it up. Shoreline is 2200 miles. Damn. Un-freaking-believable what they did.

TW

[Darwin again]

Very cool!