Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes.  It's also the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the third-largest freshwater lake by volume.  Begining this June, Hannah Williams and Matt Abbotts will paddle their sea kayaks out of Houghton, Michigan in an attempt to paddle around the entire shoreline of Lake Superior.  The trip will cover approximately 1,300 miles.

What an amazing undertaking this is.  This trip will take the amazing duo 6-to-12 weeks to complete and is much more difficult than it sounds.  If you've ever been on Lake Superior you know that it's an unpredictable body of water--even near the shoreline.  I've been on this lake many times in a 30-to-40 foot boat and it is still a thrill. Now, imagine being nearly at surface level in a 12 to 15 foot kayak.  Even a three-foot wave can seem like a tidal wave.  This isn't a body of water to learn how to kayak on--it's for seasoned professionals only.  Hannah and Matt are certainly that and are about to undertake the challenge of a lifetime. Remember, Superior is a HUGE body of water--when you're in the middle of it, it seems more like an ocean....



The couple has set up a website to detail the trip....

http://www.asuperioradventure.com/

It has a ton of information about the trip and will eventually include journals and photos.  If you're interested in tracking the progress of Hannah and Matt, check out the website and drop them a letter of encouragement.

I learned of this trip after Hannah posted a thread on a backpacking forum board I frequent. I plan to follow the trip once it gets underway and will post progress reports in this blog as well.  I'll actually be along the Lake Superior shoreline on two separate occasions in June and July--maybe I'll get lucky enough to catch up with them as they're passing through.





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