Couple plans research on walk around Lake Superior

The idea was born innocently enough, the way many big undertakings are hatched.

Mike Link and Kate Crowley were hiking the Superior Hiking Trail about three years ago, talking about when Mike might retire as director of the Audubon Center of the North Woods at Sandstone.

“I told Mike, ‘Your last day, you should just walk out the door, and get onto [Highway] 27 to the Munger bike trail.’ And he said, ‘I should walk to Duluth.’ And then we both said, ‘And walk around the lake.’”

From that point on, it was just a matter of logistics.

“It took on a life of its own,” Link said.

In late April, Link, 64, and his wife, Crowley, 60, of Willow River will leave Duluth on a five-month, 1,826-mile walk around the greatest lake. They’ll walk through Wisconsin and Michigan first, then up and around the Canadian north shore, finishing in Duluth in mid-September.

They’ve named the journey Full Circle Superior.

If you know anything about Link and Crowley, you know this walk will make a larger statement.

Their careers at the Audubon Center have been devoted to teaching people about the environment. Crowley and Link will weave science and research into the trek. They will interview people along the way. The Web site is already up. A book is in the works.

“It’s not enough for me to walk it,” Link said. “It’s like when I go on vacation. I have to have something to do.”

RESEARCH EN ROUTE

Crowley and Link will not be the first to walk around Lake Superior. A lone hiker did it in 1985 and wrote a story for Lake Superior Magazine, said Konnie LeMay, the magazine’s editor. At least a couple of Ojibway groups, one in relay format, have circled the lake. Many people have driven or bicycled the route. Some have kayaked or canoed it.

“One of the cool things about this is that Mike and Kate will be doing some testing,” LeMay said. “And part of what they want to do is meet people and talk to them. ... It’s not like an extreme sport. They’re going to take time.”

Link and Crowley have already arranged to do their scientific and cultural research through the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Michigan Tech University in Houghton, Mich.; and Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. They’ll make observations about plant and tree life every three miles or so along the way, noting invasive species and taking photos. They’ll interview lakeshore residents and others about their attitudes toward the lake and the importance of fresh water.

“They’re going to make a success of it,” said Ken Gilbertson, a professor of outdoor and environmental education at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “Teachers and educators will benefit from their work. I think there will be a benefit to Lake Superior and the natural environment.”

Link and Crowley will do daily updates and plot their progress online at www.fullcirclesuperior.org. When finished, they’ll write a book about their experience that Lake Superior Port Cities Inc., publishers of Lake Superior magazine, will publish. Throughout the summer and fall, Crowley and Link will write updates on their journey for each issue of Lake Superior magazine beginning with the April/May issue, LeMay said.

LOTS OF WORK

A lot of people who decide to make long self-propelled journeys are 22 or 34 or 45. Not so many are 64 and 60. Link and Crowley aren’t naive about the physical challenges of what they’re doing.

Link has walked more than 1,600 miles since retiring last March. He’s dropped 30 pounds already and has 10 more to lop off. Crowley has walked “less” but also is training. She still works part time at the Audubon Center.

They’ll have to average between 10 and 15 miles a day on their journey for about 150 days. They’ll camp some nights but also will sleep in homes, motels and an RV they hope to acquire for the trip. They’re still hoping to get an RV donated for the trip, which Amanda Hakala of Cromwell would drive as a support vehicle for the entire route.

“If I think of the entire distance, I can be pretty intimidated,” Crowley said. “But if I think about getting up in the morning and walking, it’s OK.”

She has some concerns about her partner’s health. Link has dealt with back and knee pain in recent years.

“I wouldn’t want to wait another year,” he said.

But he thinks it’s important to show that someone of his age can get out and go.

“I’m concerned about where this country is, that in everything people do, they seem to have to have a motor under them,” Link said. “I’d like to inspire people to use their own bodies to enjoy the world.”

Although Crowley and Link have a few sponsors for their trip, they’ll be financing most of it themselves.

“We’re going to do it no matter what,” Link said. “It’ll be low-budget, but the important thing is to do it.”

They believe it’s important to tell the story of Lake Superior and its fresh-water resource, one step at a time.

“I’m hoping we can get awareness outside this immediate area,” Link said. “There’s a lot more shoreline that needs to be protected.”