July 10 Swim

On a beautiful, but very hot Tuesday morning, we set out on a swim from Huron Meadows to Baseline Lake's UM Sailing Club. There were a few unusual aspects to starting this swim, as it always is. This time it was the beginning of the filming of The Swim by WFUM television for what may be a documentary on the swim.
The paddlers including Inger, Scott, Chuck, Tricia, Jane, and Bob. With his incredible knowledge of the river, Bob was made the lead kayaker to guide us. The "wings" right begind Bob were Jane and Scott. Those three people are always on guard for any obstacle or problem that may impede the expedition or cause harm to me, the swimmer. I'm here writing about this the day after the swim, so you know they did their jobs very well.
Chuck and Tricia, in a canoe, were my immediate lifeline, communicating with me when I was in the water, helping me in and out of the canoe when it wasn't safe to swim, and generally cheering me on. Inger has taken the role of being my "handler". She will come on all the expeditions to help in every way she can, and especially to keep me focused on the work and not worrying about anything else. It was a most generous and auspicious offer she made that we could not turn down!! She also helps Jennifer by being in constant communication with her about logistics and the care and feeding of Liz.

I was able to swim nearly all of the river--maybe less than a mile of sitting in the canoe or floating on a leash from behind the canoe.

We continue to not be able to match the planned times of the swim. I am slower in the water than we thought I would be.

Some logical reasons: current isn't as fast as anticipated; we don't travel in a straight line; there are those trips into and out of the canoe; and then the wind picks up right so that we are paddling or swimming right into the wind.

But we made it. Approximately 7 miles in almost 7 hours (including rest stops and lunch).

So if you are looking for us at the take out place, you can add an hour or two to the estimated time of arrival.

Thanks for reading! See you on the River!

Liz

July 9th Paddling

At this time the stretch of the Huron from Kent Lake Dam to Huron Meadows MetroPark is too shallow for swimming. So I was in a kayak the whole way. And just to be sure I didn't try to swim, I left my swimsuit at home. The paddlers were Jim, Bob, Carole, and me.

This beautiful section of the river was difficult due to so many downed trees. It was one long obstacle course. But it did keep us from going too fast--we had a chance to see some fabulous flora and fauna. This stretch has lots of button bush, a water loving shrub that is distinguished by its show of round pincushion like white, fuzzy ball flowers. We had a close up encounter with a pair of sandhill cranes that were dining on lovely morsels in the sand flats. They kept an eye on us but continued to feed while we paddled quietly by.

Shortly after the sandhill crane treat, we arrived at the riverside home of Val and Mary Jo who had a greeting party assembled on their lawn by the river. They welcomed us with open arms, photo ops, and shared their bathroom and water with us. We shared the bounty of food provided each day by the Ann Arbor Whole Foods store.

After the respite, we all got back in our kayaks and now we were six traveling the rest of the way to Huron Meadows. Once there, Val and Mary Jo helped Jim and I get back to our cars and just generally were wonderful supporters. They love the river, especially since they live on it, but they are active with the HRWC and the Green Oak township initiatives to protect the river and its tributaries.

Thanks for another terrific day!

July 8 Swim

After a great swim to Milford, the real river showed up. We set out on day 2, July 8, with two local residents who live on the river and are so glad we are showcasing it with the swim. They stayed with us from the Central Park area through to the dam that makes the impoundment in front of the park.
Over the dam, I got in the canoe with Inger and Bill because the water was too low for me to swim. We saw more evidence of human disregard for the environment--picnic tables pushed into the river, the ever present bait cartons, and just junk.
But we did also see families picnicking and children splashing in the water.

Finally the water was deep enough to swim as we entered the Kent Lake impoundment at Kensington MetroPark. The swimming was wonderful, to a point. About half way down the lake the wind picked up and I started noticing that the water wasn't just gently caressing my face, but was starting to slap and sting. I kept looking, when I could, for Martindale Beach where we were supposed to be by noon. It was much past noon and the people gathered on the shore were just the size of ants. That lasted forever. Finally Linda, the canoeist in charge of my welfare, said, "We are going to put you in the canoe. It is just too difficult to get through this headwind. " So, tired and a bit disappointed, I somehow climbed back into Inger and Bill's canoe and they started paddling as fast as they could. Everyone had trouble getting through the wind, but finally we landed. Some of our well wishers had left, but it was a great welcome at any rate. We met a dear couple, Mary Jo and Val, who are geeked about the river and the swim. They are avid HRWC volunteers and live the environmental ethic in their daily lives, right on the Huron River.

The children of the HRWC staff were there too, as was Elaine, my colleague at Glacier Hills. She dragged both daughters and her husband to Kensington, just to say hi and support my work. . Two of my friends who live from Glacier Hills also had been there but had to leave before we arrived.

Thanks every one for your moral support and caring. You make it worth while!

The Huron River Swim Begins

Two days of swimming the Huron and I am learning that people in the northeast section of the river are very devoted to it. Not only do many come to see the caravan of kayaks and canoes helping me swim, but they tell come to share the stories of their lives on the Huron.

• Starting at Proud Lake on 7/07/07, we had a wonderful and lucky send-off. Channel 4 caught the actual beginning of the swim from their mobile television studio truck.
• The personnel of the the DNR's Proud Lake Recreation area were very hospitable. They served sweetrolls, coffee, and water to all of the crew, and threw open the doors of their fine education building and the "facilities".
• People lined the street overpasses as we neared Milford and there was one fellow in particular that I hoped I would meet at the Ice Cream Social in Milford's Central Park, but didn't. I'll describe him. He was an older gentleman dressed in white shirt and pants. I could hear him tell me that we were almost "there". The last time I saw him was just as I finished at Central Park. Then I didn't see him again. And everyone with me says they didn't see him. I guess he was my angel. Thanks for your good vibes, Mr. Angel.
• The ice cream social was fun and since i had done a fair amount of swimming, I indulged!

So much for stories. You probably want the facts:

How many miles did I swim on 7/7/07? Probably about 4 of the estimated 5 miles. The swim team (paddlers, staff, etc.) have limited my swimming to where the water is at least 4 feet high. Sometimes we go to 3.5 feet, but that is the final limit. So there were some times that I had to sit in Nels Christensen's canoe. The timeouts are actually a blessing. It is tiring to swim for hours.

How many paddlers did we have on that first day? About 7. Probably too many but it was a great party.

What were some of the highlights of the trip? The wild and beautiful flora and fauna of the Huron River. Everything from sandhill cranes to green herons and kingbirds as well as wild roses and arrowroot in full bloom! Also some interesting snakes, lots of small pan fish and a beautiful blue sky.

What were the low-lights? Seeing litter everywhere. Why do fishermen/women leave those white plastic bait cartons and water bottles along the shore? Why do people throw perfectly valuable used beer cans (10 cents a pop!) in the river? And why does anyone through picnic tables in the river?

I hope this swim reminds people how important the river is to all of us. We are cooled by the water on these hot days, we get our drinking water from the river, it provides beauty and solace. We must be mindful of its importance in our daily lives.

It is hot in the room where I am blogging. Gotta go and get a drink of water . . .

PADDLER MEETING

The paddlers meeting last night was fantastic! To be in a room with so many capable people, with lots of good common sense. It was wonderful to meet all of these good folks who will accompany me on my swim - taking time out of their busy lives to help raise awareness for the Huron. I think we'll also have a lot of fun together - lots of good humor in the room!

Kayaking the Huron

I've been kayaking on parts of the Huron that I have never seen before. It is a beautiful and even wild river. Last Saturday a friend and I kayaked from Lower Huron Metropark to Willow Metropark. We were astonished by a number of facets: 1. No one else was canoeing or kayaking on the river--oh, yes, we did see two fishermen in a skiff, while paddling for two and a quarter hours. Rarely saw any sign of civilization--a house here or there and once in a while some electric lines. You would have thought we were up north, not just a few miles from Metro Airport. The river water was fairly clear. We could see large rocks and downed trees under water. I can't wait to swim in the river!

One month and a day until the Swim begins

We are just 31 days from launch. The time will go fast now. I'm swimming two miles everyday in the Y pool, working out (especially abs work), and talking to the media. Yes, and working full time, too.
Whilst I swim, the Watershed Council works overtime. They are starting to see the fruits of their labors with some significant underwriting from very caring, environmentally oriented businesses like KeyBank, CDM, and Toyota. Individuals are also sending donations in support of the swim. We'd really like to see the goal of $20,000 met if not exceeded. The need is great, the cause is good, and I really hope to see all my friends, neighbors, and all those who care about water (should be everyone!) participate in meeting the financial goal.
Check out the web site for some ways you can make a difference! Lizzie