Glacier HIlls--My Home Away From Home

I got an urgent call from Linda Bennett, the VP of the Glacier Hills Foundation, with whom I work. She said she needed to know how the swim is going"--all the residents are anxious to know how the swim is going". I called her as fast as I could (after a very good nap!) and told her that I am keeping a blog that everyone can see.

So I hope my friends and colleagues at Glacier Hills are reading this.
I miss you very much and hope everyone is well and beating the heat.
I am asking Madelyne to print out the blogs that I have written about the swim to post on appropriate bulletin boards.
I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday at Gallup Park. We are scheduled to arrive a little before noon. I think I will actually be able to swim in Argo pond and then ride a canoe to about the Arb, afterwhich I can swim again right up to the Gallup Park Canoe Livery. That is what I think now and if anything changes, we'll let you know. See you Sunday if not before.

A Non-Swiming Swim Day: July 11

Today we were scheduled to swim from Baseline Lake to Hudson Mills MetroPark. It was scrubbed last night due to very low water in that portion of the river. The rains keep missing us, which is nice for the swim, but dreadful for the river, gardeners, and farmers!

Instead we had a beautiful session with WFUM, the University of Michigan's PBS television station. Jennifer White interviewed me about the swim, while the crew filmed it. We were staged right along the river in the Picnic Grove area. They were very professional and creative. They told me that the documentary is part of a series on people doing unusual feats. One that is already ready to go is about a woman who walked the entire length of the Great Wall of China. The series will air in October. Both the HRWC and I are honored that they are including our project.

UM Sailing Club Picnic and Ice Cream Social

Thanks to the work of several HRWC volunteers, spearheaded by Mike Brooks and Jennifer Wolf, we had a lovely evening on Baseline Lake. Some cottagers, some sailors, and some folks from all over the Watershed came.

It was great to see Karen, a former colleague at Matthaei Botanical Gardens (now known as MBGNA). A group of Sinkers (members of the Alva Gordon Sink UM Alumnae Club) came out, just before they headed north for a week in the UP. I may be a swimmer, but I am also a Sinker!

I met two ladies, Linda and Laura, from Ford Lake who will help us get across that great expanse of the river. They are avid kayakers and love the river. They are now learning how to sail and also want to learn to windsurf.

Cottagers, Bill and Kathy, their four children and his mother, Marge, also came to the party.

Paul Cousins who is the chairman of the Watershed Council was the focus of one of the picnic tables--watching what delectable dinner he had prepared for his wife and himself.

Also a slew of kids had fun in the water, learning to fly fish and just enjoying a beautiful evening on Baseline Lake.

Have I told you lately how fantastic the Huron River is? If you think it is a body of water to be avoided, think again. The HRWC has performed miracles in bringing the water back to a safety. And we all are the beneficiaries.

Happy Sailing, Paddling, Fishing, and, of course, Swimming!

Thanks to the Sailing Club

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 . . .