Three Michigan men cross all 5 Great Lakes on paddleboards
Three Michigan men are riding a wave of excitement after accomplishing an extremely rare feat: crossing all five Great Lakes using stand-up paddleboards.
Their most recent trip took place last month when Kwin Morris, Jeff Guy and Joe Lorenz crossed Lake Ontario in about 13 hours.
That was the fifth and final Great Lake crossing over a 12-year period – all with the goal of raising money for organizations that support and preserve the Great Lakes.
Morris told CTV News Windsor that the idea to do this came from a conversation with friends at a Christmas party in 2014.
In June 2015, Morris and four others paddled across Lake Michigan in about 24 hours.
“We learned that cold water is actually better because it keeps the waves low. But we froze. We weren’t prepared. We didn’t know how long it would take and what we’d encounter there,” said Morris.
That first trip resulted in two people dropping out on future Great Lakes crossings. Morris, Guy and Lorenz decided to persevere.
The trio crossed Lake Huron in 2017, Lake Superior in 2018, Lake Erie in 2019 and Lake Ontario last June.
On each crossing of the Great Lakes, the trio is followed by a safety boat.
In all, they spent 115 hours on the water and helped raise more than $100,000 for organizations that support the Great Lakes.
“For Lake Ontario, we selected the Cooperative Institute For Great Lakes Research. They monitor with buoys. They do coastal restoration and flood control to prevent agricultural runoff and even urban runoff from entering the lakes,” Morris said.
The trio, known collectively as Stand Up For Great Lakes, is expected to meet next week to plan another paddleboarding adventure across Lake Superior.
“In the beginning I was a young guy who couldn’t wait to cross the lakes. Now I’ve moved on to showing real respect for the Great Lakes and how fragile they are,” said Morris.
He added: “I also have a family of my own. During this last crossing, I thought about future generations. As my children grow up, they will grow up thinking, ‘Wow, my dad did something to protect this place.’
