Five in 24!

Here is the picture of success! At 7:25am on Sunday, July 26, 2009, Neil became the youngest person in the world to swim in all five Great Lakes in 24 hours! He loved it - he was the first of the team to get in and the first to dive under at all of our swims!

We are spending today slowly unwinding from the experience and the three hours of "sleep" we tried to get at the rest stop on US 90 in Angola, NY. I suspect the full meaning of the experience will take a few more days to unfold.

My first impression was the variety of the water that we encountered along the way: Stinging brisk Lake Superior... The relatively warm and inviting sand beach on Lake Michigan

followed by the glassy ice water of Lake Huron. The sadly contaminated waters of Maumee Bay were tempered by the inviting warm shoreline of Lake Erie near Port Clinton, a full 14*F warmer than we encountered in Superior the same day. Finally, sneaking into Lake Ontario -- water that was a very satisfying compromise between temperature and crystal clarity. I instinctively looked for smallmouth bass in Ontario, which is to say it was perfect water for finishing the adventure.

Thanks for following our adventure and supporting our cause. If you haven't yet done so, please consider a gift to the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Natural Resource Center. They work every day to restore, preserve and protect all five Great Lakes. Thanks!

ONTARIO.

We did it! All 5 lakes in 24 hours. Thanks 4 your support, more details after we celebrate - and rest!

ERIE.

After leaving 1 beach due 2 unsafe water quality, we found a gr8 beach. Warm, clear water 4 a sunset swim!

MICHIGAN.

A beautiful swim. Cold, but the weather is improving! Two lakes to go!!

HURON.

much warmer - 66F!

SUPERIOR!

Hit the lake @ 730 due 2 thunderstorms. Temp was 64F - bearable AND beautiful!

Stoked

We made it to Brimley - the starting point of tomorrows adventure!

Thanks, Everyone!

Thanks to all of you who have donated money, time and support to our upcoming adventure.

We are packed and ready to roll, even if we are a little anxious about the sunrise dip into Lake Superior. We will leave the Cleveland area tomorrow morning, pick up the hybrid in Ann Arbor around noon, and camp on Whitefish Bay tomorrow night.

The 24 hour adventure will begin with a Saturday sunrise swim in Lake Superior, then morning swims in Lakes Michigan and Huron, with afternoon/evening swims somewhere along Lake Erie. We'll spend Saturday night somewhere north of Buffalo, NY and swim in Lake Ontario at sunrise on Sunday.

When I originally thought about swimming in Lake Ontario, I thought it would be an easy weekend trip that would give me the satisfaction of "checking off" the last of the Great Lakes that I hadn't visited. Thanks to a little more brainstorming, and a lot of help and support, we have turned this into a great adventure for a great cause. Thanks!

It's Not an Adventure Without MREs and Powdered Eggs

Thanks, Sergeant Will!

My brother, Will, is an E6 in the Indiana National Guard. He knows a little bit about adventure, after two trips to Iraq and another deployment just days away. At one point, he went for a few weeks eating nothing but freeze-dried scrambled eggs that he warmed up by pouring in a ziplock bag with some water, and then stuffing the mixture in his trouser pockets.

He's eaten locally prepared cat, too.

So it was with great joy that we received an entire case of MREs from him to use this weekend on our upcoming adventure to swim in all five Great Lakes in 24 hours. I'm sure that we will enjoy selecting from a variety of entrees that sound great and look... well, better than sweaty legs and cat.

We may supplement our diet with some classic road food as well. Look out, Gustafson's Smoked Fish, and New Sandusky Fish Company!

Coincidentally, while we are cruising the scenic roads of the North Coast, SSGT Robertson will be touching down in Southeastern Afghanistan, ready to embark on his own next adventure.

Vaya con huevos, y vaya con Dios, mi hermano.

One Week to Go

One more week, and the adventure begins!

We've had a great burst of donation activity, and lots of people still seemed surprised that our pocket adventure is even possible. It is! Here is a snapshot of our itinerary:

Friday, July 24

• Depart the Cleveland area at 8am
• Arrive in Ann Arbor, MI around noon to pick up the NWF's Toyota Prius (thanks, friends!)
• Camp near Brimley, MI

Saturday, July 25

• Sunrise dip in Lake Superior
• Morning transit to the Straits of Macinac
• Morning swims in Lakes Michigan and Huron
• Toledo, OH by lunchtime or early afternoon
• Afternoon swim on Lake Erie
• Night time arrival to the Niagara region of NY

Sunday, July 26

• Sunrise swim in Lake Ontario, near Youngstown, NY

That's all there is to it!

Thanks for your support,

Rob

Getting Close

We're getting closer.

Wetsuits? check.

Tents? check.

Maps? check.

Alarm clock? check.

I'm getting excited and a little bit anxious. We live next-door to the neighborhood pool, and I can tell you that I don't relish the idea of swimming in water that is less than 84* F, and air temps lower than about 78* F. I don't think sunrise in Lake Superior is anywhere near either of those.

On the other hand, life wouldn't be the same here in Ohio or anywhere else on the planet if the temps were that high at Whitefish Bay. The implications of even minor changes in our climate are hard to imagine, and quite terrifying if they occur over short time spans.

We are at a critical point in our relationship with the earth's climate. Most scientists who study this issue remain optimistic, but also insist that we don't have much time to respond to global climate change by being smarter about how we live.

We are getting close.