Zhongqi Guo Guo من عند Alappuzha, Kerala, الهند
In 2009, Loreen Niewenhuis set a challenge for herself to walk around Lake Michigan. She had been a stay-home mother to her two boys, and now that they were grown, she wanted to do something for herself, something that had a definite beginning and ending (unlike housework!). Even though the premise seems to be of a woman's spiritual journey, the focus of this book ends up being mostly about the ecology of the lake, the geology of the region, and the histories of some of the coummunities surrounding the lake. Parts are heartbreaking as she spells out the ecological disasters humans have wrought upon the lake. This prompts a vow from me that the next time Clean Water Action shows up on my caller ID, I will answer the phone. She doesn't do the trek in one unbroken session, so it's also less of an exciting adventure than some people might hope to read. She takes breaks to go home and rejuvenate. She camps a couple of times, but spends most of her nights in hotels. Frankly, I don't blame her. I would do the same. I'd be afraid of camping all by myself in remote campgrounds during the off season. I really enjoyed this book because I, too, have an affinity for Lake Michigan, and think of it as "my" lake. I am very familiar with much of the shore and the communities in Michigan's lower peninsula, so I enjoyed reading about them from her perspective, and her descriptions of shoreline in the UP and Wisconsin have given me new places I want to visit and explore. I'll probably travel there by car, though.