Paddle for a Purpose

[Reel Turner]

I just received this in an e-mail from Lake Superior State Alumni Association. It appears they will be leaving for this trip in two weeks. If you see them on the water while fishing lend them a hand or make a donation in their name. I posted the website at the bottom of the article if anyone wants to track their progress.

“While most Lake Superior State University students will head home to find summer jobs in May, two Lakers will be looking to raise funds not for themselves, but for the American Red Cross.

Dana Skytta, a senior from Michigamme, who will be graduating May 2nd with a major in parks and recreation management, and Sean Kutzler, an LSSU alumnus from Sault Ste. Marie who majored in liberal studies with a concentration in nursing and minors in sociology and gerontology, will begin "Paddle with a Purpose" on May 8 to start a 500-mile paddle in kayaks around Lake Michigan. The two say they hope while raising funds for and awareness of the Red Cross, they will also draw attention to the fragility of the Great Lakes.

Both avid paddlers, the two said they will push off from either St. Ignace or Mackinaw City on the Straits of Mackinac with a goal of traveling 20-30 miles per day, although they say 15-25 miles per day is probably more likely, depending on weather. It will take them approximately two months to return to St. Ignace.

They'll collect donations and pledges along the way, and in the end, the two said they hope to have raised $5,000 for the Red Cross's Chippewa Chapter, which provides services in Chippewa, Luce and Mackinac counties. They started the fundraising in March, which was Red Cross Month, by selling Paddle with a Purpose T-shirts. Sponsorships are $100 and businesses and organizations will have their names added to the side of the kayak. So far, the LSSU Parks and Recreation Club, Fisheries and Wildlife Club, and His House have been added as corporate sponsors.

On Friday, May 1, from 5-7pm, at the Market Corner (Southeast Corner of Ashmun and Portage), the Sault Ste. Marie Downtown Development Authority will be sponsoring an event to meet the kayakers. Click here to download the brochure.

Why paddle around Lake Michigan? The idea came to Skytta last spring when he contemplated going on a summer-long paddling trip during the summer of 2008-2009. Later, he contacted Brian Davie, director of the ARC Chippewa chapter, about doing the trip for a cause. Once Kutzler heard about the trip and the ARC connection, he said he would be interested to go along, also.

"I thought it would be neat to be a part of that," Kutzler said. "I had an illness as a baby that required a 25% blood exchange and the American Red Cross was there to help me. I wanted to give back.

"The Red Cross has touched so many people on a large scale," he continued. "We've all taken the CPR classes and participated in the blood drives. I thought it would be nice to be part of something like this, to raise awareness and have fun."

"My parents always say 'do everything while you're young,'" said Skytta. "My uncle walked 500 km of the Appalachian Trail one year, so he has inspired me. Plus, I read about a couple who paddled around Lake Superior and thought that would be an interesting trip."

Skytta said his education at LSSU, including an expedition management class led by Prof. Sally Childs that took students camping and paddling through Virginia and West Virginia, and a recreation administration class that taught them about planning and fundraising, has prepared them for a trip such as this one.

"It certainly fits into the Lake State theme of providing an unconventional classroom," said Davie, who has been working with Skytta and Kutzler for several months, meeting regularly to plan and secure sponsorships for equipment and funds.

Davie said he hasn't heard of a fundraiser like this one, noting, "Most are more conventional."

Although both paddlers grew up enjoying recreation on the water, including overnight camping trips that involve paddling to camping spots, neither has taken a trip of this magnitude. Skytta canoed 60 miles of the St. Mary's River in a day and learned how long it can sometimes take to get from one point to another. He had hoped to make it all the way to the Mackinac Bridge. He nearly made it, but called for his uncle to pick him up at midnight near DeTour.

"On that trip alone I learned limits and what I feel comfortable with, including open water crossings," Skytta said.

Both learned a little more about bad weather on large bodies of water while kayaking on Lake Superior near Brimley last year. The trip out went quickly, but wind and waves fought them for a couple of hours on the return.

With area waterways being less than conducive to paddling right now, the two have been putting their kayaks in the pool at LSSU's Norris Center to practice handling rolls and to get into shape. By tying their canoes to the side of the pool, they can get their arms and shoulders into shape by paddling in place. Both are increasing their already strict physical fitness regimens to prepare. Skytta is competing on the LSSU track team and will increase his trip preparation when the season is over. But he says a lot of the training comes on the trip itself and both expect to be tired and sore for the first couple weeks.

"My uncles does a lot of bike riding in training for hiking, and he says you won't get used to the effort needed every day for a trip like this until you're doing it," Skytta said. "The first couple weeks are going to be hard."

A trip of this magnitude takes a great deal of planning and preparation. Davie, besides meeting with the paddlers routinely, is contacting other chapters around the lakeshore for help.

"We'd like to get assistance from them, if possible, so the guys don't need to pack more than needed," Davie said, adding that another possibility to help cut back on cargo is to mail supplies ahead to towns where they plan to stop. Food is a chief concern, of course, but LSSU prepared them for that part of the trip also.

"We're using a lot of Prof. Childs' recipes – soups, oatmeal, pancakes, dried foods," said Skytta, who said pancake mix is good to have along, as well as tortillas, which handle the abuse of packing better than bread. They'll also bring plenty of granola bars and GORP (good ol' raisins and peanuts, a camping staple).

They said the Coast Guard has been notified of the trip, knows where they'll be, and invited them to stop in whenever they'd like. There won't be a support crew on shore, but both paddlers said they have friends around the lake and they will be in contact with them and with their parents. Skytta has a satellite tracker that can link to a USCG receiver. It includes a "Help/911" button for emergencies and an "I'm OK" button that may be used to send a daily e-mail message to friends and family.

For more information, or to donate to Paddle for a Purpose, contact Davie at the Red Cross, 906-632-8111.

Follow Skytta and Kutzler's progress as they "paddle for a purpose" around Lake Michigan.â€

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