Few things make Joe Zellner happier than paddling a kayak. A champion racer and big water paddler, Zellner will need all of his skills to navigate 6,100 miles of the five Great Lakes as he and his partner, Peggy Gabrielson, take a trip of a lifetime. There will be a dinner and program for them on March 18 at Skyport Lodge.
This is no April fools joke. Joe Zellner and Peggy Gabrielson plan to leave April 1 and kayak all five Great Lakes, a distance of 6,100 miles.
If all goes as planned, Zellner and Gabrielson will be the first man and woman to paddle Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie in one calendar year.
When asked when he hoped to return, Zellner, said, “I want to be back by deer hunting season,” but then added, “We don’t have a timetable. As we go, we want to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.”
The goal is part adventure and partly to benefit pediatric brain cancer research.
“The motivating factor behind our choice is a girl named Callie Rohr; she died of a brain tumor five days before her 10th birthday,” said Gabrielson. “Her parents have been raising money for this cause for several years, and the money they raise is given to a research doctor of their choice.”
Joe grew up in Milwaukee and played in Lake Michigan as a kid. He moved to Cook County with his wife Anne 36 years ago and never stopped his love of big water.
“Anne bought me a fixer upper kayak that was repaired during the winter 30 years ago and she joined me in kayaking a few years later,” said Joe. “We started racing the smaller races and as we improved we advanced to the longer races. In 2007 we paddled the full length of the Mississippi River and were hooked on expedition paddling. Our goal was to paddle the lake we trained and played on, Lake Superior. Due to unfortunate circumstances, I lost my wife in 2012; at that time we were racing six to eight races per year.”
Peggy grew up on a small farm in a small Wisconsin town, “About as far from kayaking as you can get,” she said.
“My younger brother and I spent our summers running wild outside, playing in the woods, fishing… anything to be outside. As a result, spending time in the great outdoors has always been special to me,” Peggy said.
“I married my high school sweetheart in 1983; we had 20 great years and three amazing kids. I’ve always been just a mom, as my daughter said…. ‘You are not a girl, you are just a mom.’ That stuck and always fit. In 2003 I lost my husband in Iraq and figuring out who I was after that took some time.”
Joe and Peggy met two years ago, and Joe introduced her to hiking, snowshoeing and kayaking.
“I didn’t do too bad, but Joe will tell you I have managed to fall out of every boat he has put me in, not totally true but close. He says if you don’t fall out, you don’t learn. Trust me; I’ve learned a lot. My advice would be not to wait till you turn 50 to start kayaking,” Gabrielson said.
Both are avid kayak racers. Joe continued to race after losing his wife, winning 10 events across the country and setting numerous records. Peggy’s first race was in 2016, a 15.5-mile solo event on the Snake River in Mora, Minnesota, which she won. Still, Peggy is new to kayaking on big water, and she will trust Joe’s experience as they navigate the Great Lakes.
The trip will begin at the southern tip of Lake Huron and follow the shoreline of Michigan to Mackinaw City, where they will paddle on the Michigan side of Lake Michigan.
When they get to Chicago they will stop to visit the children’s hospital where, said Gabrielson, “We hope to spend the day at the research facility.”
Following that stop, the couple will travel up the coast to St. Ignace and back to Lake Huron, then navigate the outer islands of Lake Huron.
“We will cut into the inner channel and up to Sault St. Marie where we will travel through the locks and stay on the American side of Lake Superior and head up through Canada and back to Sault St. Marie,” Gabrielson said.
From there they will travel back through the locks into Lake Huron and stay on the inner island side of St. Georgian Bay and end back at Port Huron.
Moving down the St. Clair River to Lake Erie, Gabrielson said, “We will stay on the American side to Buffalo and get portaged across to Lake Ontario where we will be paddling east on the American side to Kingston, Ontario.
“We will follow the coastline of Canada back to St. Catharine’s then get portaged back through the Niagara Falls area. We will stay on the north shore of Lake Erie which is Canada and end our trip at Detroit.”
The first two weeks Joe’s sister will drive his camper and follow them. “Our plans are to camp as we go. But the first couple of weeks we will sleep in the camper because it will still be cold,” Joe said.
Meals will be simple, quick oats oatmeal for breakfast, fajitas, and summer sausage, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and dehydrated meals from Supper Weiss for their evening meal. They will camp on islands or the shore, “wherever we can find to set up camp,” said Joe.
They will always wear their personal flotation devices and stay half a mile or so off shore, near enough to get in quickly if the weather turns nasty.
Peggy will paddle Joe’s big water racing kayak (18R), and Joe will use an SR Surfski that has been modified to handle gear.
“When I asked Dave Thomas, owner of Stellar, to design an expedition boat for me, he didn’t hesitate,” said Zellner of the kayak he will use on the journey.
While speed isn’t of the essence, Joe said the couple could make good time on the water in the right conditions.
“In our boats, we can go four to five miles per hour. With good waves and good surf, we can make six miles per hour. On a good day, we could log 30 miles. But each day will be different. The weather and how we feel will often determine how far we go in a day,” Joe said.
“When Joe asked me to do the five Great Lakes with him, I was surprised, but I am so looking forward to it. This will be the biggest challenge of my life, the ultimate outdoor adventure,” said Gabrielson.
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