And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.
- Hamline University agreed to have two on-line courses for teachers who want to follow the hike, incorporate the research and information in their classes. These will become available this spring and people should contact Renee Wonser rwonser@gw.hamline.edu for details and registration.
- Jan Wellik intends to incorporate learning about our walk in
her Environmental Studies course at UW-La Crosse and Viterbo this
spring!
These warming trends have raised summer surface water temperature in Lake Superior by 2.5 °C since 1980 (ref. 5) and 3.5 °C since 1906 (ref. 6). These rates are significantly in excess of rates of regional surface air temperature increase.
Faster warming of water than air is contrary to what might be expected and what has been observed over the oceans7. Long-term trends in summer surface water temperature are stronger than those in the atmosphere primarily owing to a long-term decrease in ice cover8. Decreasing ice cover over the past century has been documented on rivers and lakes around the world, accelerating over the past few decades2. Decreased ice cover results in a significant change in albedo and a correspondingly greater input of heat in the late winter and spring, which in turn leads to an earlier onset of summer stratification. Summer water temperatures are sensitive to the timing of the onset of stratification, and hence summer water temperatures are a strong function of winter ice conditions5.Consequently, the inversion of warmer air temperature over colder water that characterizes warm season marine boundary layers and summer season Great Lakes has become weaker.
Consequently, a less stable, more neutral boundary layer will lead to higher wind speeds near the surface.
You would think that Dayton Ohio would have nothing to do with an expedition around Lake Superior; the closest great lake is Lake Erie, on the other side of the state. But on November the 24th just as I was driving through Cincinnati rush hour traffic on our way to a family visit, curtains of blood washed across my right eye without warning.
On Thanksgiving I was diagnosed with a tear in the retina and a partial detachment. Thanks to the Retinal Eye Surgery Clinic in Dayton I went through a series of procedures that ended with a big bubble inside my eye and a period of having to hold my head at an angle to keep the bubble in the right place.
The process is working; After two weeks of downtime I can begin to be active again and in a month I will be back up and running.
This expedition has many aspects and our bodies remain the single most important resources. Episodes like this and their recoveries are important to the record and success of the entire project. I won't let this even slow me down.
Full Circle Superior is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and any help you might like to give to the trip is tax deductible! In the past month we have added new research components for the Natural Resource and Research Institute and the Michigan Nature Conservancy. We have received new equipment contributions. There have been communications with both WI and MN Coastal Managment organizations and the hikers have covered 1600 miles in their training.
Your contribution would support our education and research efforts and help us with the costs of food, our support vehicle and Amanda Hakala who is really the third member of the expedition. Amanda will be committing six months of her time to travel in support of our project. She will upload to the website, she will get our data to our research partners, conduct interpretive programs in the parks as we travel, and haul our food and supplies. She is the vital communication link that will inform you and schools about the hike and help make this adventure more meaningful.
We have had generous offers of lodging at one bread and breakfast and other help with the trip which we fully appreciate. Perhaps our greatest need is the use of or a reduced cost for a Class C RV which would be driven by Amanda in our support and for aid in both education and research. Please contact us with offers, donations, or suggestions.
As you think about your year end giving, consider our effort to promote fresh water and the protection of Lake Superior. Your gift can be made through the donate button on the homepage or checks can be sent to Full Circle Superior, 82119 Bennett Road, Willow River, MN 55795
