THUNDER BAY – Lake Superior has a special place in the hearts of Mike Link and Kate Crowley.
The couple from Willow River, Minn. got married while on the vast body of water and four years ago walked the entire 2,700 kilometre shoreline.
Seeing all angles and perspectives provided them with a unique insight and understanding to how people view Lake Superior.
Everybody who lives on the lake shares a common bond.
“The most important thing we came away with was people who were there always loved the lake and cared about it, but what they really knew about was in front and behind them,” Link said.
“All the way around the lake people are somewhat isolated and may have the same concerns but not knowing they have a shared brotherhood.”
Link and Crowley were two of the presenters for EcoSuperior’s annual Lake Superior Day, a tradition dating back more than 20 years.
This year’s event was held at Prince Arthur’s Landing on Sunday.
Activities included a children’s area with face painting, model ships and a chalk art mural, a traditional First Nations water offering, cycling tour and a tai chi demonstration.
In addition to two features presentations, Link and Crowley led a guided tour in the waterfront.
Program coordinator Aynsley Klassen said it was important for people on the northern shores to learn about the lake as a whole.
“We’re here in Thunder Bay and we see one part of Lake Superior but it is a huge, 2,500 kilometre shoreline. We’re not always in tune with what’s going on in other places around the lake,” Klassen said.
“Getting a sense of who else lives around the lake and what’s happening around the lake is really important.”
Along the way they discovered different characteristics that make each area of the shoreline distinctive.
Link and Crowley particularly enjoyed the North Shore for its rugged beauty that they said was unparalleled.
“This has the most wilderness feeling of the lake,” Crowley said. “You can’t go to any of the other Great Lakes and get that feeling, only on the northern side of Superior.”
It was like a history lesson.
“This area just has this dramatic, beautiful rocks and patterns that are so ancient I feel like I’m walking back in time,” he said.
