A 1,000 Mile Walk on the Beach

In 2009, Loreen Niewenhuis walked completely around Lake Michigan. This book chronicles that journey, a 1,000-mile trek around the world’s fifth-largest lake. The book explores both the geology of the lake and the measure of a person – a woman, married, mother of two sons (who joined her for portions of the walk). But most of the walk was done solo, an adventure in discovery of self and place. Niewenhuis conveys a sense of the magnitude of the lake she loves, a place so elemental to the states which form its shores. Day by day, from a ground-level perspective, the book explores the natural and human history of Lake Michigan . . . and raises important questions about preserving our wild places and protecting fragile ecosystems on which we all depend. "Her adventure is told with verve and boldness, and she is a clear-eyed observer of the lake and its beautiful and sometimes ravaged shore." – Jerry Dennis, author, The Living Great Lakes Author Loreen Niewenhuis is a writer, speaker, and long-distance hiker. Her stories have been published in many literary journals; her short-story collection, Scar Tissue, was a finalist for the 2009 Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. This book recounts her first 1,000-mile hike, a trek around Lake Michigan. In 2013, her second book of an epic hike along the shores of all five Great Lakes was released, A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk. She is currently working on a third book exploring the shorelines of the islands of the Great Lakes. To inquire about talks and other programs, contact her at .

“In her walk, Loreen Niewenhuis accomplished what many of us have only daydreamed about. Her adventure is told with verve and boldness, and she is a clear-eyed observer of the lake and its beautiful and sometimes ravaged shore. This book is a welcome addition to the literature of the Great Lakes. “ – Jerry Dennis, author, The Living Great Lakes In 2009, Loreen Niewenhuis walked completely around Lake Michigan. This book chronicles that journey, a 1,000-mile walk around the world’s fifth-largest lake. The book explores both the geology of the lake and the measure of a person—a woman, married, mother of two sons (who joined her for portions of the walk). But most of the walk was done solo, an adventure in discovery of self and place. Niewenhuis conveys a sense of the magnitude of the lake she loves, a place so elemental to the four Midwestern states that form its shores. From a ground-level perspective, the book explores the natural and human history of Lake Michigan . . . and raises important questions about preserving our wild places and protecting fragile ecosystems on which we all depend.