20-year-old loops Lake Superior solo in 42 days, buoyed by climate change awareness

A triple science major at the College of St. Scholastica may be both the fastest and youngest to circumnavigate Lake Superior in a kayak — and he’s hoping the 1,000-mile trip will draw more attention to climate change’s effects in Minnesota.

Last summer, Cale Prosen’s adventure of the season was trekking the Superior Hiking Trail. This year, with little to no experience kayaking, he decided to undertake another gargantuan trip, hitting the water within 48 hours of finishing his final exams in mid-May.

“It was about experiencing the raw nature” and spending time in an impermanent environment, he told MPR News.

Prosen saved for the trip by putting in hundreds of hours as a caregiver at an assisted living facility, primarily in dementia care. He spent the last year saving money, buying equipment, doing research and talking to others who’d undertaken the trip in kayaks or canoes. He went vegan. Prosen began a blog two days before the Superior trip, documenting his journey with near-daily entries and photos.

Once underway, the wet and storm-filled spring created some memorable moments.

“It was just pretty wild to be out there at times, especially like June 18. Those storms that kind of rock the shore, it’s pretty wild,” Prosen recalled. “I woke up in a pond. I got hit by a flash flood while I was trying to camp and the water rose like seven feet in two hours. Pretty nuts.”

For the most part, though, Prosen said he was able to anticipate inclement weather and be in a place to get off the lake quickly. Regardless, storms didn’t stop his mission.

“I think that like climate change, and the effects of that, are what I want my message and takeaway of this to be about,” Prosen said. “Focusing on my kayaking skills and adventure is not what’s important to us all and I believe climate change is heavily impacting Lake Superior, and I wanted to bring advocacy and action to that.”

Cale Prosen circumnavigates Lake Superior by kayak

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An incoming junior at St. Scholastica, Prosen is pursuing degrees in biology, chemistry and science education. While he’s not exactly sure what his post-grad career will be, Prosen knows nature will inspire it.

“I hope to eventually become an educator or advocate that seeks to conserve that outdoors.”

What’s next on the adventure bucket list?

“We’ll see. I haven’t decided.”