ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Peter Frank has paddled from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in June to Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay this month in his 1982 Sawyer Loon-decorated canoe, but he still has a long way to go.
The 23-year-old is about a quarter of the way through his planned journey of around 6,000 miles (9,656 kilometers) to complete the Great Loop route. This continuous watercourse includes part of the Atlantic and Gulf intracoastal waterways, the Great Lakes, part of the Canadian Heritage Canals and inland US rivers.
For Frank, the trip is largely a way of expressing his gratitude for still being alive and having the ability to take on the physical challenge, nearly a decade after a car accident left him with 14 broken bones and nearly paralyzed. He had been hiding in a pile of leaves to surprise a friend when a bunch of teenagers drove through the pile unaware he was there.
“It’s my way of showing appreciation for being alive and being able to go and do the things that I can do,” he says during a break in Annapolis, Maryland, earlier this month, a day before he leaves get out again.
He also enjoys writing about his experiences on his blog and meeting people along the way.
“I’m grateful to be out here sharing this story,” says Frank. “Somehow I feel I have a responsibility to document the things I experience for people who don’t get to experience them or who dream of experiencing them. That’s why it’s important to me.”
Dressed in a rabbit fur hat and clothes he has made to look like a pirate, he usually paddles between six and 10 hours a day in his 1982 decked-out vessel, its shell hollowed out to store supplies. Many nights he sleeps in a tent by the water. However, he often receives invitations from readers of his blog to stay in their homes.
To keep warm, he’s sourced a 1970s vintage heavy down coat, an ultralight Patagonia jacket he found at a thrift store, 1950s German cold-weather military mittens, a set of warm thermals, and several wool socks. Recently, when he was feeling underdressed, he designed and sewed his own pants, which he quilted over cotton flannel for extra layers.
He carries 10 portable power banks, plus cords and sockets. He says his electronics bag alone, containing only batteries and wires, weighs nearly 25 lbs.
“I think 10 is a good amount and will keep my GPS, radio, cameras and phone battery charged through any difficulty,” he says. “I also have a solar panel as a backup and can charge almost anything I need.”
He doesn’t carry much for self-defense: only a small filet knife for fish and a pocketknife for cutting rope. Frank says he is confident in his ability to protect himself, such as being alert in bear country, tying up food or simply avoiding populated areas.
“In the long run, it’s never been a big concern, and anything out of my control isn’t something I can prevent with something I can take with me,” he says.
The Eagle Scout, who still visits a local scout troop in his hometown, has prepared a hearty portion of his food for the long adventure. He dehydrated venison and ground beef in an oven and vacuum sealed it for the trip.
Frank earns something by writing about his experience. His blog also helps him pay grocery bills through his “Rotisserie Chicken Fund,” where people can click to send him money.
“Every now and then someone will send me $20 online, which helps a lot for food and stuff, but in the meantime I also write for magazines and the magazines will publish my work,” he says.
Frank has previously made long-distance trips by bicycle, unicycle and canoes. For example, he has already explored Florida by canoe, which took him about 11 months, and finished in May 2023. That is a significant part of what he is trying to do now. He knows he will eventually tie his canoe to mangroves during a stretch to sleep.
“I really enjoy them,” Frank says of the adventures. “Most of all, I enjoy being alive, and so these expeditions for me are not only my college and my education, but also my form of worship in a way, I thank the world for being alive and able to walk. “
The Great Loop is his most challenging ride to date. While the journey is a bucket-list route for avid sailors, it is rarely done with the reliance of muscling a canoe.
Frank also travels clockwise, which he says is the more difficult route because he paddles upstream on inland rivers for more than 25% of the trip.
Frank started his journey on June 27th in his native Escanaba, Michigan. He paddled into Canada and crossed Lake Ontario, where he camped on islands. On his way south, he passed through New York City, floating by the Statue of Liberty.
Although he has studied the Great Loop route for a long time, not everything is perfectly mapped out for the canoe owner. He says he has had to find his way on his own.
While leaving New York, he took the Delaware and Raritan Canal using portages he says he found on his own that were not mentioned in route plans he had previously seen. Frank says he hopes to write an information guide to fill in some gaps about the details of the route. He is also considering writing an autobiography.
“I want to put together something that’s purely educational, that would be a guide, and then I want to put together something that’s like the story of a young man who finds himself in a world that he doesn’t quite understand yet,” says Frank.
He lived with his parents before taking up travelling, leaving home at 19 to unicycle across the US for charity.
“I’ll sometimes go back and visit for a few months between expeditions, but for the last three years I’ve just been traveling full time,” he says.
Everything he owns is in his canoe.
He says he doesn’t need a lot of money to stay afloat.
“Contrary to what most people think, traveling doesn’t cost an awful lot, especially when you get rid of airfare, gas, assets and accommodations like hotels and restaurants,” he says.
He’s never had a lot of money, and he’s done previous expeditions with less than $1,000.
“Is this comfortable or practical? Absolutely not, but through the struggles of following my dreams with little to nothing, I’ve developed the ability to enjoy less, and as a result I live well with little,” he says.
He also describes the trip as a journey of self-discovery.
“It is very difficult to imagine where I will be in three years, as I am still young and growing, but I hope that on this journey, this very long journey of self-discovery, I might discover that ” says he.
He estimates it will take about 17 months to complete the loop. He will have to complete it by November next year, he says, because of a natural deadline set by the freezing of the lakes he has to cross.
“I would say nature is my biggest competitor, definitely,” says Frank.
