On a recent warm summer evening, I met Ella and Annabel Skrocki at the public beach in Empire—their natural habitat. They rolled up in their mom’s vintage mint-green Chevrolet, pulled a paddleboard from the bed of the truck, and together we set off for a sunset paddle on Lake Michigan. The sky was hazy as the sun dipped lower, the effect of wildfires out west on display here in northern Michigan. We made our way south across calm rolling waves to sit at the base of the Empire Bluff while the sun completed its descent. While we sat, we talked, and these two sisters gave me a glimpse into their friendship, water stewardship, and the mindset that fuels it all.
