The Niagara Escarpment rises from the Earth east of Rochester, New York. It extends over 650 miles across the top of the Great Lakes basin to Lake Michigan’s western limits on Wisconsin’s shore. The escarpment’s defining feature is its dolomite limestone, dating back to the Silurian age of the Paleozoic era. It has aged well. That’s where we, four northern Michigan men, enter the story, searching for adventure to help us age just as gracefully. Steve Nance, Evan Smith, Timothy Young, and I set off to follow the Niagara and challenge ourselves to swim in each of the five great lakes on the longest day of the year, June 20, the summer solstice.
