Talk about a great Canadian adventure.
The Atchison family of St. Marys, Ont. went for a swim in all five Great Lakes — in one day.
The epic trip had been longtime goal for Derek Atchison after he first heard of a father-son duo doing the same thing in 2005, according to the Stratford Beacon Herald. This year, Atchison was finally able to convince his son Josh, 14, and brother Darren to come along.
"I was like: 'I gotta do this, it's gotta be a bucket list item, gotta do it before I die," Derek told CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive.
The trio set out at 4 a.m. on June 27, driving a total of 1,000 km to swim in Lake Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior within 13 hours. Of course, the trip also included a pit stop at Tim Hortons.
Derek shared the whole experience on social media, and gathered a fair bit of attention.
“People I haven't talked to in 20 years were sending messages, 'Where are you? We're so excited. We're watching this minute by minute,'” he told the Herald.
But the experience wasn't just for fun — the group also created life-long memories.
“It was family time, bonding time.”
What's next for the adventurous trio? Two oceans in one day, said Josh. Maybe.
"We're still thinking about it, we're not 100 per cent sure yet," the 14-year-old told CBC.
Check out the family's Great Lake challenge below:
First stop: Lake Ontario
Second stop: Lake Erie
Third stop: Lake Huron
Fourth stop: Lake Michigan
Fifth stop: Lake Superior
The Atchison family of St. Marys, Ont. went for a swim in all five Great Lakes — in one day.
The epic trip had been longtime goal for Derek Atchison after he first heard of a father-son duo doing the same thing in 2005, according to the Stratford Beacon Herald. This year, Atchison was finally able to convince his son Josh, 14, and brother Darren to come along.
"I was like: 'I gotta do this, it's gotta be a bucket list item, gotta do it before I die," Derek told CBC Radio's Afternoon Drive.
The trio set out at 4 a.m. on June 27, driving a total of 1,000 km to swim in Lake Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior within 13 hours. Of course, the trip also included a pit stop at Tim Hortons.
Derek shared the whole experience on social media, and gathered a fair bit of attention.
“People I haven't talked to in 20 years were sending messages, 'Where are you? We're so excited. We're watching this minute by minute,'” he told the Herald.
But the experience wasn't just for fun — the group also created life-long memories.
“It was family time, bonding time.”
What's next for the adventurous trio? Two oceans in one day, said Josh. Maybe.
"We're still thinking about it, we're not 100 per cent sure yet," the 14-year-old told CBC.
Check out the family's Great Lake challenge below:
First stop: Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario, Halmilton, On, Confederation Park 6:04am #5greatlakesoneday #greatlakechallange pic.twitter.com/hZYSRgjnRE
— Derek Atchison (@Camodad2) June 27, 2015Second stop: Lake Erie
Lake Erie, port Dover, On 7:23am #5greatlakesoneday #greatlakechallange pic.twitter.com/elHIENO1Ps
— Derek Atchison (@Camodad2) June 27, 2015Third stop: Lake Huron
Lake Huron, Linwood, MI 1:27pm #5greatlakesoneday #greatlakechallange pic.twitter.com/0bd90HNl0E
— Derek Atchison (@Camodad2) June 27, 2015Fourth stop: Lake Michigan
Stop # 4
Lake Michigan, Petoskey MI #5greatlakesoneday #greatlakechallange pic.twitter.com/kM68z0RyTY
— Derek Atchison (@Camodad2) June 27, 2015Fifth stop: Lake Superior
Stop # 5 Lake Superior, Brimley state park, MI. 7:15pm #5greatlakesoneday #greatlakechallange pic.twitter.com/eGr4DG5vcE
— Derek Atchison (@Camodad2) June 27, 2015-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.