The 1976 Duluth Expedition | Duluth News

In 1976, Duluth launched a 51-day epic river and lake paddle to celebrate America’s bicentennial—and honor early explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut. With teens paddling 11-12 hours daily, camp setups, and hot meals in every town they visited, the crew—including just four women like 16-year-old Ann Long Voelker (who turned 17 on the water)—embraced adventure as their soul. Organizers intentionally included diverse participants, including people with disabilities, proving gender didn’t matter when everyone pulled their weight. One wild moment? A storm on Lake Superior forced them to cut loose canoes, bail through waves, and crash onto a rocky shelf—then pass out from exhaustion. Decades later, many, like Ann (now a U.S. Forestry Service worker) and Darlene Peterson (a globe-trotting adventurer), still live by that spirit of grit and wonder. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/5bbd7d5c4caf5207