. By Brad De Young | West Michigan Kayaking Club | The Kayaker’s Journal
Some paddlers seek adventure. Others build their lives around it.
When people talk about the great expedition paddlers of Michigan, one name almost always rises to the top:
Verlen Kruger.
Kruger became an icon of expedition canoeing, paddling more than 100,000 miles during his lifetime and completing journeys that stretched across continents.
But behind one of the greatest paddling journeys in modern history was another Michigan paddler whose story deserves to be told in its own right.
His name was Steve Landick.
Landick was Kruger’s partner during the legendary Ultimate Canoe Challenge, a journey of approximately 28,000 miles around and across North America that took more than three years to complete.
But Landick wasn’t simply the younger paddler who happened to accompany Kruger.
He was an accomplished endurance paddler, marathon racer, teacher, father and adventurer who quietly accumulated an extraordinary paddling resume of his own.
And his journey began with a kayak.
It Started With a Kayak
One of the most interesting things about Steve Landick’s story is how his paddling life began.
After graduating from high school, Landick bought a kayak.
Then he did something that would give most people pause.
He put the kayak in the water at Rockland, Maine, and began paddling toward Michigan.
According to Landick himself, that was his first stroke in a kayak.
That trip changed the direction of his life.
What began as an ambitious kayak journey eventually developed into a lifelong relationship with endurance paddling and wilderness travel.
Years later, Landick would become one of the most accomplished long-distance paddlers associated with Michigan.
His story is a reminder that sometimes the first adventure doesn’t have to be perfect.
You simply have to start.
Meeting Verlen Kruger
Landick eventually became connected to Verlen Kruger, the Michigan paddler who would become his father-in-law and expedition partner.
The two shared something important: they weren’t particularly interested in ordinary paddling.
They were interested in seeing how far a person could go.
They raced.
They traveled.
They explored wilderness waterways.
And they began accumulating experience that would eventually prepare them for something almost unimaginable.
A journey across North America measured not in hundreds of miles, but in tens of thousands.
The Ultimate Canoe Challenge
In 1980, Kruger and Landick launched what they called the Ultimate Canoe Challenge.
The objective was extraordinary: travel around and across North America using paddle power and portage.
The official Kruger Legacy history records the expedition at 28,043 miles, completed between 1980 and 1983. (Kruger Legacy)
The journey ultimately lasted roughly three and a half years.
They paddled rivers, lakes, oceans and waterways throughout the continent.
They traveled through the United States and Canada, connecting enormous sections of North America’s waterways into one continuous expedition.
More than 6,500 miles were paddled upstream, according to contemporary reporting.
And when waterways ended, they carried their equipment.
One portage across the Continental Divide required them to carry their canoes and equipment approximately 66 miles.
The expedition eventually included more than 500 miles traveled on foot.
This wasn’t simply a canoe trip.
It was an expedition that tested virtually every aspect of wilderness travel.
28,000 Miles of North America
The scale of the journey is difficult to comprehend today.
The expedition began in Montana at the source of the Missouri River.
From there, Kruger and Landick traveled through an enormous network of American and Canadian waterways.
They crossed portions of the Great Lakes, traveled through the Northeast, followed the Atlantic coast, moved south toward Florida, crossed into the Gulf region, followed the Mississippi northward, traveled into Canada and eventually reached the Arctic.
They later continued toward the Pacific Coast before eventually making their way back toward Michigan.
At one point, they paddled upstream through the Grand Canyon.
That section alone covered approximately 237 river miles and required 21 days, with roughly 1,900 feet of elevation gain.
For a paddler, the idea of paddling upstream through the Grand Canyon sounds almost impossible.
For Landick and Kruger, it was simply another section of the expedition.
A contemporary account described the pair as having reached more than 23,000 miles into their journey when they tackled the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. (Men's Journal)
The Numbers Tell Only Part of the Story
The Ultimate Canoe Challenge was eventually measured in astonishing numbers.
Historical expedition records document:
- Approximately 28,043 miles
- More than three years of travel
- Hundreds of miles of portaging
- Thousands of miles paddled upstream
- Rivers and waterways across North America
- Extensive wilderness travel
- Multiple crossings of major geographic regions
- A combination of paddling, portaging and expedition logistics
One expedition database records 935 paddling days and a total expedition duration of approximately three years, seven months and 16 days. (MoRP)
But the numbers don’t tell you what it was like to live out of a canoe for years.
There were storms.
Cold.
Heat.
Wildlife.
Equipment failures.
Navigation problems.
Long stretches without civilization.
And the physical and psychological strain that comes from doing the same demanding activity day after day after day.
The Washington Post reported that the expedition included everything from a grizzly bear encounter to difficult portages and an incident in which Kruger lost his canoe in the Pacific and required a Coast Guard helicopter rescue. (The Washington Post)
Landick was there through the expedition.
A Different Kind of Paddling Legend
What makes Steve Landick particularly interesting is that he never seemed to chase the spotlight.
Kruger became the larger-than-life figure.
He designed expedition canoes.
He accumulated world records.
He became one of the most recognizable names in American canoeing.
Landick simply kept paddling.
A 2019 profile described him as the “silent partner” in the 28,000-mile expedition and noted that he went on to accumulate marathon canoe-racing titles spanning four decades. (Men's Journal)
That may be one of the best ways to understand Landick.
He wasn’t simply the other person in Kruger’s canoe.
He was an endurance paddler in his own right.
The Racing Career
Long-distance expedition travel wasn’t Landick’s only specialty.
He also developed a remarkable career in marathon canoe racing.
His racing accomplishments stretched across decades, demonstrating that his endurance wasn’t limited to one giant expedition.
This is an important part of Landick’s story because it reveals the connection between expedition paddling and racing.
Both require:
Efficiency.
Endurance.
Navigation.
Mental toughness.
Pacing.
Preparation.
And perhaps most importantly:
The willingness to keep going when the easy option is to stop.
Those are qualities familiar to anyone who has spent a long day on a Michigan river.
The Yukon River Quest
Landick’s paddling career continued long after the Ultimate Canoe Challenge.
Later in life, he competed in the Yukon River Quest, an extraordinary 444-mile endurance race.
He even completed the race with his son, Conor.
For someone who had already crossed an entire continent by paddle, the Yukon wasn’t the end of the story.
It was another chapter.
And that may be the most remarkable thing about Landick.
The 28,000-mile expedition didn’t represent the conclusion of his paddling life.
It became part of it.
From Maine to Michigan — Full Circle
There is something almost poetic about Landick’s story.
His paddling journey began with a kayak at Rockland, Maine.
He paddled that kayak toward Michigan.
Eventually, Michigan became home.
Then he and Verlen Kruger would embark on one of the greatest canoe expeditions in modern history.
And years later, Landick was still racing and paddling long distances.
The journey that started with a kayak became a lifetime.
The Landick-Kruger Partnership
The relationship between Landick and Kruger is one of the most fascinating partnerships in paddling history.
They were very different people and different generations.
Kruger was considerably older.
Landick was the younger endurance athlete.
Yet they shared an extraordinary willingness to take on difficult challenges.
Their partnership demonstrated something that every serious paddler eventually learns:
Long-distance paddling is rarely just about physical strength.
It’s about the partnership.
The person beside you matters.
When you’re tired, cold, hungry or facing another hundred miles of river, your partner becomes part of your survival system.
The Ultimate Canoe Challenge wasn’t completed by one person.
It was completed by two paddlers who were willing to keep moving together.
What Modern Paddlers Can Learn From Steve Landick
For today’s paddlers, Landick’s story offers a lesson that has nothing to do with breaking records.
It’s about progression.
Landick didn’t begin by paddling 28,000 miles.
He began by buying a kayak.
Then he paddled it from Maine toward Michigan.
One journey led to another.
Skills accumulated.
Experience accumulated.
Confidence accumulated.
Eventually, those experiences became the foundation for expeditions most people could hardly imagine.
That’s how many great outdoor adventures actually begin.
Not with a world record.
Not with a sponsorship.
Not with a perfect boat.
With somebody looking at a map and thinking:
“I wonder if I can do that.”
A Michigan Paddling Legacy
Steve Landick deserves to be remembered alongside the great paddlers who have helped define Michigan’s outdoor culture.
His story connects several generations of paddling.
The young kayaker who began a life-changing journey from Maine.
The marathon racer.
The expedition paddler.
The teacher.
The father.
The endurance athlete.
And the man who helped Verlen Kruger complete a 28,000-mile journey across North America.
For West Michigan paddlers, there is something especially meaningful about his story.
Michigan has always produced people willing to look at a river differently.
Not simply as scenery.
Not simply as a place for a short recreational float.
But as a pathway.
A challenge.
A classroom.
And sometimes, a route into the unknown.
Steve Landick understood that.
Carrying the Spirit Forward
At West Michigan Kayaking Club, we believe Michigan’s paddling history belongs to today’s paddlers.
That’s why we’re telling these stories.
Hugh Heward showed how waterways once served as Michigan’s highways.
Verlen Kruger showed how far a paddler could push the boundaries of expedition travel.
And Steve Landick showed what happens when endurance, curiosity and a willingness to keep going become a way of life.
Today’s paddlers may use modern kayaks, GPS navigation, lightweight camping equipment and advanced clothing.
But the basic spirit hasn’t changed.
Choose a river.
Study the route.
Pack your gear.
Launch the boat.
And see where the water takes you.
Because sometimes the best way to understand Michigan isn’t from behind a desk.
It’s from the seat of a kayak.
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West Michigan Kayaking Club
West Michigan Kayaking Club is a free, adventure-focused paddling community for people who want more than a casual float.
We explore Michigan by kayak, canoe, SUP and on foot, with longer river expeditions, wilderness paddling, camping, hiking, skill-building, river navigation and multi-day adventures.
No dues.
No membership fees.
No donations.
Just paddlers who love Michigan’s rivers and want to experience them together.
Learn more at the West Michigan Kayaking Club website and join the official Facebook community.
Wild Rivers. Rugged Trails. Real Adventure.
Brad De Young
Founder | West Michigan Kayaking Club
The Kayaker’s Journal
Michigan Paddling Legends Series
Exploring the people, expeditions and defining moments that helped shape the history of kayaking, canoeing and paddle sports.
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