the Metropolis

looked propitious on a late morning last August when pals Grant Piering, Karissa Buel, Sara Tucker and the group’s leader, Liam Kaiser, unloaded their paddle boards at Haserot Park on Old Mission Peninsula for a quick snorkeling adventure.

The radar showed thunderstorms scattered over Lake Michigan and as the party launched, a steely chop agitated the water.

But Kaiser is a man who doesn’t give up easily. Readers of Traverse Northern Michigan may recall Liam Kaiser as the photographer of several hardcore adventure stories chronicled in our pages—most recently, a gripping, death-defying paddleboard journey around Lake Superior’s Isle Royale. His assignment on this August day, however, was not nearly so epic. But that was the point: We asked Kaiser to find and shoot a readily accessible adventure that those of us who don’t possess the strength and stamina of a 20-something with a Goliath-sized shoulder span could do. Something on the water, something a little thrilling, something that won’t make us wet our pants in fear. Something that could be done in the window of a summer afternoon.

Kaiser suggested a snorkel expedition to the wrecked schooner Metropolis—one of the approximately 6,000 shipwrecks (1,500 in Lake Michigan alone) lost in the Great Lakes in the 19th and early- to mid20th centuries. Certainly, many of those wrecks are located in waters far too deep to snorkel or even recreationally scuba dive. But many also lie just offshore, sometimes in water so shallow you can see them from the surface. Such is the case with the Met ropolis, whose ancient bones have been lying off Old Mission Peninsula for almost 140 years—some years completely covered by sand, other times partially exposed, depending on the whims of wind and tides.

A rager of a storm on November 26, 1886, grounded the 165-foot long, two-masted schooner off Old Mission Peninsula on what was to be its last run of the season from Elk Rapids to Chicago. The ship, owned and captained by Duncan Corbett, could not be salvaged, though the captain and crew made it safely to land. That would not be the outcome almost 10 years to the day later, when Corbett and his new ship, the Waukesha, were taken down by another winter storm off the coast of Muskegon. This time, Corbett and five of his six-man crew succumbed to the chilling horror of a watery grave.

When she storms, she storms big and bad, but when Lake Michigan behaves, there’s nothing quite as beautiful. As the paddlers rounded a small point along the shoreline and headed north, the wind ceased and the lake morphed from looking for a fight, to calm and, as Kaiser describes, “crystal clear.”

While the Met ropolis lies just off shore, it is off shore from private property. So the closest way to get to her—and not trespass—is by launching from Haserot Park followed by a two-mile paddle on East Grand Traverse Bay. Kaiser, Piering (who had accompanied his friend on that death-defying Isle Royale paddle) and Tucker were experienced paddlers. Buel hadn’t logged much time on a board—a point that was all but moot under the near pond-like conditions.

Not quite an hour after takeoff, the paddlers had the GPS coordinates for the Met ropolis in their sights—although the long dark shape lurking on the lake floor was the true giveaway. Once over the wreck, Kaiser tied the four paddleboards together and dropped in an anchor. And then, in late August water so warm there was as Kaiser says, “no need for Neoprene,” the four played

LIAM KAISER’S TIPS FOR AN EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

> GETTING TO THE METROPOLIS < PADDLE NORTHEAST AS YOU’RE LEAVING HASEROT PARK. ONCE YOU EXIT THE SMALL BAY, FOLLOW THE SHORELINE NORTH. THE WRECK IS ABOUT 2 1/4 MILES FROM HASEROT PARK. THAT SAID, KAISER ADDS: “I FEAR ANY MORE INFORMATION AND THE EXPERIENCE W ILL BE CLOSER TO FINDING A PARK RIDE AT DISNEY WORLD THAN IT IS EXPLORING A SHIPWRECK. GET OUT THERE, EXPLORE, AND FIND I T YOURSELF. SOME THINGS ARE BETTER WHEN WE HAVE TO WORK FOR THEM.”

> DON’T FORGET TO BRING < “A ROPE AND ANCHOR ARE CRUCIAL IF YOU WANT TO ENTER THE WATER,” SAYS KAISER. “THE METROPOLIS LIES A DECENT DISTANCE FROM SHORE. WITHOUT AN ANCHOR IT WILL BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO LEAVE YOUR BOARD WITHOUT IT DRIFTING OFF INTO THE WIDE EXPANSES OF LAKE MICHIGAN.”

ANOTHER IMPORTANT ITEM IS A DRY BAG FOR YOUR CELL PHONE FOR GPS AND EMERGENCY CALLS.

> MORE SAFETY TIPS < “ALWAYS LET SOMEONE KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING AND ALWAYS CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE YOU GO. CHECKING THE WEATHER IS CRUCIAL WHEN PLAYING OUTSIDE, ESPECIALLY ON LAKE MICHIGAN, BECAUSE WHEN THINGS GO BAD, THEY GO BAD QUICKLY. KEEP A CELL PHONE OR GPS WITHIN REACH TO CONTACT EMERGENCY SERVICES IN CASE YOU NEED HELP. MOST IMPORTANT, DON’T PUT YOURSELF IN A POSITION WHERE YOU NEED TO CALL FOR HELP. BRING A FLOATATION DEVICE, DRESS APPROPRIATELY FOR THE WEATHER AND USE YOUR BRAIN. GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU USE YOUR BRAIN.”

FIND THE GPS COORDINATES AND OTHER INFORMATION ON HUNDREDS OF GREAT LAKES’ SHIPWRECKS ON TRAVERSE CITY’S SCUBA NORTH WEBSITE: SCUBANORTH.COM/DIVE-SITES like dolphins over the skeleton of one man’s long-ago financial disaster. Floating on top of the water, they peered through their masks for a clear view of the massive structure below. Flutter-kicking down just five feet or so, they touched the behemoth keel, then finned their way along its 60-foot length, counting ancient ribs as they swam.

The awe of exploring a wreck in their Up North backyard left even these four Northern Michigan-reared outdoor enthusiasts exhilarated. “It was amazing—the most perfect day,” says Tucker, who counted the experience as her first time snorkeling. “It was just great to be in the water and be active and to try something new and fun.”

Forty-five minutes after their rendezvous with the Met ropolis, the friends pulled themselves back on their boards and, with the wind behind them, made the return paddle to Haserot Park in 40 minutes—allowing Buel to make it to her job in Traverse City by 3 p.m. without breaking a sweat. The others hit the Old Mission General Store for to-go sandwiches then cracked a couple beers on the beach to cheer an adventure—and afternoon—well done.

Elizabeth (Lissa) Edwards is senior editor of Traverse Northern Michigan. She has been writing about the region’s history, outdoors and lifestyle for over 30 years.

Liam Kaiser is a visual storyteller with a strong love for the outdoors and the grit that comes with it. Follow his adventures on Instagram @LiamKaiserCreative.