THUNDER BAY — A Minneapolis man who survived the capsizing of his kayak on Lake Superior is back home with even greater respect for the big lake, and plenty of gratitude to the friends and strangers who bailed him out.
"I just dumped my boat. Lost control. And that's where you don't wanna be," Johnson said. "We've got to get me ashore because I'm sitting in a swamped boat. I'm essentially sitting in Lake Superior." "Monday was the not-so-great day," Johnson said. "Lake Superior got in the way. She does whatever she wants. You have to give Lake Superior all your respect, and she doesn't give anything back."
Johnson said he was "pretty wrecked" at that point so the group put up a tent, he got into a sleeping bag where he shivered for an hour, but then was able to eat some hot food and fall asleep. First, Johnson met a woman who offered him a ride to Thunder Bay the next day, and arranged for her husband to bring him some food."I was just going to pitch my tent on the side of the road, or right outside the store. The store is closed, and they're not meant for boarding."