Kayak Lady

Mary Shideler, known as “The Kayak Lady,” was the first guest presenter Tuesday, Jan. 10 in the Center for Lifelong
Learning Speaker Series at Central Lakes College, Brainerd. Over the last 15
years Mary has kayaked all 1,007 lakes in Itasca County. To
document her paddling adventures, she wrote and self-published “The Kayak Lady:
One Woman, One Kayak, 1007 Lakes.” Her adventure has been showcased by Minnesota
Public Radio, Fox News, On the Road with Jason Davis, and many
publications. Sometimes with the help of friends, but often on her own,
she carried her kayak through brush, trudged across bogs in tall boots, and put
up with hordes of mosquitoes and legions of wood ticks. The new series offered by the Center for Lifelong Learning continues next Tuesday, Jan. 17 when Dr. Jim Bensen, president emeritus of Bemidji State University, speaks at 6:30 p.m. in Chalberg Theatre on how to “Make the Future Your Friend.”