Pair travels "Great Loop" by canoe

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A pair of travelers took shelter from the storm this week on Dauphin Island. They are on a 6,000 mile journey by canoe.

"The goal is to stay alive," said traveler Curtis Lambert.

Since May Lambert and Jake Tully and have traveled 2,000 miles.

"This is our mode of transportation right here...this is it,” said Tully holding up a plastic paddle.

The pair is traveling the “Great Loop” by canoe. It’s a total of 6,000 miles of connected waterways through Eastern North America.

The journey started in their hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

"It’s my last hurrah. I got a letter from AARP when I was 55 and I thought ‘AARP, really? 55 and it’s over?’ And I determined it was not over,” said Lambert.

Tully was working in kitchens in Indiana when he met Lambert and decided to make the trip.

"I used to wake up every day and know what to expect. Now I wake up and don't know what to expect,” said Tully.

The two set out with a canoe, dry food and a yearning to explore. Some nights they sleep in a makeshift tent, others they are welcomed in by people they meet along the way.

"We just meet all kinds of people from the lowly to doctors,” said Lambert.

Their journey is not just about accomplishing a task, it’s a break from the confines of their ordinary lives.

"Do something that scares you every day. Let’s you know you’re alive. I have a little duck decoy back there I found out in black bay. We’ve been trolling for sharks. I hope a shark grabs it," said Lambert as he pointed to a plastic duck tied to the canoe.

The two are headed back on their journey around this side of the world never knowing what the next day holds.

The pair has faced a lot of obstacles thus far. For Hurricane Isaac, they were in Louisiana. They rode the storm out in a tent.

If you happen to see them on one of their stops, all they ask is for some good conversation and maybe a hot meal.