These Guys Just Crossed Lake Michigan on One the Most Unlikely of Objects

60 miles and nearly 24 hours.

That's how far and how long it took for a group of five guys to cross Lake Michigan while standing up on paddleboards.

Banding together as the group "Stand Up for the Great Lakes," Kwin Morris, Jeff Guy, Joe Lorenz, Joel Mueller and Nick Darga took on this mission because of their "love of water," because it's "the challenge of a lifetime" and to "[preserve] the Great Lakes."

"I was not the most supportive person when they first floated this idea," Susan Guy,  Jeff Guy's mother, told Up North Live. "But once they planned it through, we all respect the Great Lakes and we know how powerful they can be. The fact that they have three boats with them made it a lot easier for me as a mom to be OK with it."

The quintet took off standing on their paddleboards from Algoma, Wisconsin, on Tuesday morning and arrived in Frankfurt, Michigan about 24 hours later.

"It was physically and mentally demanding, not only the miles, waves and wind, but the cold just zaps the energy out of you," Morris told MLive, adding later that the last 10 miles of the trip was in four-foot waves. "It was intense, but we were ready for it."

Watch this video from Up North Live to see the reunion on the Michigan shoreline:

Morris told TheBlaze Thursday, after a day of recovery, that he and the group are all "pretty sore and stiff" but otherwise doing pretty well.

Though an arduous trip, the men in the middle of the lake were treated to the stunning northern lights show this week.

"It was epic," Morris told TheBlaze. "The sun went down behind us. We watched the sunset. Then the stars came out and it was incredible. You could see almost the entire milky way. When the northern lights started ... it was one of those moments that you wish you could freeze in time."

Morris revealed that there were a few times he was a little scared, even with boats nearby.

"When you can't see land on either side of you, you feel so small," he said.

The guy's mission raised more than $7,600 so far for the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

The group had initially planned their trip across the lake for last August, but postponed it due to weather and took the opportunity over the next months to prepare more physically. Morris told TheBlaze he's glad they waited because Ford Motor Company came on board as a sponsor, helping provide the safety boats and is creating a video of their journey.

Would he ever do it again? He told us for the right cause, he would "probably endure again."

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This story has been updated to include more information.