The Great Hudson River Paddle is an annual event led by Scott Keller of New York State’s Hudson Valley Greenway office and sponsored by many local government, business and not-for-profit organizations up and down the Hudson Valley.  I participated in the first four days of the 2006 GHRP and did the entire thing in 2007; eleven days in all. 

        In 2006 my greatest concern was whether I could do the distances required.  I could.  In 2007, it was whether I could sustain the effort of many hours on the water, setting and breaking camp and sleeping on the ground daily for eleven days.  Again, I could and I did.  And while not the oldest, I was one of the oldest participants on the trip.  The paddlers ranged in age from a guide who was 23 to an entrepreneur who was 72 and had done the trip several times.   The greatest number of participants were in their fifties. 

        The event is highly structured.  We all launch together, travel together in loose formation, take breaks together and, once off the water at a new camping spot, are off the water for the day.  This structure is difficult for some paddlers, but is necessary for safety and liability reasons with so large a group. 

        So, knowing this, why participate in this event?  My biggest reason was the ownership of “bragging rights”.   It’s fun to see the reaction I get when I casually say that I paddled from Albany to Manhattan this summer.  But I have found three other good reasons for making the trip. 

        First is the chance to see the magnificence of the Hudson over it’s entire navigable length.  From the Port of Albany, past the wilderness of Schodack Island, on through the narrows at West Point, past the spectacular Palisades and finally, Manhattan, the river changes and grows in grandeur. 

        Second, it is a thrill to paddle under the George Washington Bridge and into Manhattan.  It’s not the same thrill as paddling into wilderness, but a thrill none-the-less.  Padding into one of the greatest cities on the planet under your own power after so many days is awesome. 

        Finally, arguably the greatest benefit of making this trip is the people you meet and the friendships you make.  For me, that was the unexpected payoff. Below is a short video I made celebrating the people of GHRP 2007.  Perhaps you will recognize a friend or coworker here.  In any case, you will have a sense of who we are and what fun we had on this trip.

        BTW, there will be more to come on the 2007 GHRP.

Link to GHRP Home Page: Great Hudson River Paddle

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