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Hi Everyone.

I have taken a break to enjoy the July 4th holiday, so I haven’t yet finished the trip report on Paddle to the Bay. Stay tuned! This short posting is to alert you to the start of the 2008 Great Hudson River Paddle. It began on July 3rd in Albany, New York and will end on Sunday, July 13th when twenty through paddlers arrive at Pier 96 (the Downtown Boathouse) in New York City, between 2 and 3:30 PM.

I was able to join the group for its launch in Albany. Paddling from a launch site in Rensselaer on the east side of the river, I joined the paddlers on the western shore at Corning Preserve. It was great to see everyone again, as there were many return paddlers and guides this year.

After we were all on the water and the obligatory publicity photos were taken (see the front page of the Times Union’s local section on July 4th) we paddled past the awesome Albany skyline, along the last destroyer escort afloat, now an Albany museum, and past the busy Port of Albany until we rested at the mouth of the Normanskill Creek. We were joined this year by a group of young people rowing a Whitehall Skiff. They would go all the way to New York with the through paddlers. I left the group at this point to paddle back to my launch site on my own.

Bruce and I will join the GHRP paddlers at Chelsea Yacht Club (at Wappengers Falls). We will paddle to Cold Spring where we will engage in the eighth annual water fight at Little Stony Point. Next day we will be at Stony Point at the Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site. Our last day with the group will take us to the Scenic Hudson Park at Irvington. We think this section of the Hudson is the most beautiful part of the river, as it passes through high cliffs , past West Point, Constitution Island, Storm King Mountain and Anthony’s Nose.

I’ve included the GHRP itinerary below. If you are near by, stop in to see us. I’ve also included some photos and video, here and in an attached photo album. If you are a GHRP alumnus, you may recognize some of these folks.

The Launch at Albany, July 3rd 2008

GHRP 2008 Itinerary

oThursday, July 3rd: Albany to New Baltimore

oFriday, July 4th: New Baltimore to Athens

oSaturday, July 5th: Athens to Saugerties (Coast Guard Station)

oSunday, July 6th: Saugerties to Kingston (Hudson River Maritime Museum)

oMonday July 7th: Kingston to Poughkeepsie (Hudson River Rowing Association)

oTuesday, July 8th: Poughkeepsie to Wappingers (Chelsea Yacht Club)

oWednesday, July 9th: Wappingers to Cold Spring (NYSOPRHP Dock Side)

oThursday, July 10th: Cold Spring to Stony Point (Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site)

oFriday, July 11th: Stony Point to Scenic Hudson Park (Irvington)

oSaturday, July 12th: Scenic Hudson Park to Yonkers (Beczak Environmental Center)