DANVILLE, Pa. — It was a great day to be on the water for three friends on the trip of a lifetime. They are kayaking the length of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River.
"From Cooperstown down to the Chesapeake Bay," Dylan Whitmer said.
Dylan Whitmer, Drew VanBenthuysen, and Ollie Maul live in Selinsgrove. They've been talking about doing this 444-mile trip for about six months.
"The idea came along, and we all thought it would be a good idea, so we just kind of buckled down and went for it," Ollie Maul said.
"We've always been kayaking and tubing in it, and we've always had a good connection with the river. We love to backpack and camp and all that," Drew VanBenthuysen said.
The friends started their trip on July 3 in Cooperstown, New York.
"We are getting to see pretty much half the state of New York and the entirety of Pennsylvania and a little bit of Maryland," Whitmer said.
So far, the group has been happy with the weather. The friends say the only issues so far have been low water and wind.
"It pushes us upstream, especially when we're facing the west. Yesterday was pretty rough. It was pretty much an uphill battle the whole time, but we can't complain. There have been no major thunderstorms or anything," VanBenthuysen said.
"It's been really nice to see the Susquehanna through its different stages. It was really small at the start, and to see it slowly get wider as more water came into it. But to also see the different ecosystems," Maul said.
Dylan, Drew, and Ollie say this is an adventure they will never forget. The friends say they should wrap up their trip by the end of next week.
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