Richard Harpham and Glenn Charles each have a spare seat for those with an adventurous spirit.
Kayaking along the Erie Canal and the Hudson River, the two men recently embarked on a 500-mile journey that started in Niagara Falls and will end at the Statue of Liberty.
They stopped in Baldwinsville on May 7 staying overnight at the Red Mill Inn. They also stopped for meals at Sammy Malone’s and the B’ville Diner, in addition to being treated to pizza and wings with Mayor Joseph Saraceni.
“We love your little village,” Charles said about Baldwinsville, one of many stops along their three-week journey.
Hailing from England, Harpham is a former Olympic kayaker who has traveled more than 6,000 miles by kayak. The self-proclaimed “token American,” as well as a renowned photographer, Charles is also well skilled with a kayak having logged nearly 15,500 miles. Together, the two have paddled equivalent to three-quarters the way around the world.
Harpham and Charles met while kayaking from Seattle to Glacier Bay, a “beautiful experience,” Harpham said. During the entire trip through the remote area, Harpham said he and his kayaking partner only saw about 10 people, one of who was Charles. The two kept in touch and three years later decided to take this adventure.
“We inspire people to do their own adventures,” Harpham said.
Contacted by New York State’s Division of Tourism, I Love New York, Harpham and Charles were invited to chronicle the locations along the canal, its 35 locks and the Hudson River through a journey called New York State’s Spare Seat Kayak Expedition.
“We are picking up people along the way to experience the waterway,” Charles said. “Some people have been bringing a seat, some have been taking the spare seat.”
“Meanwhile, we get to experience the communities’ history and heritage along the way,” Harpham added.
The two recently picked up Brian Stratton, director of the canal authority.
On May 7, the duo traveled from Waterloo to Baldwinsville then to Brewerton. Along the way they picked up Brian Stratton with the New York State Canal Authority, who referred to the canal as a green classroom. “People forget that the outdoors is a great place to explore, all at your leisure. It’s a real learning experience and the canal is an amazing corridor to watch the wildlife and learn about the heritage of the people,” Harpham said. “It’s a green gym and a green classroom, as Brian called it.”
After breakfast at the B’ville Diner, the two set out for a 30-mile stretch from Horseshoe Bridge to Verona Beach.
Simon Bevan joins Harpham and Charles on this journey as the duo’s expedition manager. Bevan handles all the logistics of their travels, documents the journey through video and photography as well as driving the support vehicle.
For more information about the journey, visit spareseat.com.
