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| Rat Race Source to City Kayaking down the Hudson River |
In my latest adventure I get to kayak past a blown up Castle on Bannerman Island, pass on the invention of the Ice Hat, see sisyphus stones and watch skydivers jump from a helicopter outside the famous Westpoint Army Academy, all whilst following the 300 mile long Hudson River in the USA with the Test Pilots from Rat Race adventures.
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| Rat Race Source to City cyclists near New York on the Hudson River |
The team from Rat Race (who I crossed Frozen Lake Khovsghol with and ran a 5k out at sea) are planning a new adventure in 2019 for lucky adventurers called ‘Source to City’ to travel the length of the Hudson River by foot, bike and Kayak over 4 days.
As I now live in Connecticut in the USA I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see the Rat Race guys as I was less than 100 miles away so I jumped in the car with my running gear met them in
Poughkeepsie after a very epic day of cycling. They had started at Mount Marcy the highest point in the State of New York and having hiked the very steep trail switched to bikes to get to
Poughkeepsie.
I met them in the evening, frazzled but elated at having ridden 145 miles on bikes that day, and as well as Jim and Pete from Rat Race I met two keen cyclists called Mene and JJ.
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| Rat Race Source to City Kayaking the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie |
After a short sleep and early start the guys headed off again the next morning to bag another 45 miles of cycling to make up for a distance shortfall while I headed out to a point to meet Matt and Brian from Hudson River Expeditions who dropped off two double kayaks for us. Around midday when the guys on the bikes arrived we set off in kayaks heading downstream about 21 miles to Cold Spring.
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| Rat Race Source to City Bannermans Island Arsenal |
With the tide and wind in our favour we made great time and averaged about 6 miles per hour. The Hudson is wide at this point and feels more like you are paddling on a large lake. With huge pine forest mountains on either side its easy to imagine you could be anywhere in the world.
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| Rate Race Source to City passing Bannermans Island Arsenal on kayaks |
About half way we came across the mysterious looking Bannermans Island Arsenal which is an abandoned faux castle that used to stockpile munitions and army surplus gear before exploding a century ago and becoming eerily abandoned.
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| Rat Race Source to City Kayaking the Hudson River |
It was eerie to get so close to it by kayak, and imagine how this bizarre building used to be in its grand heyday. In the distance the train line that runs along the shore towards New York would toot its horn and remind us that civilisation wasnt much further down the river.
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| Rat Race Source to City Hudson River |
We passed the famous
West Point Military Academy and were entertained watching skydivers jump above us from a helicopter. For the last 6 miles of our kayaking the tide had turned and we were paddling against a hefty wind and tide which halved our initial speed.
After a good nights sleep in an Inn directly on the River we headed out for our final day. The guys cycled another 55 miles through breathtaking scenery around Bear Mountain Bridge with long winding hilly roads following the Hudson River. Large wide cycling lanes meant the guys made great time and by lunchtime we had reached the Washington Bridge ready to ditch the bikes with our support crew and prepare to run the last 13 miles in to New York.
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| Rat Race Source to City Cycling the Hudson River near Bear Mountain Bridge |
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| Rat Race Source to City running the hudson river at Fort Lee |
Amusingly for me we set off from
Fort Lee famous for a previous Anglo American encounter for George Washington and with a suitable flag on its walls given our adventure.
The run was hot but great fun and everyone took it easy given the mileage they had done on the bikes over the last few days. We passed a large collection of balanced stones called the
Sisyphus Stones that looked very haunting and unexpected by the shoreline.
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| Rat Race Source to City Sisyphus Stones on the New York shoreline |
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| Rat Race Source to City running through New York along the Hudson River |
As I got closer to Manhattan I counted down the streets until we got to 42nd Street. I gleefully got a selfie with the sign to mark my 42nd birthday that day.
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| Rat Race Source to City Lee-Stuart Evans 42nd Birthday on 42nd street |
We all felt the heat that afternoon and I got to pass on the invention of ‘Ice hats’ that Rosanna had developed on our Greensand Way Fastest Known Time. It involves scrounging ice from a bar and then filling a buff with it to keep your head cool for more than an hour and it has a huge impact on your body temperature very quickly.
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| JJ tries out an ‘Ice Hat’ on the Rat Race Source to Summit in New York |
We then ran past my old friend the
USS Intrepid that I visited at Christmas as well as the famous part of the Hudson River that Pilot Sully safely landed an A320 airliner. The final few miles allowed all of us the chance to look up at the huge iconic skyline of New York and take in all the different parts of the journey over the past few days. We celebrated with a beer and snacks at a restaurant overlooking the point where the Hudson River meets the sea, with the Statue of Liberty in distance and the bustle of New York all around us.
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| Rat Race Source to Summit running past the USS Intrepid in New York |
The completed recce from the Rat Race ‘Test Pilots’ shows that anyone from any ability can complete this challenge and enjoy all of it. People lucky enough to take part next year can pick to hammer it and charge the bike sections or take a more laid back time through the ever changing scenery and surprises on the way. I only traveled about a tenth of the Hudson and was enthralled and surprised by how varied and fascinating it is. From Bald Headed Eagles and Peregrin Falcons to trains and castles and the Statue of Liberty this adventure has something for everyone.
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| Rat Race Source to Summit Running to New York |
I was hugely lucky to get to tag along for part of this Recce and it was great to catch up with Jim Mee and the guys from Rat Race. Like all of their adventures I made new friends, learnt loads and had a blast.
I suspect this adventure will sell out fast. Join the waiting list here
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