Russell and Graham Henry, 20- and 21-year-old brothers from Victoria, B.C., aren’t content with just dreaming of long distance adventures: they know how to turn their paddling dreams into reality.
This June the duo will take what began as a dream in a simple school project and turn it into a real-life, seven-month-long, 6500 km kayaking expedition from the mouth of the Amazon River to the tip of Florida. If completed, the proposed trip will be the longest ever by paddlers under the age of 25.
Starting in Belem, Brazil, the Henry’s plan to paddle 2500 km north along the coast of South America before breaking off at Trinidad and Tobago into the open waters of the Caribbean Sea toward Florida.
“This involves island hopping our way to the north and then the northwest,” the Henrys said on their website. “We will face many long exposed crossings, four of which are 100-km plus, as well as a rapidly changing landscape of culture and custom.”
The brothers, however, are undaunted at the prospect of tracing such a treacherous route that even their predecessors have only partially completed. The Henry’s said: “6500 km is not to be taken lightly. But with solid preparation, dogged determination, and some healthy brotherly competition we feel confident in our ability to complete this voyage. Words cannot describe how excited we are to begin tackling this beast.”
The team plans to arrive in Juno Beach, Florida by January 2014. The Henry’s hope their paddling feat will inspire today’s youth to get outside and explore. The trip is sponsored in part by Kokatat.
“We want to share our passion for the outdoors, kayaking, and tripping with youth by telling our story at schools and other youth groups after the trip,” they said. “We hope to reach youth in a way that they haven’t been before by inspiring them to get outside and dream big. Our trip will be the adventure of a lifetime and we want to inspire youth to get started on their own.”
To learn more about and to support the Henry brothers, visit henrykayak.com.