Schuylkill River Sojourn, a 7-day, 112-mile river ride organized by Schuylkill River Greenways, recently recorded the highest number of participants in its 26-year history, writes Ron Devlin for the Republican Herald.

This year, 288 paddlers have joined either for the whole journey from Schuylkill Haven to Philadelphia or a part of it. For half of those registered, this was their first sojourn.

Around 20 percent of participants make the full trip from Schuylkill through Berks, Montgomery, and Chester counties before finishing at Boathouse Row. Other paddlers do segments of the journey.

The latest iteration of the sojourn welcomed the first participants on Friday, who camped overnight at Island Park. A safety briefing was conducted by Noah Phillips, director of Pottstown-based Take It Outdoors, a Schuylkill River Greenways subsidiary, on Saturday morning.

Due to the narrowness of the Schuylkill, kayaks line up single file behind a lead boat, with an experienced kayaker also riding last in the entourage. Peddlers use whistles to communicate with sojourn leaders, while trip leaders also use their paddles to communicate.

Schuylkill River Sojourn is taking place between June 15 and June 21.

Read more about Schuylkill River Sojourn in the Republican Herald.

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