Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about the Ohio River Way, which launched two 30-foot voyager canoes in Portsmouth with a spectacular parade of local kayakers and community leaders as they made their way to Louisville, down 250 miles of river.

During the launch, dozens of locals and tourists gathered on the riverfront to wish the group of paddlers well who were only just starting their journeys. Steve Free played music, local leaders spoke, Connex led a “floatilla” of kayakers to Shawnee State Marina, just seven miles downstream.

All of this was to send off the brave paddlers of the third Ohio River Challenge.

The launch is after extensive planning and investment in eco-toursim and adventure-tourism of the region, which has been equally embraced by the City of Portsmouth, Scioto County Commissioners and many regional non-profits.

Eco-Tourism is having a boom, with more families taking to the wilderness and outdoors to explore and spend time with loved ones post pandemic. Scioto County, and the region as a whole, has been embracing these practices and moving to develop future opportunities. Some of these endeavors have included advancements made to Shawnee State Park, Brush Creek, the pump track, splashpad, SOMBA mountain bike paths, Connex events, multi-use paths, kayak launches, and more.

The paddle made its third trip between June 2 and June 11, which took journeyers to ten different Ohio River communities to learn and network. Those towns included Portsmouth, Vanceburg, Maysville, Augusta, Thomas More, Cincinnati, Rising Sun, Vevay, Madison, Westport, and Louisville.

Chairman Brewster Rhoads for Ohio River Way explained that they had an average of 19 people participating in the paddle in any given segment of the trip.

“We paddle early in the morning to get ahead of the wind that comes later in the day and do an average of about 25 to 28 miles a day and stop several places along the route before ending in a different community each night with a catered dinner or restaurant with public officials to highlight the amenities in each town. It is a great way to promote what these towns are doing. It is a way, really, to highlight the access these Ohio River towns have.”

Rhoades is passionate about the group’s mission and says he isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

“The Ohio River Way’s goal is to promote recreational opportunities in towns and celebrate the Ohio River way of life,” Rhoades said. “We do that with partner organizations that include most of the towns along the route. We’re designed to help the folks working to promote outdoor recreation along these 250 miles, because we’re a really great regional, and national, really, destination.”

Rhoades says he believes the launch was a success for the group and for Portsmouth and the overall paddle was a major win. Alongside the paddle, the Ohio River Way has achieved some major positive moves in recent days.

“It went better than I dreamed of. I think, in part, because we’ve put ourselves on a path of financial sustainability. We’ve received a three-year grant to allow us to hire an Executive Director and we received an unsolicited $100,000 grant from REI International. We’ve also made an even deeper partnership with the National Parks Service. They are paying for two full-time retirees who will work on contract. We’ve also solidified our membership and have almost every river town, tourism bureau and park districts and conservancies on board as dues paying members. We’re poised for continued success.”

Portsmouth Councilman and Mayor Sean Dunne participated in the endeavor after a partial paddle last year. Last year’s launch had Dunne traveling from Portsmouth to Cincinnati. This year, he made the second half of the trip, launching in Cincinnati and ending in Louisville.

Additionally, Dunne has been working with community partners to host paddling events on the river leading up to the launch, in hopes of easing hesitations about safety on the river water.

Dunne was present at the launch, after hosting the paddlers at his home for his monthly bourbon tasting club, Spirit of the Blithe, the night before. Many of the paddlers camped out in his home and he served them breakfast before launch.

He said this year was just as great as his first, if not better, and that he appreciates the work that goes into making the event a success.

“It’s easily one of the best decisions I’ve made. Not just the personal experience, which is incredible, but also how it’s helped with academic and political life,” Dunne said. “It’s helped me to think more about environmental sociology and it’s helped me meet others involved in politics in this area, which has helped me understand the political landscape more.”

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved