Hudson River Environmental Expedition

This summer I have been given an incredible opportunity.

My high school principal nominated me as a participant in a two-week trek that will take place from July 17 to August 1. I am one of only three students from my high school who were invited to attend this expedition and I was selected to participate as one of only eight students in the nation. I will be joining a group of students, guides and environmental scientists who will hike to the top of Mt. Marcy, the highest peak in New York state, where we will start taking water samples from Lake Tear of the Clouds, the point source of the Hudson River. From there we will embark on a completely human-powered traverse of the Hudson River all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, finishing at Jersey City, New Jersey. During this once-in-a-lifetime experience, we will take numerous water samples from the Hudson River to check for water quality. Our water testing will be used to produce a scientific paper reporting on our findings. We will be hiking, biking, rafting, canoeing and sea kayaking to reach our destination.

I will be part of the creation of a documentary film about this adventure made by the Emmy-winning filmmaker, John Barnhardt. John produced the series, “Born to Explore” on PBS which was viewed by 80 million people. The documentary of our expedition will seek to be shown at several outdoor film festivals, including the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

I will be traveling with a group of environmental and science experts, including Joseph Dadey, Doctor of Environmental Policy/Environment Communication and Tim Keyes, Doctor of Applied Statistics and lead researcher for a recent project on air quality conducted by the Sierra Club of Connecticut. The goal of our trip is to study the current health of one of our country’s most historic waterways--all while using only human power for transportation. We will be testing for general pollution levels at key locations and for the presence of microplastics in the river.

The organization running this expedition is the nonprofit Adirondack Hamlets to Huts based in Saranac Lake. This group promotes environmentally sustainable adventure travel within the 6 million-acre park where I live. They focus on human-powered treks between historic towns and villages while encouraging the use of local lodging establishments.

In the fall of 2025, I plan to attend university to study a double major in Elementary Education and Expeditionary Studies. This trip will directly give me educational experience in both of my chosen fields of study. I hope to be able to lead trips such as this in the future as a guide and to also learn how to do field research, knowledge that I will be able to pass on to my future students.

Each participant is asked to raise $5,000 to cover the costs of this experience. To date, I have procured a grant from my high school for $1,000 and I’m starting to receive support from family and friends to raise the balance of the remaining $4,000.

Please support me in this ultimate adventure that merges the worlds of exploration, story-telling and science. If you can provide a financial contribution, please make checks out to

“Adirondack Hamlets to Huts" and mail your check to

Sage Kite-Whidden

130 Ampersand Ave

Saranac Lake, NY 12983

Or go to my GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/hudson-river-expedition.

For more information on my Hudson River expedition, visit

www.mountaingoatmovement.com/chooseyouradventure/hudson-river-expedition or find this link listed on my GoFundMe page.

Thanks so much for your time and consideration as I work to prepare for this adventure.

Sincerely,

Sage Kite-Whidden