Paddle Pilgrim Book Tour 

Kenco is proud to welcome Rev. David Ellingson, teacher, pastor, paddler, and author, to our store! He'll be joining us the weekend of our annual Kayak Truckload Sale to share photos of his journey down the Erie Canal and the Hudson to the Statue of Liberty. We'll have copies of his book, Paddle Pilgrim, on hand for purchase.

Paddle Pilgrim chronicles a three-week kayak adventure down the Erie Canal and the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty.  An epic tale is told with daily travel POSTS, reflective PONDERINGS, and stunning PICTURES.  History, ecology, architecture, nutrition, justice and spirituality are woven together in a tapestry of travel and discovery down iconic waterways to Lady Liberty.

 The journey of 2 weeks on the Canal from Lake Erie through 36 locks, under 360 bridges, and visits to many historic canal towns was followed by a 1 week “ride on the tide” down the Hudson River past West Point, Bear Mountain, the George Washington Bridge and New York City to the Statue of Liberty.

“It had been on my bucket-list since I was a boy and lived on the banks of the Hudson River” Ellingson reports. The 500-mile journey is detailed in a forthcoming book, Paddle Pilgrim: Kayaking the Erie Canal and Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty.

 He is also the author of Paddle Pilgrim: An Adventure of Spirit and Learning Kayaking the Mississippi River, about his 2300 mile kayak journey down the Mississippi in 2012.

 Ellingson has taught courses in spirituality, environmental ethics, human development, and youth ministry at Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, Wash. He is a Lutheran pastor, Master Gardner, former distance runner and triathlete, is married and the father of five grown children.  He resides in Edmonds, Wash.