Lea and Chris set out from Portsmouth, Ohio, expecting to paddle, unplug, and spend time in the small towns tucked along the riverbanks. But halfway through their trip, the news came in: the Ohio River Way had just been named a National Water Trail. Without planning it, they had become the first paddlers to experience the route under its new designation.
“We were literally on the water when we found out,” said Chris. “It was just kind of surreal — we didn’t plan for that. But it made the trip feel like part of something bigger.”
Lea, who grew up in Cincinnati but has lived in California for the past 30 years, said the trip had been on their minds for a while.
“I’ve always felt a connection to this river,” she said. “We couldn’t make the official Ohio River Way Challenge this year, but we wanted to do our own version. So we came out and really took our time.”
Over nine days, they paddled 110 miles from Portsmouth to Cincinnati, Ohio, averaging about 12 miles a day. But it wasn’t about distance.
“We weren’t rushing. We wanted to explore the towns and meet people. Honestly, we could’ve gone even slower,” says Lea.
In Vanceburg, they became friends with a barista they ended up texting with all week. In Maysville, a man who barely knew them offered to drive their gear from their landing site when they were tired after a long and windy day paddling. In Brush Creek, Nikki Gerber of MoonDoggie LIVERee met them at the ramp with cold water and a smile.
“She let us sleep on the floor of her office when it looked like rain,” said Lea. “People have been so kind—offering food, rides, and help with gear. One sweet lady even dried our rain-soaked clothes for us.”
The two are no strangers to paddling. They’ve traversed many wild and scenic rivers in the West—but this was their first experience on a working, industrial river. They came prepared: before launching, they spent days outfitting their canoe with flags, lights, and safety gear, much of which they learned about from the Ohio River Way website.
“Out West, you think of rivers as wild and remote,” said Chris. “Here, there’s a whole different rhythm — barges, towns, rail lines. But we didn’t find it intimidating. Just different. And honestly, it felt accessible.”
They talk about moments that surprised them, like the foggy morning they left Maysville and drifted quietly past an anchored barge. Or the pair of bald eagles they watched swoop down, catch fish, and return to a nest hidden in the trees.
“I’m not a morning person,” Lea said, “but waking up at dawn in Vanceburg and seeing this red sun lift over the hills… I just sat there, stunned.”
And then there was the history. The couple took an Underground Railroad tour in New Richmond, and Lea, who grew up in nearby Loveland, Ohio, said she learned things she’d never heard before. “I thought I knew the area. Turns out I didn’t as well as I thought I did.”
What stood out most, though, wasn’t the scenery or the stops. It was the connections. “Wherever you go on the river, you’re in relationship with people,” Lea said. “You can’t just float past it. You’re part of it. You’re showing up in their town, in their backyard.”
Chris added that the river community seemed eager to meet paddlers halfway. “There’s this idea that the river is big and kind of scary,” he said. “But that wasn’t our experience at all. It’s welcoming. You just have to show up.”
By the end, the two had paddled an estimated 33,000 strokes apiece. “And honestly,” Chris said, “they’ve all been worth it.”
“I grew up near this river, but I never engaged with it,” Lea said. “Now I’ve paddled it, met the people who live along it, and seen it in a totally new way. I’m going to miss this river like I’d miss a friend.”
As far as what they hope comes out of the new National Water Trail designation, they both said the same thing: more people on the river. “We want other people to experience this,” said Lea. “Because if you do, it’s going to give something back to you.”
The Ohio River Way is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to promoting outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and economic development along the Ohio River. Through its commitment to on-the-ground and on-the-water community engagement, the organization fosters regional collaboration and encourages individuals to explore and appreciate one of the country’s most historic waterways.
Ohio River Way