Love of kayaking led to Schuylkill business

Love of kayaking led to Schuylkill business
By Art Carey

Inquirer Staff Writer

In the summer of 2003, with his marriage disintegrating, Ted Danforth decided to do something special with his teenage sons. So, through L.L. Bean, he booked a kayak camping trip in Maine.

For three days, Danforth and his boys - Matt, then 19, and Ben, then 17 - paddled the pellucid waters of Casco Bay. They ventured out into the ocean, to Eagle Island, the summer home of arctic explorer Robert Peary. They saw seals sunning themselves on rocks. They reveled in absolute silence and were lulled to sleep at night by lapping waves under star-studded skies.

It was intended to be a bonding trip, and it accomplished that and more. His boys said it was the best thing they'd ever done. Danforth fell head over heels in love with Maine, and kayaks.

Today, he expresses that passion through Hidden River Outfitters, a business he launched to teach kayaking skills and lead kayaking tours of the Schuylkill (Dutch for "hidden river").

Read the full article here - http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/52743287.html