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Mar 29, 2024 - Fri
Bolton United States
Wind 2 m/s, NNW
Pressure 756.06 mmHg
37°F
overcast clouds
Humidity 80%
Clouds 100%
fri03/29 sat03/30 sun03/31 mon04/01 tue04/02
43/37°F
44/34°F
47/36°F
50/43°F
42/36°F
Mar 29, 2024 - Fri
Bolton United States
Wind 2 m/s, NNW
Pressure 756.06 mmHg
37°F
overcast clouds
Humidity 80%
Clouds 100%
fri03/29 sat03/30 sun03/31 mon04/01 tue04/02
43/37°F
44/34°F
47/36°F
50/43°F
42/36°F

To Raise Funds for School Sports, Two Brothers Will Paddle Lake George this Weekend

Marcus and Brian Knodler, students at Guilderland High School and Farnsworth Middle School, were in Bolton Landing last weekend to prepare for their May 29 kayak trip down Lake George to raise funds for their schools’ athletic programs.

The Lake George Kayak Company has loaned the two brothers the use of sixteen-foot kayaks for the trip, and donated lightweight Personal Flotation Devices.

“The folks at the Kayak Company could not have been more supportive or enthusiastic about the boys’ plan,” said their mother, Julie Knodler. “Once they heard about the trip, they invited the boys in and promised to help outfit them.”

Tyler Ganter and Harry Caldwell of the Lake George Kayak Company helped outfit the two brothers for their trip

The two will paddle from Bolton to Black Mountain, where they will hike to the summit and back before paddling north. Ninth grader Marcus will head for Ticonderoga; seventh grader Brian will try to maintain the pace, but if necessary, he will put in at Huletts Landing. The two will be followed by their father, Gary Knodler, in the family’s powerboat.

Calling their effort “The Knodler Brothers’ Lake George Challenge,” the two are soliciting donations to the athletic programs through facebook and twitter posts as well as letters to local businesses.

“We had hoped to raise $1,000, but we’re already close to reaching that goal, so we’ll try to raise $1,500,” said Marcus Knodler.

For the past several years, the Knodlers have come to Lake George at least four times every summer to camp on the islands.

It’s a family tradition, one begun when Gary was a boy, camping with his parents, brothers and sisters.

The entire family now re-unites once a summer on the islands where they camped as kids.

Over the years, the two boys have become accomplished boaters and enthusiastic hikers, which both prepared them for their trip and inspired their ambitions.

The brothers hope to make the trip an annual event, with their two-man team swelling to a fleet of kayaks, moving together toward a common goal.

“Guilderland is a very school-oriented town,” said Julie Knodler. “Everyone works together to support the kids.”

This article originally appeared in the May 27 issue of the Lake George Mirror