Corbett paddles through NEPA

Gov. Tom Corbett finally got a chance to try out the kayak his wife bought him for his birthday this year, setting out yesterday on the first leg of his three-day trip through Wyoming and Luzerne county streams.

The Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre tracked him down when he set foot back on land (as the press release specifically noted he would for interviews, in case reporters were thinking of paddling after him to shout questions).

“As many of you know, I have held many press conferences in this area when I was attorney general,” Corbett said. “Those were to announce we arrested people who were going to jail. Now I’m here to promote tourism – to encourage people to come to Pennsylvania to experience its heritage and its historic beauty.”

He did not discuss the natural gas drilling issue.

... Corbett said he paddled a kayak for 10 or 11 miles Wednesday morning, beginning in Mehoopany. He said he felt no ill effects from the exercise, despite having back surgery a couple of months ago.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” he said, adding that planning for the trip began when his wife, Susan, gave him a kayak for his birthday. “It was great exercise and, as you can see, I need to do a lot more of it.”

No word on whether the new Airedale pups, who were adopted from a breeder in Wyoming County, got to tag along on the trip. 

(Photo by The Times Leader)