Soldiers in UK's Scottish unit plan 340-mile US canoe trip

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Members of the British army's Scottish regiment plan to travel from Montreal to New York City by canoe, paddling along lakes and rivers where their military forbearers fought and died during two 18th century wars.

Sixteen soldiers in the Royal Regiment of Scotland are scheduled to leave the Canadian city on Aug. 30 and travel south via the Richelieu River, Lake Champlain, Lake George and the Hudson River. They plan to arrive in Manhattan on Sept. 10, in time for ceremonies marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Along the way they'll stop at historic sites where Scottish soldiers serving with the British fought during the American Revolution and the French and Indian War.

The officer leading the expedition says the 340-mile journey will be part training exercise and part history lesson.