The two men just wanted a tall, ice-cold glass of an Arnold Palmer - the perfect blend of iced tea and lemonade and the best way to end their Elkspedition.
Matt Kearns and Adam Swisher climbed up the small staircase where the Elk River passes through Coonskin Park. They weren't tired as others might have been after traveling the length of the river in just two weeks. Instead, they were energized.
The two men do this sort of thing all the time. This time, however, they decided to use their love of the outdoors and kayaking to rally statewide support in an effort to help convince President Barack Obama to name the Elk's headwaters a national monument.
The location where the Elk begins is referred to as the Birthplace of Rivers, because it gives birth to the Cranberry, Gauley, Greenbier, Williams, Cherry and Elk Rivers.
Thus, the Elkspedition.
"What we do up in the headwaters area matters all the way down stream," Kearns said. "So if we choose to protect this headwaters area, it will enhance the quality of the Elk as as a recreational area and an economic driver."
The men hoped that their trip, which continued on to the Kanawha River after the arrival in Coonskin Park, connects people from all over the state and gets them to think more about where their water comes from.
Obama has roughly five months left in office, but the two men and their partnering organization, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, aren't letting that stop them. They recently sent more than 1,000 letters to Washington, D.C., all in support of naming the "Birthplace of Rivers" a national monument.
"It was amazing," Swisher said, breathing deeply after pulling a Kayak out of the river. "It blew away all of my expectations. To be perfectly honest, I thought [the Elkspedition] would be sort of a small thing. I was blown away by how many people got involved and supported it."
The men met a flotilla of other rafts, boats and kayaks in Big Chimney to join them in finishing the last leg of the trip. Prior to that, Swisher said business and community members all along the river supported their trip.
Kearns and Swisher have always been active outdoor enthusiasts.
Kearns was involved with the boy scouts and eventually went on to earn the title of Eagle Scout. He later joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 2005. Kearns went on a trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School down Utah's Green River. There, he met Swisher and the two hit it off.
"We started talking about ways to have great adventures over here on the east coast," Kearns said.
One thing led to another and the Elkspedition was born.
Reach Jake Jarvis at jake.jarvis@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-7939 or follow @NewsroomJake on Twitter.