- Ah, what a great day.

So where are we going today?

- Today, we are going to the lock in Waterford, New York.

- The lock in Waterford, New York, is it one lock or a system of locks?

- [Nicole] This is one of the locks.

- [Matt] One of the locks.

- [Nicole] One of the locks, but it's a whole system.

- [Matt] And we're gonna...

I think we're gonna rent kayaks and we're gonna go in the lock, right?

That's the plan?

- [Nicole] And we're bringing you along.

- [Matt] Awesome.

(upbeat rock music) (upbeat funk music) Ooh, here we are.

- [Nicole] Oh, look at this.

(upbeat guitar music) - I'm Bill Sweitzer, I work for the New York State Canal Corporation, and we operate and maintain the Erie Canal and a big part of the Canalway Trail, and I'm a marketing director.

So we're in Waterford, New York, and it's the confluence of the Mohawk and the Hudson, and it is the first lock on the Erie Canal.

A lock is really just an elevator for boats, it's 2,000-year-old technology, the gravity lock... All our locks are gravity locks, that is a Leonardo da Vinci invention.

The terrain of New York state goes up and down, there's a lot of hills and valleys, what I tell the kids is, you know, "If you see a waterfall, you can't really go up a waterfall by boat, and you certainly don't want to go down one," and a lock is that lift or that elevator that lifts you over the white water, so whenever there's an elevation change, a lock... You pull into a lock, shut the gates, you fill it up with water, and it's the water from a higher elevation, the gravity fills the lock, and then, they open the gates and you can move on, so it moves you up and down by water, it is...

It's nothing more than an elevator for boats.

So I think we should get in a kayak and do a little paddle and go in and just see how the lock works from inside.

(upbeat guitar music) So we're approaching lock two.

- It feels very intimidating.

Are you nervous?

- [Matt] I'm not nervous, are you?

- Yeah.

(laughs) - [Matt] I'm excited!

We're gonna go to a giant bathtub.

(upbeat guitar music) - Yeah.

He said elevator.

(laughs) - [Bill] Let's call lock two and see if they're ready for us.

(upbeat guitar music) (upbeat guitar music continues) I would say just kind of hug towards the side here, and then, just keep ourselves steady.

- Okay.

- [Bill] So underneath us there's the lower valves and the upper valves, and, again, those are just, like, big, huge drains, and they drain underneath the water into the canal, or they connect the water that's above us here, right?

So he's gonna fill us up, he's gonna make sure the lower valves are closed, he's gonna open up the upper valves, and that's really just taking the cover off that big, huge drain, and the water from the higher elevation will fill up from the bottom.

- [Matt] Look at the things!

- Oh, my gosh.

It's happening.

- [Matt] Bye... (indistinct) (loud humming) - Oh, my god.

(laughs) How do you feel, Matt?

Give your testimony.

- I feel great.

- (laughs) You always say, "I feel great."

I'm terrified.

That's terrifying!

- [Matt] Well, we're doing it now, no turning back.

- [Nicole] Literally.

- Yeah, no turning back now.

So the gates are closed, now, the next noise you will hear is the big, huge valve covers that will lift up and start letting in the water from the higher elevation, and will fill from the bottom and we'll slowly lift up.

Nicole, you look nervously excited.

- I am nervously excited.

(laughs) (upbeat accordion music) (upbeat accordion music continues) He said there were almost 200 kayaks in that lock at one time, that's crazy.

- Nicole's talking to herself.

- Talk about a party.

All right, shall we?

- [Person] Oh, he's turning around?

Is that what we're doing here?

- Yeah, we gotta go down to him, I guess.

- We have a yellow light.

- [Matt] Well, red.

- [Nicole] Red.

(upbeat accordion music) (people laughing) - [Matt] There's only two.

(dull thudding) - Kayak buddies.

(upbeat accordion music) (upbeat accordion music continues) - You'll always know your neighbor, you'll always know your pal, if you've ever navigated the Erie Canal.

You did it.

(laughs) - Aw, that's cute.

- If, you know, folks have never come to the Erie Canal or any of the canals, you know, I said, "Come down and try it."

It's a really cool, different boating experience and there's no time to do it... No better time to do it than our 200th birthday.

- [Matt] Thank you for joining us on this episode of "Field Trip."

- [Nicole] For more information, go to wmht.org/fieldtrip and tell us where... - [People] You think we should next.

(upbeat funk music) - [Nicole] Let's go on field trip.

(upbeat funk music) Freeze frame.

(upbeat funk music) - [Matt] I enjoyed that.

- I did have a lot of fun.

- I think, yeah.

- [Bill] Cool.

- Don't tell anybody, but I liked that better than the Mohawk Harbor kayak.

(laughter) - Situation.

- He's recording!

- I know.