Guided by a passion for paddling Veteran river lover carves path to help others enjoy state waterways
STORY BY MOLLY MEISTER AND PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICK KARK
Retired physician Rick Kark has what he best describes as “a love affair with rivers.” A longtime paddling enthusiast, Kark has canoed in 42 states, Canada and even the Arctic Ocean. In Wisconsin, his paddling resume includes more than 300 rivers and streams. “Rivers are fascinating,” Kark said. “I love the challenge of paddling — reading the river, finding the right routes, being able to control the canoe and being able to maneuver it through fallen trees and rocks and rapids and how to get back upstream. “The scene is always changing as you come around the next bend.” Originally from Iowa, Kark moved to Wisconsin to attend medical school, and brought his love of water with him. “I paddled my first Wisconsin stream in 1969,” he said. Along the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, “I spent three days and two nights canoe-
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Longtime paddler Rick Kark has experienced his share of rough waters over the years, including on the Wolf River.
camping on the St. Croix River with my college sweetheart.” Kark remembers the song “Sweet Caroline” blaring from the couple’s transistor radio as they floated downstream from Interstate State Park to Houlton. “Little did I know I would eventually explore more than 300 other Wisconsin rivers,” he added. WATERWAYS OPEN TO ALL
Kark is now retired to Asheville, North Carolina, but still returns to his adopted state of Wisconsin when he can. He’s one example of the tens of thousands of outdoor recreationists who hit Wisconsin’s navigable waterways each year. Thanks to the state’s Public Trust Doctrine in the State Constitution, Wisconsin’s waters belong to everyone and are declared “common highways and forever free.” That means everyone in the state has the right to boat, fish, hunt, ice skate, swim and, of course, paddle on navigable waters. For Kark, despite his many travels, the state remains one of his favorite places to pursue his passion.
“Wisconsin is certainly the most vast and the most brilliant in many ways,” he said, “the most important part of my river family.” What sets this neck of the woods apart? Kark cited the state’s huge variety of navigable streams, each Two tips from Rick Kark for a better paddling trip to places such as the Bois Brule: Learn what you’re doing and take a companion.
