She paddled the Wisconsin River in honor of her late husband. She found solace and strength.

WAUSAU – The concept to canoe the Wisconsin River got here to her on a drive house to Wausau from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Marit Haug and her husband, Jake Stachovak, had simply gotten horrible information. Jake had been recognized with prostate most cancers in March 2020. It was an aggressive type of the illness, and medical doctors on the Mayo Clinic handled it aggressively, with intensive chemo and radiation therapies. By February 2021, medical doctors might discover not hint of the illness. 

However most cancers reappeared in his liver in June 2021, and this time, it didn’t reply to the intensive therapy. The concept of paddling all the 430-mile size of the Wisconsin River “simply popped into my head,” Marit stated, after she and Jake realized he was terminal.

He died on Dec. 19. He was 46.

Jake “was an excellent adventurer, an excellent kayaker, an excellent canoer,” Marit stated, and she or he visualized her journey as partly an homage to her husband, partly as a solution to maintain his reminiscence near her coronary heart and partly as a solution to do one thing for herself, a approach to assist her address grief and loss.

“The Wisconsin River could be very a lot part of our life. We dwell on the Wisconsin River. You may’t go a day with out seeing the Wisconsin River in Wausau, just about,” Marit stated. “This was one thing I felt like I might do.”

Even the thought of paddling the river helped. Marit did not do quite a lot of preparation, however she collected maps and knowledge within the months after Jake’s dying. Even the anticipation of the paddle helped her address some lengthy and chilly winter nights.

Marit launched into the journey on June 7 from Lac Vieux Desert in Vilas County in northern Wisconsin, and accomplished it on July 1 the place the Wisconsin River joins the Mississippi simply south of Prairie du Chien.

Paddling as a lifestyle

It was solely pure that Marit would flip to paddling in her time of want. Each Marit and Jake grew up paddling. It introduced them collectively and it was one thing they did collectively.

When Jake was younger, one in every of his first paddling adventurers was a journey from the supply of the river in Lac Vieux Desert to the purpose the place it connects to the Mississippi River south of Prairie du Chien.

Later, he took on a a lot larger journey that he known as “Portage to Portage.” On that journey, Jake kayaked from Portage on the Wisconsin River to the Mississippi and on right down to the Gulf of Mexico. He proceed paddling round Florida, north alongside the East Coast. He made his approach again to Portage alongside New York canal system and the Nice Lakes. It was a 5,740-mile paddle, and it took from December 2009 to September 2010.

He additionally was a kayak teacher in Florida and California for years earlier than shifting again to Wausau to spend extra time along with his household, notably spend time along with his brothers’ youngsters.

Marit was raised in Minnesota in a canoe.

“My dad and mom met canoeing and cross-country snowboarding, so I used to be principally paddling within the womb,” Marit stated. “The one household holidays we ever took had been two-week paddling/tenting journeys in Quetico (a Canadian provincial park north of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Space). I consider I used to be 3 or 4 once they began taking me.”

Marit studied anthropology on the College of Wisconsin-Madison and after graduating, labored for the Madison canoeing, kayaking and outside tools retailer Rutabaga Paddlesports. She and Jake received to know one another at Rutabaga’s Door County Sea Kayak Symposium, the place she operated a retail store and he was an teacher.

After their marriage, Marit moved to Wausau. They saved busy renovating their Wausau house (Jake had been a carpenter for many of his profession; he had transitioned to educating technical schooling at Wausau East Excessive Faculty). However they nonetheless discovered time to make fast long-weekend getaways, tenting and canoeing, usually on the Wisconsin River.

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Discovering solace, and problem, in nature

The paddle down the Wisconsin wasn’t simple, however it wasn’t fully grueling, both. That was no shock to Marit who’s at house in a canoe and kayak as anybody.

The wind made for some lengthy days, and there have been bugs and climate that influence all journey outdoor in Wisconsin in June and July.

She paddled by herself for many of the journey, joined by family and friends periodically. t was total a quiet, and cozy journey that helped her reacquaint herself with the rhythms of nature. Even when she was paddling solo, she wasn’t lonely, as a result of she wasn’t alone.

There have been animals similar to birds, raccoons and otters to look at. “I like otters,” Marit stated. “That was so cool.”

Marit paddled a kayak on the river north of Wausau, and swapped out for a lightweight canoe for the decrease portion. She camped in a single day for more often than not, particularly within the decrease river, the place there are plentiful sandbars. She has buddies who dwell in northern Wisconsin, so she stayed with them as a result of tenting spots are uncommon.

Earlier than Marit left, she created a Fb web page she known as “Jake Stachovak Memorial WI River Paddle,” and she or he posted recurrently as she made her approach down the river.

She pushed laborious at instances. “Holy balls, I used to be channeling Jake right this moment,” she posted on June 9. “Went about 39 miles.”

She made it to Wausau in mid-June.

“Again house after two troublesome days,” she wrote on June 14. “Yesterday was my first day with quite a lot of rain. … It stormed final night time and the tent leaked, my sleeping pad has a gap and these creepy bugs had been crawling everywhere in the tent. At this time was a 29 miles day with two portages, 25 mph headwind, and warmer (than) the solar. However I made it and I’ve just a few days to relaxation and regroup.”

She swapped out some gear and took just a few days off in Wausau, however was again at it on June 16. “I might be completely happy to get previous the Dells and onto sand bar tenting,” she wrote. “Large flowages arising are a priority.”

The flowages round Fortress Rock had been difficult, she stated. “Good factor my Dad made me robust,” she wrote on June 23.

As she paddled, she posted photos and wrote about numerous buddies who joined her on the Decrease Wisconsin River, whereas persevering with to battle headwinds.

On June 30, she posted from her final tenting spot: “I really feel blessed to have the ability to have this expertise. I’ve love and help alongside this complete journey, many thanks. … I’ve been reminded how robust I might be.”

Later, as she regarded again on her journey, she stated that for all the hassle it took to do the journey, paddling the Wisconsin River was a “particular sort of meditative” exercise, and it was good being on the market, feeling robust and succesful, she stated.

She by no means anticipated the journey to remove the ache and grief she feels from shedding Jake. And it did not. However being on the market, slowly shifting together with the present of the Wisconsin River, she stated, “did convey me nearer to him.”

Contact Keith Uhlig at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Comply with him at @UhligK on Twitter and Instagram or on Fb.