By: Laura Groshans

Jack Hart can often be found cracking jokes in a van full of damp life jackets and river enthusiasts. The 74-year-old works for the City of Eugene as a canoe instructor for the Outdoor Program. Hart leads guided trips and lessons on the Willamette River. He resides on the beautiful banks of the river with his wife Karen Hart. The couple lives on one of the few lots in Eugene with direct river access.

In 1943, Hart was born in Eugene and spent his youth living near the Willamette river. The Willamette river he remembers from his early years was a sewage-ridden human cesspool that was scarcely used for recreational purposes. “As a kid, we used to sit on the bank of the river and literally watch human waste float by” Hart said. In 1962, Hart joined the military and served for five years. When he returned to Eugene in 1967, Hart saw a group of teenagers swimming in the Willamette. “At first glance, I thought those people were trying to commit suicide!” said Hart. The veteran quickly discovered that the city of Eugene had passed multiple laws while he was away that helped eradicate the pollution from the river. At this point, Hart decided to give the Willamette another chance. With a newfound respect for the river, Hart began to occasionally rent canoes from the Outdoor Program and go out on solo excursions down the river. After a few years of amateur paddling, Hart became more serious and the Outdoor Program asked him if he would be interested in joining their team as a guide. Hart began guiding trips in the early 1970s. After becoming an established canoe instructor, Hart also took up whitewater rafting. Hart guided raft trips on the McKenzie river until just three years ago. “I stopped guiding whitewater trips when I lost confidence in my ability to pull larger men out of the water if they were to fall out of the raft” said Hart. Hart found peace of mind on the river and decided that boating would be a permanent part of his existence.

Hart owns five boats of his own and lives in a rebuilt home on the banks of the Willamette River with his wife, Karen. The couple routinely takes their raft out for multiple days at a time and camps along the McKenzie River.  Additionally, Hart participates in Paddle Oregon, an eighty-mile trip that happens annually in late August. Hart plans to continue leading canoe trips through the Eugene Outdoor Program as a way to introduce others to the rivers.  As Hart gets older, he will likely have to stop guiding, but will still remain heavily involved in the Outdoor Program and river education in Eugene.