Friends share 500-mile Mississippi canoe journey at Redlands Forum

REDLANDS, Calif. — A 500-mile canoe trip down the mighty Mississippi River made for an engaging and inspiring evening at the Redlands Forum on April 24, as longtime friends and local adventurers Kim Clark and Dave Maupin recounted their latest expedition in a talk titled “Old Man Rivers: The Saga Continues… Barges, Locks, and Dams”

Held at Esri’s auditorium, the presentation highlighted their recent journey from Minneapolis to St. Louis—part of a multi-year goal to navigate the Mississippi River from its source at Lake Itasca to the Gulf of America.

Clark, a retired public health professor, and Maupin, a local wealth manager, have shared a love of the outdoors for decades. Together, they’ve climbed Mount Whitney and Half Dome, hiked the 211-mile John Muir Trail, and even summited Mount Kilimanjaro to celebrate Maupin’s 70th birthday.

“We’ve been given ‘30-day kitchen passes’ by the ladies in our lives,” Maupin joked. “And we’ve now finished the first two Septembers, ending in St. Louis. Next year, our plan is to paddle to Memphis and store our canoe with Kim’s brother.” 

Their river adventure was filled with memorable moments—and a few brushes with danger. “One potentially dangerous part last September was the two close encounters with poisonous young cottonmouth water snakes,” Maupin said. “Thankfully, they were as wary of us as we were of them.”

 Another hair-raising moment came as they exited a lock into fast-moving, churning waters. “We paddled out to extreme turbulence—twice my bow paddle hit only air as the strong current drove us toward a looming pylon,” Maupin said. “After a two-year drought, the river was low. We frequently got stuck in the middle and had to get out and push or pull.”

 Maupin’s fascination with the Mississippi dates back to childhood. “When I was in elementary school in Maryland, our fifth-grade project was to study the American pioneers moving west through the Ohio Valley,” he said. “I was fascinated by the flatboats that carried entire families and livestock down rivers. I used my X-Acto knife to fashion a balsa wood flatboat, complete with a cow and barrels from my Lionel train set."

That love for history was nurtured during family road trips across the country. “We stopped at every museum and battleground. Living in Northern Virginia, I became very interested in Revolutionary and Civil War battles—just reading all the historical road signs as we drove.”

He credits teachers and his parents for inspiring that curiosity. “I read Guadalcanal Diary at age 10 and have been fascinated by the war in the Pacific ever since,” he said. “Good teachers and family road trips—that’s what sparked my love for history.”

Clark’s interest in the river and American history began similarly. “As a kid growing up in Michigan, I was aware of the history of the French trappers’ influence in the region, also of the Native American presence,” he said. “But it really wasn’t until after getting on the river that I pursued learning about America’s westward expansion via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the early 1800s.”

Clark, too, had deep outdoor roots. “I have a history of camping both in Michigan as a Boy Scout, and in California as a camp counselor and church youth leader,” he said. “But I would never have chosen to do this but for Dave asking me! I’m always good for an adventure, and I respect Dave’s adventurous spirit and meticulous planning skills.”

 Though some warned them of the dangers posed by commercial barge traffic, Clark said that so far, they’ve had little trouble. “People told us that barges would be a great danger, but so far with a little watchfulness that has not been the case,” he said. “Most arduous for me has been the seeming directionless nature of the upper river when we started out—hours and days of twists and turns—and setting up and breaking camp each day, although it’s always lovely to be at the river’s edge.”

 When asked what the next chapter might be, Clark responded with a grin: “We are often asked what our next adventure will be. I suggest we do all the great rivers of the world—by putting in just a few days upriver from where each meets the sea, and therefore being able to say, ‘When we reached the mouth of the Nile…’ or ‘When we finished the Amazon…’”

The presentation drew both laughs and admiration. The duo reflected on how their shared outdoor experiences—often in close quarters—have only deepened their friendship. One particularly memorable discovery? “We snore in unison,” Maupin joked, recalling their Kilimanjaro trip.

 The Redlands Forum, presented by Esri and the University of Redlands Town & Gown, is a free speaker series that brings thought leaders and experts to the community. The goal is to inform, inspire, and encourage meaningful discussion.

 For upcoming events and more information, visit Esri’s Redlands Forum.