Strainer Near Miss

[RomanLA]

I was planning on kayaking on New Years Day and my girlfriend wanted to come along. I had soloed the class II creek a couple days before and was familiar with the conditions. My girlfriend had limited kayaking experience, but she had canoed the creek with me in October. She also ran some of the class I's that day in my whitewater kayak. I asked around and found a 14ft Perception Carolina for her to borrow. I recently guided 8 members of a local kayak club down in recreational kayaks at the same level and they hadn't had any problems.

The first rapid is a class I at 1.7 miles, so she had plenty of time to get a feel for the boat. She had good lines on the first three rapids, including the class II+ falls. Shortly after the falls, there is an island blocking most of the creek leaving an opening on river right. There are some trees growing in the water here, so there tends to be lots of submerged wood.

There was a small wave from a submerged log, but it was clear on the left side. I told her to follow me down the left and I went through. I turned back just in time to see her going down the middle in a slight angle to the left. When her boat hit the submerged log, it turned perpendicular to the flow and flipped. It was pinned sideways and she was in the water upstream of it.

I turned and started paddling upstream and her head disappeared behind the boat. I thought she had been washed under the boat and was glad to see her pop back up (she later told me she had lost her footing, but her head had stayed above the water). She was holding onto her paddle and trying to free the boat. I instructed her to leave the boat and paddle and get out of the water. She was able to use the boat for support and reach the bank.

I got out and attached a carabiner to the end of my throw rope. I had her feed the rope to me as I waded out into the current. The creek was flowing at 350cfs and funneled down into a small area by the island. There were a lot of logs on the bottom, but I was able to reach the grab loop on the bow and attach the carbiner. I made the mistake of giving a tug on the rope and the boat freed. I had to react quickly to duck the rope as the boat floated downstream.

We recovered the boat and I gave her my paddle. I used my hand paddles, until we found her paddle downstream. She was a little nervous going into the next class II, but it wasn't until later that she understood how dangerous the situation had been. She still tried to talk me into bringing her again two days later.

[okieboater]

experience is gained mostly by surviving mistakes

Glad it all worked out and she is still wanting to go boating

[Richard]

Today I invited my former boss . . . I am now retired. . . to paddle the Buffalo. This was her reply and it is all too typical of what one bad experience can do.

When I was a child the canoe I was in with my parents tipped over and it scared me so bad I haven’t ever gotten brave enough to get back in another one. I guess I need to try it at least once as an adult to see if I like it. (if I can work up the nerve)

[mgood]

Roman- if you can give you one bit of advice, it is to never solo again. Ever. Because new strainers come down everyday, and all it takes is one mistake. Always have at least one other boater with you- the ideal number is a minimum of three (one to help with rescue, and the other to go for help) or more.
I'm glad that she was ok, but when I read your first sentence I realized where the real problem was. Some guys will tell you that it's ok to solo, but as some of the people on this board can attest to, it is literally a worst-case scenario to pin, break and arm/leg, by yourself.

I don't mean to be the fun police, but solo kayaking is never a good idea.

[Cowper]

Fascinating topic, the kind that really needs a campfire to achieve it’s full potential.

On a public message board, the proper advice to give is, “don’t paddle alone, it is much, much safer to paddle with others”. And yet most of us won’t call people like Verlen Kruger (see link below) a fool because he has paddled 10’s of thousands of miles alone; we look up to people like this, we write magazine articles and books about them, we nominate them to Halls of Fame, we want to be more like them. How many journeys does a man or woman have to take alone, before they cease being a foolish risk taker or “stupid”, and can be elevated to hero status? Is it only when in the most remote regions of the planet that paddling alone becomes worthy; while backyard jaunts on Class I remain foolhardy? Is there some threshold of danger, beyond which it becomes “OK” to paddle alone because the danger is so great that your friends probably can’t save you anyway? Is it OK to paddle flatwater alone if you wear your lifejacket?

Again, our generic answer must insure that everyone reading this understands that paddling alone can be very dangerous and is not recommended. Hiking alone and biking alone in remote areas are also not recommended. People considering paddling alone should evaluate not only how they personally feel about dying, but also how their death might impact others. But once someone understands the risks and has evaluated these things, I will celebrate the individual right to choose the path that is the right one for you.

For the record, I think the most dangerous thing I have done alone is drive while sleepy.

http://www.krugercanoes.com/pages/HallOfFame.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[waterhog]

I do not believe it has to be in some remote place to be worthy although everyone needs to come to terms with his or her skill level and realize what they are capable of Some of the best times I've had were soloing while they were scary and dangerous I was extra careful and took extra precautions (soloing is the true test of skill) DA

[RomanLA]

For the record, I think the most dangerous thing I have done alone is drive while sleepy.

Yep...I figure I'm in more danger driving to and from the river...especially during times like last spring when I was driving 5k miles a month. The day of this incident I had actually just worked two 16 hour night shifts. I got a few hours of sleep, loaded my gear, and drove 100 miles each way to paddle. When the question arises of whether or not to paddle, I always choose to paddle though. I've never had a bad time on the river.

I only work about half the days in the year, so I'm often off during the week when everyone else is working. I started paddling alone on flatwater almost from the beginning. In fact, I taught myself to roll by myself in those first months. I've even spent some time sea kayaking alone...well unless you count the dolphins! I also backpack alone and recently soloed 150 miles on the John Muir Trail. I definitely understand the potential consequences and make more conservative decisions when I'm by myself.

With that said, I was definitely nervous the first time I paddled a whitewater run alone. I figured that I had found myself alone paddling into a rapid or on a feature at a play park plenty of times though. Stories like Walt Blackadar soloing the Alsek alone definitely came to mind too. I figured what I was doing was pretty mundane in comparison.

p.s. I soloed the first descent of a whitewater creek the next day!

p.s.s. I was thinking earlier about how fun it would be to solo the Grand Canyon...at some point! lol

[okieboater]

RomanLA

To do the normal GC run, you need a permit. Hard to get.

However,

It is my understanding that a person can do Diamond Creek down to Pierce Ferry with just a call in permit. Not a big deal.

Would be a good intro into the challenge of doing the normal run on the GC.

[weirdwillie]

I have always had the concern about soloing myself but (unfortunately) my desire to kayak has always overwhelmed any reservations. There are so many things to consider (you own life, affect on others, affect on society [rescue/recovery costs, closing down access], etc...). I have never soloed a "natural" whitewater run but I routinely solo on flatwater, at park and play spots, and I used to solo run the outdoor whitewater park near Charlotte, NC.

I am generally a very conservative, rationalle, and safety-conscious person. I always make sure I am overprepared for almost any situation (e.g., even though I live in the south now, I still make sure I have extra hats and gloves in my car on "cold" days [I grew up near Buffalo, NY]- my kids think I'm nuts). Personally, I think soloing caries relatively low risk as long as you are not going over your limits. In the original post, even though it was only Class II, the person was over her ability (not only technical skill, but ability to rescue herself). There are always going to be unforseen situations (on any type of water- flat, Class I, Class III, etc...) that will entrap even an experienced kayaker. I guess it is always about assessing potential risk.

The one story that blows me aways is about a guy in CA (outside of San Francisco) that solo surfed in some of the coldest and largest waves around. The shore is rocky to boot. He never had any incidents for years. Finally, some of the best surfers in the world found out about his spot and decided to pay a visit. One of the world class surfers ended up dying- they think his strap got caught on some of the rocks. Even though he was experienced, he was over his head and even with buddies around, no one could rescue him.

I guess the bottom line for me is that I prefer to kayak with others (two of my sons just started rolling so I can't wait to hit the whitewater with them) but I don't find soloing a major issue as long as you don't underestimate what you are getting into.

[mgood]

Ha, I didn't mean to come off so harsh in my first message, I was super tired. The best thing I can say is to know your skill level- if you're a class II (III) boater, then maybe boating class II (III) by yourself is a bad idea. I realize that some people do enjoy soloing much more than paddling in groups, and I'm not going to say that I've never done it before, but I would hope that everyone would be a bit conservative in what they're paddling alone.

Campfire potential for this is huge.

[Gordon Kumpuris]

Curious........... On what stream was the near miss? I got the Who, What, and When but did not get the where?

Of course paddling alone is generally considered a bad idea and should be warned against. That said Cowper is dead on. At what point do you cease to be a dumbass for doing this. I've paddled the Tot Falls without a sole for miles as well as the Ocoee believe it or not. If you get on early enough you too can solo the Ocoee!! On the Middle Fork of the Salmon years ago on a multi-day trip we routinly were spread out so much that I often found myself paddling class III's alone and did not give it a second thought. I have found each of these ventures invigorating and memorable. I however may very well be a dumbass! That said, I prefer to paddle with others.

And Cowper also brings up another thought I've shared from time to time. I contend the most dangerous part of our paddling trips are the drives to and from the river. I suspect that statistically speaking, we should "gear up" before we get into the vehicle not after we get out!!
We spend countless hours talking about water levels, and hazards on the river when I think road conditions, distance traveled, traffic and our ability to drive without impairment I think should be considered much more often.

[Roger]

Curious........... On what stream was the near miss? I got the Who, What, and When but did not get the where?

Believe it's down in Louisiana.

[okieboater]

Right on re the driving.

I have routinely driven 4 plus hours to the Cossatot, made the run, ate late dinner at the White House and driven back home. Drinking coffee, loud music and driving with the window open for fresh air helps but I am sure it was mostly luck and very little skill that got me home safe. Same type of thing for multi day trips out west.

And, my story is not unique in the general boating community. You all know what I am talking about.

Never thought about it but am thankful that some power greater than me kept me alive and safe on the drive home.

Something for all of us to think about maybe New Years resolution time...

[fryingsquirrel]

I agree that the drive home can be much more dangerous than the trip, if you aren't prepared for it. In July '07, I did a Full Moon Float from Grinder's to Gilbert on the Buffalo. Strictly class I and II the whole way, but it was interesting running by the moonlight. Anyways, we took out about 2 or 2:30 AM, and I thought I'd be cool for the drive home. About halfway down 412, I absolutely couldn't keep my eyes open, no matter what I tried. I can honestly say that a wide pull off saved my butt that night, as I was able to stop and catch a good 45 minute nap. Awoke fresh as a daisy and make it home O.K. The moral of this story is don't hesitate to take quick nap.
Also, bad stuff can happen even when paddling with others. I got a boat pinned against a strainer (I got out,) but it was a good 10 minutes before PainterBob got to me to recover the boat. This was on the Buffalo, just above Erbie, with good water. I guess the moral here is not to get too far from the group, and don't ever let yourself get complacent, cause that's when the midden will strike the windmill.
Jon Ellwood

[A Savage spanke]

Thats not the part of the story that stuck out to me, telling her to let go off the paddle was what caught my attention. But while we are on the topic of soloing, I don't think it is that big of a deal. I don't mind park and play by myself, and the summer before last I routinely soloed the Ocoee catching shuttles with rafting companies back to the top. But I was never really alone, because like Gordon said you have to get up real early to have it to yourself. Roman, you said you had to tell her to leave her boat and get to shore, was she trying to unpin the boat or was she just acting like she was stuck on an island?