RiverPeople Community News Dr. Whitewater River Updates Downstream River Runners Questions and Comments

The following comments resulted in the Eddyline response to an article published in Paddler magazine.
Read the response and original article for yourself "OLD AND ALIVE".

Also available is a yet to be published NOTES ON ROPES (LINE)

I agree, it is unfortunate that boating has "evolved?" to where people are willing to roll the dice with their physical health and lives for an attempt at fame and glory or simply, personnel satisfaction.

I predict that the summer of 97 will repeat in 98 and that in time magazines like Paddler and AWA Journal will have a permanent obituary section.

Ron R.

You might get a lot of spam for your letter in Paddler, but you'll only get thanks from me. Even if a lot of people spam you, some paddlers--and I hope some young ones--will take your advice to heart.

I think there are two different problems: (1) people who don't know what they are doing and don't ask, and (2) people for whom risk, and being more of a hair boater than the next guy, is a goal in itself. The first I see often around here (DC), where paddling is very popular. E.g., complete novices going out without training. Just saw a posting from someone around here who wanted to start paddling and asked how to find a used boat for "Class III-IV."

I had a healthy respect for water before I started whitewater in my 40s, and my last year only increased my respect. I busted my nose in June and tore up my shoulder (enough to need surgery) in October, both in Class III. I'll go back as soon as I am able (a month or two more), but I know my limits and am happy as a clam paddling within them. People can call me a geezer or a wimp, but I don't go to the river to impress people.

My teenaged son is a paddler and does harder stuff than I do. He is not macho and is pretty risk averse, but I intend to show him your letter and talk to him about it. I want him to outlive me by a long time.

Thanks again.

Dan

I read with interest your letter to Paddler magazine in the May/June '98 issue entitled "Old and Alive". I'm not here to flame you. Just the opposite- I agree 100% with your testimony and recommendations regarding safety instruction and awareness.

We lost a young friend 2 summers ago on the Chattooga Section IV at Crack in the Rock Rapids. He was a Navy Seal, was a strong paddler, and was dedicated to the thrills of paddling heavy whitewater. That day he made a fatal judgement error which cost him his young life, and deeply impacted his three friends who were with him that day and tried to save him. Having watched this young 24-year-old grow up, my husband and I were both grief-stricken about the circumstances of his death. (In order to get a better look at the rapid, he jumped into a class V lead-in wave and was unable to get to the scouting rock. He was sucked into an undercut rock and was hauled out in two pieces.)

I commend you for pointing out to Paddler that awareness needs to be raised on safety and judgement for ALL paddlers, not just the experienced ones. I applaud you your statement that you owe something to your wife and children, and that there is "no river anywhere worth dying for." I also appreciate your statement that commerial magazines and advertisements are one factor which promote the public's "take it to the limit", regardless of skill.

My husband and I own and operate a canoe/raft livery in NE Georgia on the Chattahoochee River. Although the river is maximum class III during normal running season, there are still days where water can be too high to allow the average paddler to run it. We make that judgement ourselves, at the risk of losing business, but we always feel that to err on the side of safety is what we can sleep with at night. We've had to make a couple of hairy river rescues (fortunately no injuries or fatalities) on days where the water was too high for safe running, and we don't wish to repeat those. People who come to us seem to respect our opinion now, and don't whine too much if we tell them that we can't put them on.

We've tried to raise awareness of river safety around here, even on this "mild" whitewater river. In my opinion, there is no "mild" whitewater where beginners are concerned. It all takes education, experience, and good judgement about your own personal limits to make for a safe river trip.

Thanks for your insight, and input into the magazine. Please feel free to respond.

Regards, Becky P.

No flame - I concur wholeheartedly with your words. Sad to say, maybe the phrase "evolution has a way of eliminating the foolhardy" applies here too. Safe paddlin'

Lee

BRAVO! I teach water sports and lead adventure travel and eco-tours out of the Cleveland, Ohio area, and heartily agree with your analysis.

I love a good hot dog show as much as the next person, but experience tells us of the incredible personal toll that poor judgement can take. All of us know someone who has been hurt or killed, sometimes even in good, scoutable circumstances. The boat manufacturers thrive on making it look easy. I understand that, but there is a cocky disrespect for Mother Nature that leads to needless mishaps, as well as trashed put-ins and an increasingly cool welcome in many small river towns.

Noone wants to tell zestful hot dogs that their skill should be matched by a code of behavior infused with safety sense. They do not appreciate their role as example to new boaters, nor do they take seriously their responsibility to the sport. I believe that it is up to seasoned boaters like you to stand up for some basic guidelines. Congratulation on having the guts...I am sure that courting such a flaming took as much guts as diving a falls. I salute you and your editorial endo.

As you point out, the pages of the paddling magazines celebrate cavalier recklessness. Every week I hear someone say "what's the big deal? You just throw the boat in the water and Baja through!" Immediate gratification should not have to mean immediate death.

I wish that manufacturers who have the dollar power to command pages and pages of hot advertising would shed some light on the work that these stars went through to hone their skills. "Responsible boating" sounds so beastly dull. I would be nice if manufacturers would celebrate the fact that there is plenty of adrenaline to be had on the river without taking foolish risks. The interface of human with water and rock is itself courting the edge, it is extreme by the very fact that we still find breathing under water difficult.

Pardon my ramble...I salute your sentiments and your courage to express them in print.

Sincerely,

Tess D.

George B.

Excellent submission

Hope you don't get flamed too much. The way kayaking as a sport is heading, I'm sure you will find some minor controversy. I have been paddling for over twenty years and miss the old days of meeting friends on the river that were there for the enjoyment and thrill. Friends you could meet in an eddy and share it with rather that wondering how many times you should keep quiet as some jerks with the mentality of Corran Addison cuts to the head of the play line. ( But this is at summer flows when the river options are less than with the spring and winter we have enjoyed so far.) We are still out there it just that the next generation seems to display a mentality of conquest at all costs. More on the lines of the me first, not respecting common sense and respect for what is actually in front of them except for the next drop or rock to boof off of. Sort of the Punk Skateboarded mentality carried over to the river.

I made an observation in Paddler Mag., or was Kayak, after they ran an article about the "Best 100 Runnable Waterfalls " that there is more to it than running a drop. I landed wrong in Chile doing a 28 ft drop that took years to mend years ago. I don't recommend waterfalls as a wise choice, as the photo opt. could also mean serious problems that one may never recover from.

Enough preaching to the choir.

At some time in the future someone will hurt themselves enough to take into the court system. All they would need it to pull that silly little warning sticker plastered into their new Kayak safely / wisely and superimpose it over all the adrenaline packed waterfall running advertisement pushing the rush of running a big drop. Most all the Kayak manufacturers and many of the kayak accessories and apparel makers are not far behind regarding this imagery. This weeks adventure, Saturday, Sunday & Monday doing Deer Creek by Chico. 26 miles of beautiful class four. Three days leaves plenty of time to camp out, hike and hang with friends.

Enjoy

Jerry A.

I felt compelled to drop you a note regarding your May/June Paddler letter.

I, too, am old and alive, and plan to stay that way. Thank you for your eloquent comments, which are right on the money. I've been paddling open canoe since I was seven; I'm 47 now, an ACA instructor (both flat-water and moving-water), and one of the points I make sure to hit hard when teaching safety sessions is assumption of risk/judgement. I can "teach" safety, but unfortunately, it is difficult to "teach" judgement; many who enjoy our sport are predisposed to machismo stupidity, or are afflicted with the "just do it" syndrome. Naturally, their judgement skills are as underdeveloped as their cognitive rationalization skills. I see it in my students, and regrettably, in fellow ACA instructors.

I hope your letter will be taken to heart by all Paddler readers. For me, there truly is no river worth dying for; I enjoy paddling too much to end up fish food.

If you find occasion to pass through Illinois, look me up; we'll paddle a couple of miles together.

Thanks again for a well-written piece.

Chuck B.

Hi Casey,

Great letter, you won't get any flames from me! Safety on the river is always one of my main concerns...to that point, may I use the "no river is worth..."phrase on a sticker, maybe even a t shirt? also, even my most die hard go for it river buddy is slowing down, he says its the dogs he takes now that he didn't years ago, but...I think its getting old.

Anyway, take care!

Steve S.

Thanks for saying what needed to be said.

Chris F.

Regarding "Old and Alive" (May/June 1998), Casey Garland is right on
target.
>After an appropriate time for mourning, EVERYTHING in his letter needed to
>be said. It is past time for a little rationality and, dare I say, common
>sense, to reappear.  And the ACA should be taking the lead in instructional
>and safety issues more than worrying about getting the money from ads like
>the "Liquid Lifestyles" ad, page 37.
>
>Paddlers alone are responsible for their actions and will pay a steep price
>for screwups, along with their friends and families.  But I doubt if any of
>the victim's last thought was "Hell, it really WAS worth it!"
>
>Chris F.

I was so pleased to read your letter in May/June's Paddler. I am beginning my second season of kayaking and finding myself often wrestling with issues related to risk. I have a fair bit of mountain climbing, and lots of cave exploring experience. It is obvious to me, that in the case of kayaking, I am only beginning to develop judgement about my own limitations and skills, about the various rivers and creeks, and about risks and consequences. I too would like to hear and read more about judgement. It is strange to be in a place where I can see that I cannot see, and nobody appears to be talking about it.

You are right in pointing out the risk-taking attitude that dominates the sport. I try to focus on the philosophy of the whitewater instructor locally, who paddles beautifully and spends much time polishing skills and practicing cartwheels in water that is relatively safe. But it is difficult, the temptation and pressure are there to do more "exciting" and thrilling runs. I am struggling to find my own philosophy, to adopt a more disciplined approach, to treat this as a finesse activity, to strive to paddle beautifully, gracefully, and with precision.

No doubt I will continue to take risks, as I have throughout my life. Yet it seems it would be good to be clearer about what those are, to be more aware of the decisions that get made.

Thanks, Leslie C.
PS And good for you for considering the others in your life. We live in such an individualistic culture. I still am aghast by the monologue at the end of Paddle Quest in which the guy, facing his death in a hole nobody would consider nearing, thinks of his three year old son - WHILE HE IS IN IT - and not before?????

mark f.

there once was a kid who grew up all alone , he had lots of people around him who were nice to him and siad they liked him but deep inside this boy felt something special inside he could not quite define what it was but he knew it had something to do with the liquid in his life. He was alone since the sadness filled him that he could not share the specialness of the liquid-this he did not under stand- he knew water was important but he didn't know why. The life that extended from the ocean swept up and filled this kid who when he thought like this was taller than the tallest monster and braver than the bravest soldier.as he grew with age he started undertanding that he was linked with this power of nature that he could not do without it and it pulled him back in,time after time indicating it's need for him.water not always accesable in the dry land, he discovered the river,the ebb and flow,the breathing boils and the caressing eddies sucked him in and made love to his mind which in turn was filled with the beauty of it - and thus i have realised that my fate will be or i'll make it integral with that of the liquid of life.water cleanses your soul but,be carefull too much and you lose your mind- this is proof enough.

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