Regarding your article "The Tragic Summer of 1997" (Feb 98') issue, some fundamental issues were overlooked and something needs to be said. Before I begin however, I'd like to express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased boaters. I'm sure they were wonderful people and skilled paddlers. Having lost close friends to the river, I know first-hand this agony and pain.

Every dedicated boater knows the indescribable pleasure, physical and spiritual rewards of paddling rivers. Does the fact that these people were big name, "upper-level" boaters make them any more important than other boaters who enjoy the rivers and read this magazine? If, by their deaths, their contribution to life and the paddling community was to initiate a dialog regarding the risks of class V navigation, then it was a tragically inequitable exchange. Imagine all that they, or any other no-name, could have accomplished if their lives were not cut short by a fateful decision in search of status or thrill.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating cessation of paddling class V or setting arbitrary limits. What distresses me about the article is the lack of discussion regarding judgment. It's true that judgment is esoteric and very difficult to teach, but to blow it off with statements like: "Chuck had the best judgment of anyone." or "that's like pinning an airplane crash on pilot error." is irresponsible. Chuck and the others are dead from judgment error and airplanes are intricate machines with lots of parts that can fail. A closer comparison would be hangliding where nearly all incidents are pilot error, not structural failure. "There are no old, bold pilots." Running steep creeks in play boats is judgment error.

The article amply covers the fact that skills and equipment have improved dramatically. What happened to judgment, safety, rescue and consequences? After shelling out for the products, I find that very few are willing to pay for the service of comprehensive instruction, especially when their "buddy" is willing to act as mentor and take them out on class III and IV right away, i.e. the school of hard rocks.

How did we get to this place? A complex question but one aspect can be understood just by looking through this or any other adventure magazine. What do you see? Advertisements with photographs of radical and dangerous endeavors. Waterfall jumping is in every issue. It's not just magazines, it's everywhere. How about those Mountain Dew commercials, steep creek videos and slogans like "just do it." Sure, it just imagery and we like it. Most mature and responsible folks, however, would never consider doing these activities. Of concern and most at risk are the 16 to 26 year old males who are entering the sport quickly without comprehensive instruction or the experience to know they are not invincible. Lately I've seen some young kayakers, who were initiated into whitewater with the wrong attitude, running continuous class IV+ and V+ water without even scouting. It's only a matter of time for them.

I've been fortunate to have enjoyed the river sports for 25 years as a commercial outfitter, guide, kayaker and rescue instructor. I still paddle difficult water but I'm slowing down because I have so much more to accomplish in this life and I owe it to my wife and extraordinary children. Everyone I know who has continuously jumped waterfalls and paddled extreme Class V is either dead, paralyzed, has blown discs' in the spine, or doesn't paddle whitewater anymore. From this experience I coined a phrase many years ago: "There is no river anywhere worth dying for."

The sellers of equipment, magazines and instructors need to emphasize the judgment, safety and rescue issues a great deal more or the body count will rise. It's OK to take risks and live by the paddle, but anyone who is willing to die by the paddle for status or thrill is a fool with little regard for God's precious gift of life. I can be flamed at Contact riverpeople.com