Re: [Paddlewise] Teenager drowns on Chatooga, retrieval effortsd angerous

----- Original Message -----
From: Donald Schoengold <donaldsc_at_vegas.infi.net>
To: Mills, Larry <Larry.Mills_at_exchange.purchase.edu>;
<paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 15, 1999 4:43 PM
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Teenager drowns on Chatooga, retrieval effortsd
angerous


> Bottom line .....  I have never figured out why people risk their lives to
rescue people who do such dumb things that they do not deserve to be
rescued.


This has been one of the most interesting threads since John Winters (I
think) discussed a group decision to attempt a dangerous transit in which
each paddler was on his or her own, and that rescues should not be expected
if one member crashed.  To address Donald Schoengold's point: I used to be a
combat SAR pilot, and I've hung my crew's life and mine on the line a couple
or three times in attempts to get really stupid people out of harm's way.
Why?   'Cause.  'Cause that's what people in that business do.  We don't
check the motivation of the person in trouble before we go in to get them.
Same thing applies in civilian situations.  Pretty simple, really.  I guess
everybody deserves to be rescued. (For background reading, Sebastian
Junger's book, "A Perfect Storm" will provide some interesting perspectives
on SAR.)

To the issue: I, too, have run various parts of the Chatooga at various
times, and almost did not make it out of one because of  a stupid thing I
did.  Almost took my son --- who was a guide there --- with me.  It wasn't a
tactical "stupid" --- it was strategic.  It was the decision to attempt one
run where I didn't belong.  The Chatooga River is a beautiful and wondrous
world asset.  As much as my son was part of that river, I'm not sure how I
would have felt if he had not flushed out and had become literally part of
the river.  It's easier to have dispassionate and ecologically sound
viewpoints about the situation when it's not your kid on the bottom, I
guess.

Jack Martin

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