Hey all, many of you may have heard about the storms in the Boundary Waters this past weekend. If you haven't, well, they were pretty rough. Straight-line winds of 140MPH and trees flying everywhere. Here is a question I'd like to pose to the list: What would you do in a very bad storm situation? Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? Tie yourself to a big tree (or perhaps Canadian Ballast Rocks)? Hide under an overturned canoe? Crawl into a kayak cockpit? Tie a towrope to a tree and then to a canoe/kayak and set yourself adrift on the water (avoiding falling but not airborne trees)? Run screaming though the woods? -Patrick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 7/6/99 1:52:57 PM Central Daylight Time, pmaun_at_bitstream.net writes: > What would you do in a very bad storm situation? > > Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? > > Run screaming though the woods? > I'll admit to snuggling deeper into my bag on more than one occasion, but the run screaming through the woods idea sounds like more fun. Rob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>(replying via direct email) > >> Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? > >Attempt to find a rock outcropping to hide behind? That failing how >about a gulley, ditch, hole... Flash floods would be a problem if you were in a ditch or hole. > >> Tie yourself to a big tree (or perhaps Canadian Ballast Rocks)? > >I'm not tying myself to anything that could conceivably come loose and >whack me. > >> Hide under an overturned canoe? > >Seems likely to go airborn. > > > Crawl into a kayak cockpit? > >How snug is your boat? I couldn't do this, at least not without a wood >chipper. I doubt most of us could do it, but fear is a great motivator! > >> Tie a towrope to a tree and then to a canoe/kayak and set yourself >> adrift on the water (avoiding falling but not airborne trees)? > >Swimming in 100+ mph winds doesn't sound pleasant, it sounds less survivable >than being onshore. Right, but possibly less chance of being hit by a tree. Of course, if the towrope broke, or the tree came uprooted and and flying at you. Besides, I trust my Lotus will keep me afloat in anything. ;-) Maybe finding a rock outcropping and laying some large branches/logs to create a lean-to that might keep other branches from wacking you on the head. I just keep thinking of those worst-case scenarios. -Patrick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Patrick: I think I'd have to chose between hiding under my canoe (its rather robust and could take a hit from a small tree), or running screaming way back into the woods (blowdowns usually occur at the edges of treed areas rather than deep within the woods). Oddly enough, for this particular storm simply floating it out might have been the best bet (which is exactly what a couple of kids on the Kam did). The winds only hit for about a minute and then died away. There was relatively little lightning, but a great deal of blow-down, so I really would not have wanted to be anywhere near a tree. Of course hindsight is always 20/20, for when I saw what was coming (I was at home at the time) I had no idea that it would be over so soon. Weather like that should stay in Kansas where it belongs. (BTW, I think that the 140 might be kph rather than mph. Many trees were being downed, but were not flying about. The rain, though horizontal, was very mild until after the wind died. Or perhaps the 140 mph might refer to a touchdown?) Two days later it is still a bit blowy (60 kph gusts), so I'm hoping that my paddling class tonight will be cancelled. I've been itching to get my big parafoil kites up! Cheers, Richard Culpeper ---------- > From: Patrick Maun <pmaun_at_bitstream.net> > To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subject: [Paddlewise] BWCAW Storms and You > Date: Tuesday, July 06, 1999 2:32 PM > > Hey all, > > many of you may have heard about the storms in the Boundary Waters > this past weekend. If you haven't, well, they were pretty rough. > Straight-line winds of 140MPH and trees flying everywhere. Here is a > question I'd like to pose to the list: > > What would you do in a very bad storm situation? > > Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? > > Tie yourself to a big tree (or perhaps Canadian Ballast Rocks)? > > Hide under an overturned canoe? > > Crawl into a kayak cockpit? > > Tie a towrope to a tree and then to a canoe/kayak and set yourself > adrift on the water (avoiding falling but not airborne trees)? > > Run screaming though the woods? > > -Patrick > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
My husband and I were canoing in Algonquin Park over the Canada Day to July 4th weekend. The storms we experienced weren't as bad as the Boundary Waters area, but believe me they were bad enough for me. On July 1st the weather forecast was calling for thunderstorms so the morons that we are we decided to head in to our favorite lake and try to get camp set up before the expected storm hit. The weather was terrific, slightly overcast, a few showers to keep you cool while paddling, perfect. We got to our camp site, set up quickly before the storm hit, and spent the afternoon comfy and dry in the tent while the storm raged around us. I was feeling particularly smug about my strategic placement of tarps and felt that we could comfortably wait out the storm. I was wrong! The rain wasn't the problem, we were in a reasonably high spot so we stayed perfectly dry, but that evening the rain slowed down and the gale force winds started. We were prepared for a thunder storm and torrential rain, but not for what seemed like a hurricane! I don't know what the speed of the winds were, but we spent the entire night (a full 14 hours!) holding onto the tent to keep it from being torn apart by the force of the wind. Picture me, a considerably overweight 41 year old mother of three, at one o'clock in the morning stark naked (to keep my clothes dry since wearing my rain poncho was like wearing a sail!) out in this gale, clinging to a tree overhanging the lake frantically retying the tarps in an attempt to make a windbreak, while my husband Mike crouched inside the tent leaning into the wind so that the poles wouldn't snap.We ended up piling everything we had with us, all our gear pails etc., inside the tent against the wall facing the wind and tried to sleep sitting up against it to help support the wall. The noise of the wind and the tent and tarps flapping was deafening, sitting right next to each other we had to shout to make ourselves heard. Not exactly a restful sleep. The wind died down considerably the following morning, not enough for us to feel confident about heading out (we are not exactly whitewater enthusiasts!), but enough for us to be able to take down the tent and move it into a hollow to protect it from the wind if it started to kick up again. That worked out great, for the next day and a half we fished from shore, snoozed, played cards, read, etc. and generally had a great time while we waited for the weather to improve. When it did, we headed out to explore another lake further in, and found the most perfect campsite imaginable for our next trip. Several hours (and several quarts of blueberries!) later we got back to our camp just in time before another storm started up. In the middle of the night I was wakened from a sound sleep by Mike shouting that he was drowning in his sleeping bag. You know how you hate to get up out of a toasty warm sleeping bag to go out into the rain when nature calls during the night, well Mike's first reaction when he woke up in a wet sleeping bag was to wonder if he'd held out too long. But no, he hadn't peed the bed, instead the torrential rains had filled in the hollow where our tent was sitting and the one side of the tent was actually floating in about 6 inches of water. So we ended up spending the remainder of our last night squished together on the one high spot in our tent eagerly waiting for dawn and hoping that the weather conditions would allow us to leave. Sunday morning arrived with beautiful blue skies so we loaded up our soaken wet gear and headed out. A really good looking couple we were, teeth yellowed from drinking the iodine treated lake water, lips and fingers stained blue from eating oodles of wild blueberries. I had so many bug bites that my shoulders were swollen up like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Mike didn't exactly fit the image of a successful executive with his 5 day growth of white stubble and blood shot eyes from lack of sleep (the kids roared with laughter when they saw him, he looked like their idea of Santa Claus after a drinking binge!) What a sick, twisted pair we are. Even after all that, we barely had the car loaded up heading home before we were planning next week's trip. Mike is trying to see if he can get this Friday off . . . . . . . . Irene McGarvie Patrick Maun wrote: > Hey all, > > many of you may have heard about the storms in the Boundary Waters > this past weekend. If you haven't, well, they were pretty rough. > Straight-line winds of 140MPH and trees flying everywhere. Here is a > question I'd like to pose to the list: > > What would you do in a very bad storm situation? > > Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? > > Tie yourself to a big tree (or perhaps Canadian Ballast Rocks)? > > Hide under an overturned canoe? > > Crawl into a kayak cockpit? > > Tie a towrope to a tree and then to a canoe/kayak and set yourself > adrift on the water (avoiding falling but not airborne trees)? > > Run screaming though the woods? > > -Patrick > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I was staying in a cabin on the north shore of Lake Superior when this storm came through. My location was about 25 miles due north of Devils Island, 40 miles north of where Chuck Holst was camping. I just snuggled deeper into my bed. We had been up to Tofte to watch the fireworks and saw the lightning as we were heading back down the shore. I went out to look at the storm as the rain started around 11 PM. If there were severe winds on the shore they were not enough to wake me or my dogs. It did apparently rain all night. The current in the lake near where I was flows from NE to SW, around noon I noticed a second wave of large driftwood coming down the shore, shortly there after a band of muddy red water appeared about 300 yards off shore. In conditions like these the rivers are spectacular, unfortunately I had work to complete before heading home for the weekend so I did not get up to the Temperance to see what I expect was a full gorge. We left for Minneapolis around 7 PM. The roads were in good condition by then, I could see where the ditches had been full of water. At one of the river crossings between Two Harbors and Duluth the tunnel under the road had been blocked with debris and driftwood debris up to full size trees were on the sides of the road. According to the papers, the highway was closed until 5:30 PM. We did not have any trouble on the roads. Dana Dickson > -----Original Message----- > Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 13:32:20 -0500 > From: Patrick Maun <pmaun_at_bitstream.net> > Subject: [Paddlewise] BWCAW Storms and You > > Hey all, > > many of you may have heard about the storms in the Boundary Waters > this past weekend. If you haven't, well, they were pretty rough. > Straight-line winds of 140MPH and trees flying everywhere. Here is a > question I'd like to pose to the list: > > What would you do in a very bad storm situation? > > Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? > > Tie yourself to a big tree (or perhaps Canadian Ballast Rocks)? > > Hide under an overturned canoe? > > Crawl into a kayak cockpit? > > Tie a towrope to a tree and then to a canoe/kayak and set yourself > adrift on the water (avoiding falling but not airborne trees)? > > Run screaming though the woods? > > - -Patrick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
My first year of kayaking, 3 of us set out to kayak camp along the Delaware (all 3 of us were relatively new to kayaking). We had heard there might be afternoon rain so our goal was to paddle down and set up camp before any rain hit. Actually what "hit" was a rare tornado. The tents had been set up but not fully staked out (but full of gear-even so, one went airborn). It hit quick with incredible wind, pouring rain, lightning & thunder. Not knowing any better, we each sought the only shelter, our tents. Two of the boats had been pulled way up on shore, but we didn't know you should ALWAYS tie them up. The following morning, they were both afloat, offshore, but stuck in some debris. When the rangers came boating through the following morning to make sure everyone was alright, they informed us that the water level had already risen 8 ft. and was still on its way up. It was a very fast trip to the take-out. Arriving home there were several messages on my answering machine from kayakers who lived up in that area and knew of our trip. The news/weather bulletins issued in that area had shown the path of the tornado to be exactly where we were. They were very happy when I called to say we had made it out safely. Debbie Reeves Sandy Hook, NJ > ---------- > From: Patrick Maun[SMTP:pmaun_at_bitstream.net] > > What would you do in a very bad storm situation? > > Snuggle deeper in to your sleeping bag and hope the seams hold? > > Tie yourself to a big tree (or perhaps Canadian Ballast Rocks)? > > Hide under an overturned canoe? > > Crawl into a kayak cockpit? > > Tie a towrope to a tree and then to a canoe/kayak and set yourself > adrift on the water (avoiding falling but not airborne trees)? > > Run screaming though the woods? > > -Patrick > ************************************************************************** > * > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ > ************************************************************************** > * > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Speaking from experience: My paddling buddy and I were paddling on the west coast of Vancouver Island (Clayoquot sound) a few years ago. We were hit with a rapidly dropping barometer, heavy rain and increasing winds. We paddled to a nearby small island (lee side) and hid under a big cedar tree at the high tide mark. We waited out the storm, somewhere around 6 hours, as the tide rose to a level so that the water was lapping at our toenails. We found out later - the winds were hurricane force, planes flipped over in nearby Tofino, and there was destruction and people killed up and down the west coast. At our intended destination - Meares Island, there were several huge Douglas firs and cedar trees that were dismantled by the wind. As well as being very lucky, I believe that all the gods were with us on that day. :) Jim Meldrum > What would you do in a very bad storm situation? > > > -Patrick > *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:00 PDT