From: Jack Fu [jack.fu_at_worldnet.att.net] Sent: Sunday, October 22, 2000 11:19 AM To: <snip> Subject: sobering trip in the Green River gorge I did the Green River gorge yesterday with Tom X and Bob Y. I'm a good paddler, Tom is a very good paddler, Bob is an expert. Bob knows the Green well, is alert and fast-acting in an emergency, and in general the best friend you could have. I did two things wrong. First, I lost my concentration in a difficult stretch and dropped sideways into a keeper and flipped. Being an experienced paddler, I could tell I was in a classic, glue-like keeper, and I should have popped the skirt right away, but instead, I tried to set up for a roll. It was useless and caused me to lose several precious seconds. When I finally popped the skirt I was almost completely out of breath. In the next 10 feet or so of floating down the river, I was breathing in foamy air, and my lungs hurt like hell. Bob pulled me ashore, then chase my paddle down. Tom saved my boat. My next mistake also involved a loss of concentration. I flipped at the bottom of Mercury drop. I rolled up right away, but was feeling disoriented and could not concentrate except in a sort of semi-panicked reaction mode, and instead of going through the "Nozzle" (as you MUST do), I found myself headed into the narrow passage to the right of the Nozzle. The side of my boat scraped the rock on the right and I flipped left. I popped the skirt, came out, and found myself in a confusing situation where the boat tried to float though the passage, then turned vertical as I was holding onto it for dear life, then completely disappeared as the current grapped its lower end and tried to force it though the passage underwater. (There was water going over the top between the two rocks, but most of the water was rushing through underneath, where the passage is wider.) With the boat gone, I tried to climb up on the rock on the left side of the passage, but but it was too slippery. I could not get any hold on it at all. I had no strength left. I was floating vertically in a tiny eddy in a hollow on the upstream side of that rock (and just to the left of the passage). Though my head was above water, I could feel the fast, deeper current tugging at my feet and trying to pull me, feet first, through the passage underwater. Had that happened, I would have drowned. But Bob saved my life. Bob had gone through the Nozzle just before all this, and realizing that I was not behind him, immediately paddled to just downsteam of the narrow passage, got out of his boat and wedged it and his paddle in a small notched ledge on the downstream side of that rock that I was trying to climb onto. (How he did all this, and so lighting fast, I will never know. It seemed a miracle.) He got up on that rock, saw me, and extended his hand. We were barely able to touch hands, but we did. Bob then managed to haul me up on the rock. We did not know whether my boat had been flushed through the passage underwater or whether it was stuck there. Bob probed with my paddle, then with his arm, then with his foot. It was there, about three feet underwater. By nudging it with his foot (in the downsteam end of the passage, of course) he managed to free it and it flushed through. After making sure I was okay, Bob put me back in my boat (I won't relate all the details; all I know is, I was completely in Bob's hands, and he seemed to be performing miracles) and we were on our way. One more episode. At one point near the end of the trip there was a bend where there was a small rock garden that did not have enough water. Instead of taking the outside of the bend, as anyone with any sense would, I ended up high and dry on some small rounded rocks in the rock garden. There was no danger, but I felt awfully silly, hung up in the air like that. I began to laugh. Then Bob and Tom began to laugh. For some time we three laughed like hyenas. Had anyone seen us at that point, they would have thought we were stark crazy! ------------------------ The trip was a sobering experience for me. I realize now that although 20 to 30 years a go I was a decent class 4 paddler, I no longer am. There are several reasons for this. One is that I am not as strong or coordinated as I was, but the main reason is that I just don't have the power of concentration, the ability to focus on what is needed and to carry it out quickly and precisely, that I used to have. (Not that I ever had a lot of it, but I had enough to get by.) So, I have made a sad decision. I will no longer paddle class 4. On class 4 I am a potential danger to myself and to others. This decision leaves a lot of fun stuff out, but hey, I have to come to my senses at some point. Jack ============================================== -----Original Message----- From: <snip> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 10:05 AM To: jack.fu_at_worldnet.att.net Subject: Glad you are OK!!! You have experienced something very scary. I'm extremely happy that you are OK. We watched helplessly as a person drowned in that slot last year. He experienced exactly what you experienced, but was sucked down when his raft tipped over. We tried to pull him out, but he drowned. The rescue divers couldn't get his body out. They turned down the river level at the dam and had to cut his body out of the seive. <details snipped>. That is a horrible nasty seive, and I'm very surprised that your boat came through... I'm even more glad that you had a helping hand there to pull you out. That was one of the most tragic days I've ever had to live through, and I'm glad that you escaped the little nozzle unscathed. Your decision not to boat class IV might be the right one. Only you can know that. I know that I personally have made the decision not to boat class V water because I know it is dangerous and that the chance of not making it home is a little higher. I have a blast playboating on class III, and am satisfied that I can remain challenged with playing the III's. Keep boating within your ability... see you on the river, *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jack Fu" <jack.fu_at_worldnet.att.net> Really amazing story Jack, The general risk involved in whitewater is far higher than in seakayaking ( I mean under "normal" circumstances ). I also practice whitewater from time to time. And even when I´ve incursioned in class IV I consider mysel a class III kayaker. I love good adventure and feeling the adrenaline flowing through my brain, but every time I jump to the river, even class II rivers, fear starts to invade me. This is good somehow, as it keeps me alert, but after running the river I´m fulfilled with relief, and a small voice inside me rejoices that I´m all right. The higher the river class, the higher the fear. Some years ago, this fear led to panic in a class IV river. After running the last rapid, rolling and looping a couple of times, I finished completely dissoriented and exhausted. Then the guide congratulated all of us as we all were o.k. and there were no accidents of any kind. We had a simple float 'till the end of the trip. Once I felt safe I relaxed while floating and lost all my concentration. Suddenly I fell in the smallest hole I´ve ever seen, stupidly small, but strong enough to loose my balance. While bracing I listened to a "crack" and capsized. Paddle broken ? No, arm dislocated ! Well then, 6 hours to reach the hospital, and 6 more waiting to get it reduced. 2 years without kayaking. Developing a better technique and of course, the last class IV to me, and the oath to forget about trying rodeo ever in my life. Another important aspect about whitewater is the fact that you allways rely on your partners, as they also rely on you. This is important in the way that knowing each other very well, knowing the way your partner will react in a danger situation, helps you to anticipate his moove, and eventually saving his life. | Your decision not to boat class IV might be the right one. Only | you can know that. I know that I personally have made the decision | not to boat class V water because I know it is dangerous and that | the chance of not making it home is a little higher. I have a blast | playboating on class III, and am satisfied that I can remain | challenged with playing the III's. | | Keep boating within your ability... see you on the river, Absolutely agree. I´ll suggest you to try surfing "Doug's" stormy seas. There's no holes in the sea, waves can be huge, but sooner or later they collapse and die. And as long as you're not in a rock garden or a coral reef, there´s no risk of hitting a rock. I´ve been surfing 10 mts waves without fear, and I love and have fun being rocked, shacked, and pushed up and down. Cheers.- Kayak Argentina - Sea Kayaking Mailing List Fernando Lopez Arbarello kayak_argentina_at_uol.com.ar *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>> Suddenly I fell in the smallest hole I´ve ever seen, stupidly small, but strong enough to loose my balance. Fernando: Yes, isn't it amazing how sometimes it's the small holes that get you? It's partly because you're not paying attention to them. A similar experience is flipping in a shallow (only 2 feet, say) but fast moving rapid and being unable to set up for the roll because the back of your helmet and the back of your life jacket are going bump- bump-bump and the end of the paddle is going clank-clank- clank, so you bail out. Makes you feel stupid. >> While bracing I listened to a "crack" and capsized. Paddle broken ? No, arm dislocated ! MAJOR PAIN! and 6 hours to reach the hospital - gawd! Not a pleasant day! >> forget about trying rodeo ever in my life. I totally sympathize. But hey, just surfing "park & play" holes can be a lot of fun. >> I´ll suggest you to try surfing "Doug's" stormy seas. I've been in fairly stormy seas in my sea kayak and I agree, it can be extremely exciting. But it is nice, as you say, not having to worry about getting pinned by or between rocks. Jack Fu 47°38'N 122°08'W *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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