Re: [Paddlewise] Safety legislation

On 10/26/06, Yancey Burnsides <dogworkings_at_pobox.com> wrote:
>
> > Alas, they do die, too!
>
> Yeah.  Then they've gotten liberty AND death.
>

A thoughful piece.

I've spent some time wondering why people do obviously stupid things. And
the answer may be that they survived the last 30 or 40 stupid things they
tried so why wouldn't they survive this one?

I've rescued picnickers in tenny runners from Mt. Index (east of Everett, WA
on Highway 2); often couples who decide to climb on a whim. This slender
crag attracts casual hikers every year. It's easy to climb up; not so easy
to climb down. You would think it would be obvious.

I stood on the banks of the Deschutes river (Class III+) and watched one
rented raft go past me every minute. At least half of these boats had at
least one person who was not wearing a PFD. Many of the rafts had people who
were drinking beer and acting drunk. Lots of them stop to beach their rafts,
party, and then continue on down the river.

I've seen PFDs spread over the Yakim River like confetti after a raft full
of family members decided to play in the "white water" of a 20-foot

Maybe it's the "Disneyland" effect. This is when people lose the ability to
differentiate between an ersatz adventure where conditions are carefully
contrived and controlled and the real thing. "I shot blanks at a hippo on
the real Zambezi river and the damn thing still ate my boat."

But if we think it's just a modern phenomenon we need to step back. Loggers
in the Cascades moved logs down the Wenatchee River to Leavenworth by way of
one of the wildest sections of river in the northwest. And some guys had the
job of riding those logs. Standing on them as they went through Class V
rapids.

Or the era of "wooden ships and iron men".

Why do people still smoke cigarettes when they print a warning right on the
label?

Someone once told me that one-third of the world are bozos but we all get a
turn. And if you meet me on the day it's my turn then you may have a
different opinion of me than if you were to meet me on one of the other two
days. :)

Thanks for putting in your time trying to help. Don't dwell on the ones you
didn't save; think about the ones you did save.


Craig Jungers
Royal City, WA
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