[Paddlewise] Natural Selection at Work

Really, the theory of natural selection just makes so much sense.

A few days ago we were enjoying the benefits of global warming when I
noticed two figures walking on the ice on the other side of the lake from my
house. The weather has been in the 50s (F) during the day and down to
slightly below freezing at night. This has had an interesting effect on the
ice which was formed almost instantly in December when a brisk northerly
wind kept the water in continuous motion while the temperature plunged down
to 8-degrees (F). When the wind stopped the lake just froze; waves and all.
So, instead of ice that began with a thin skim on top and then grew thicker
over time we had 6-inches of ice overnight. Now, 6-inches of ice will
support a *lot* of weight and with the temps well below freezing both day
and night by New Year's you could have safely driven a pickup truck out onto
the lake. In fact, a few people did.

But we've now had almost two weeks of daytime temps in the 40s and 50s and
night time temps just slightly below freezing so when I saw these two
figures out on the ice I was immediately concerned for their safety. I
grabbed the binoculars and I could see that they were boys of about
middle-school age walking up and down a fracture zone of the lake ice and
occasionally stopping to jump up and down together. They could have hardly
chosen a worse time for this as the sun was quite warm and shining steadily
down onto the ice. I could see them occasionally breaking through a thin top
layer (probably formed overnight from meltwater trapped on top of the main
ice) and subsequent splashes of water. They would slip and fall down into
this and get wet from the water.

What really concerned me was seeing water jetting out from holes (they had
kicked in the ice with their boots) as they jumped up and down
simultaneously.

The problem was that they were about 75 feet out from the grassy island
across from me which was only accessible by boat or via a locked gate on an
access road that runs down alongside the freeway. The island is apparently
owned by a local radio station which has two vertical antennas and a
transmitter shed on the island and nothing else. The only way to reach these
boys was over the ice from my side of the lake. And if they went through the
ice I was not very happy about the safety of going out there to get them.

So while I was keeping an eye on them with my binoculars I started to wonder
what - if anything - I could do. I was a Boy Scout Scoutmaster for years and
I know that an old guy yelling at them from the shore would do no good at
all. They weren't in trouble yet so calling 911 would just complicate things
if there were others who *were* in trouble. If I were the only chance they
had to live through a dunking I wondered how I could manage to do this
safely.

About 5 years ago a dog that belonged to one of my clients had broken
through thin ice and a neighbor died trying to rescue it. The guy had tried
to move out onto the ice using a 4x8 sheet of 3/4-inch plywood as a
platform... moving it ahead of him with his torso on the plywood and his
feet propelling him. When the ice broke the plywood didn't support him and
he drowned. The dog drowned too.

And ten years ago I had rescued my daughter's husky from a point of land
that gave it no escape other than swimming across icy water. That time I sat
in her Loon 11-foot kayak and used ski poles to push me and the boat across
the ice to get the dog. That actually worked.

But the boys were lots farther than I had gone in the Loon and I remembered
just how exhausted I had been from that little adventure. Now that I was
better equipped for cold water immersion with a dry suit and full-length
fleece undergarment I thought that I could safely get close enough to the
boys to throw them one end of a line. If I called 911 before setting out
onto the ice then I could at least survive long enough for the rescue squad
to arrive if I broke through.

My plan was to use cross-country skis to spread the load across the ice,
sprint out close enough to get a line (with a loop in the end) to anyone
fallen through, and then tow them back to shore. In my drysuit with PFD,
wool socks, head protection and gloves I would be ok for 30 to 40 minutes in
the ice water. So I gathered the gear in the living room, got into my fleece
undies, and watched the boys through the binoculars.

Well.... wouldn't you know it but the kids jumped all around over there and
then, tired and wet, they crossed back over the lake ice to my side and
disappeared up the shoreline. I never did get to try out my plan. Apparently
the main ice is still thick enough to support two kids working hard to break
through it. I hope they don't try it every week. My wife had my camera in
her car at work so I couldn't take pictures either.

I'm guessing Darwin will catch up to them.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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