Very well put Robert. We had a bit of a debriefing about all this afterwards, over (a few) beers at the nice pub around the corner from my house (nice bartender, she kept refilling our glasses for some reason...).
Here are some of the lessons that myself I got from this 4th season of mine so far, which includes recovering not one but two pinned kayaks, lending a spare paddle to an unlucky fellow, and lots of swimmer rescue and throw rope action. So much action in fact that almost one month ago I dedided to post a message that I though EVERYONE would read and consider seriously, no matter what experience level they had:
http://www.cdb-ottawa.com/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=4403.0Robert mentions a certain level of complacency, and I tend to agree but on a different level. Here's why (forgive my scientific approach...). At the moment of writing, this thread about one specific trip to the Upper Petawawa has been viewed 233 times, with 17 replies. In contrast, a general post about safety that I wrote almost one month ago has been viewed only 116 times, with only 2 replies including mine. It is not a coincidence that the only real reply came from someone who's been on many remote trips and witnessed a lot of 'accidents'.
In the above mentionned post I outline very basic requirements that every participants should adhere to, mainly adequate floatation and having a throw rope available at all time. This means having it, not your paddle, in your hands while out of the boat scouting, and making sure that it can be reached easily when in the boat if someone else needs it. It is easy to acquire the good habit of taking a rope with you every time you get out of your boat if the rope is attached in front of you or between your legs, instead of behind the seat. Having a throw bag in your hands might mean that you will more often than not be the one at the bottom of a drop providing safety and that you might run the drop last, but hey, you'll get to see a variety of lines before your turn!
Now, about this specific trip: the Upper Petawawa is a different kind of run than most other rivers. It is far from civilisation. At certain levels as we saw, it can be a very technical run. The famous very wide hole that got Sandra simply wasn't there at higher levels. When I saw it, I had just enough time to look for a weak point and paddle really hard to punch it. I came to a complete stop, but I was already over it by then (I credit the boat!). There was no way to punch it in a playboat. The hole that got Jacques was part of a 'threading the needle' move that we had all done successfully before, but it was impossible to do at the level of last weekend. I can go on, but the point is clear I think.
There is however one more comment I want to make. The 4 km hike in, done carrying your boat on your back (the preferred method), is hard. Especially if you bring the kind of boat and gear that will get you through the subsequent run safely. I am not so young anymore and have to manage fatigue, dehydration, and thus enjoy taking a few breaks along the way. I've been a few time close to twisting my ankle on that loose slippery slag, I've noticed the early symptoms of heat shock, and I have to save enough energy to manoeuver my big bulldozer later! Heck, if someone in great physical shape like Brian Maxwell (great canadian athlete, coach and founder of Power Bar) died at 51 of a heart attack, I don't know what's in store for me!
Which brings me to an idea I've toying with. Many of us have outdoor-type GPS (for instance Larry and I have exactly the same device) so that we can in principle always know exactly where we are. Simple accident can be dealt with using the gear we carry, like first aid kits etc. The problem, in case of dire emergency, is how to reach help. Here's where a VHF (marine) radio could help. Although one needs a license which is easy to obtain, such a radio has enough range to contact rescue operators, can be water proof, and cost less than 200$:
http://www.thechandleryonline.com/index.php?cPath=12_173I was, as I said, toying with the idea, but it's getting more concrete now. Any comments?
On a lighter note, The Devil's Cellar is quite an exhilarating rapid (if you hit the good line--thanks Robert)! You're so surprised to go through unscathed that you might forget simple stuff afterwards and, like me, end up swimming, below everything, in flat water, silly! Thanks Larry for bringing my boat back. Maybe I should just say that it was a test for the empty boat floatation: I had two air bags in the stern, and two in the bow. But I have the feeling that no one would believe me...
--C.
