November 10, 2013Time for a winter gear checkInspect your throw rope. How old is it. How have you cared for it. Is the mantle worn or torn. While you have it out practice throwing a few times.
First aid kit. Replace all meds, Are the bandages and tape still sticky or is it stuck together from the summer heat? Protective gloves still good?
Pin / Unpin kit. Give all the biners a shot of WD40 on the threads and pins. Prussik and webbing in good shape, how old are they.
Break down paddle, inspect for wear and age.
Check your fire starter kit.
303 gaskets
Apply DWR, Durable Water Repellant to your dry wear. prevents fabric from wetting and making you colder.
Repair or replace the leaky spray skirt.
How old is your PFD? Have you checked the flotation lately?
Being prepared, drier and warmer makes a safer winter river trip.
Be safe out there.
David
A couple of old safety posts worth reading again
I will mention again the compendium of river deaths and near misses compiled and published by Charlie Walbridge entitled "River Safety Task Force Newsletters". If you can find and read them, they are a great wake up call as to what can happen while we are having so much fun. A common thread in the incidents is how an accumulation of small errors, mistakes, or bad judgment, and especially complacency and lack of attention contributes to disaster. There are many reports of Class V boaters getting in severe trouble on Class III runs or rapids. This was posted on the TVCC website. Thought it was worthy to read..........
Safety Guidelines By Kirk Eddlemon
1. Don't run a drop blind, EVER. The one time you do may be the last.
2. Rivers and creeks change constantly. I have done multi runs in a day where things have changed in a critical way. Never assume something is good b/c it was last time. Rivers are forever dynamic places.
3. Practice walking rapids, even though you can run them. Never run a drop just b/c you want to run everything on the run, and if you would walk it then you wouldn't have. Walking is healthy for the soul and makes you feel smarter and wiser.
4. Take a swift water safety course annually. Its not the techniques but the modes of thinking that will benefit you the most. ANNUALLY
5. Boat with people you trust. Some people can't even throw a rope. Know who should be watching your back and who isn't worthy.
6. Learn river communication techniques and make sure these are always congruent and implemented. Lets go over some.
7. Class 5 is relative. There are people who think the Gauley and Tallulah are solid class 5 runs. There are also people who think the Green River Narrows is class 4 with sunshine and gorilla being easy 5's. Consult many sources to formulate an opinion on a run. Trust most the people you paddle with and the paddlers that know your skill sets well. Many class 5 big water boaters would get eaten on a class 4 creek, whereas many class 4 creek boaters might have a bad day on the Gauley. Every river and rapid is different, so don't let a number or letter or whatever tell you too much about something you have never seen.
8. There are old boaters and there are bold boaters, but there are no old bold boaters. There's a reason.
9. Accurately assess yourself before every run. You may have certain things in your physical and mental life at the time that could impede your judgment and execution of moves. Example: hangover, boated for 10 straight days already, broke up with girlfriend, etc.
10. Anytime the run is isolated and may require full commitment, make sure your skills are a notch above the run's character. If you get into any trouble on an isolated run, you could be in for a serious situation. Be honest with your guides and the guides should accurately depict the day's whitewater. Know the hike out routes and possibly carry a map and compass so the routes will be found if necessary. Also consider not taking as many unnecessary risks as you would if you were roadside. Plan on walking rapids that may not be worth the risk of a thirty-minute rescue. Keep track of time and inflate the times estimated to complete a section of river. There are always unexpected delays, so just don't add unnecessary ones.
11. On high water..If you don't know the run, don't get on it at high water. There may not be any eddies above class 6 and mandatory portages and you will die. When running high water, consider using an extra buoyant PFD, one that will keep you afloat in the most turbulent conditions. The typical PFD used today may not be sufficient. High water completely changes a run. There is some formulaic reasoning to the changes, but until you are adept at predicting the changes high water induces, don't learn the hard way. Finally, the worst thing you can do in high water is swim. Don't swim flood waters. Have a super solid roll. Many flooded runs may be easy, but are class 5 simply because a swim would be the end. Think about this. Watch out for trees running the river with you.
12. Equipment: Don't creek in playboats. Creek in creek boats. One man's creek is another man's river. Here are some borderline creek/rivers: Russell Fork, Watauga, LRC Suicide, Upper Yough, Tallulah. If you are running these runs in a playboat, then you better be damn good and you still are taking an excessive risk. If in doubt, then use a creek boat. Any runs creekier than these mandate a creek boat. Any runs less creeky are fine in a playboat. Some say paddle what you are comfortable, while others say it's better to be in a creekboat you don't know on a creek, than ina playboat you know well on a creek. Creekboats are designed to stay on the surface and be easy to get out of. Playboats are designed to go under the surface and are very difficult to get out of. Use this definitive explanation to apply to any specific river decision.
Corran Addison suggests being able to get out of your boat without using your hands. This is a good idea, though it can be difficult to attain. This does imply that a skirt should be easy to remove. Inspect them often to insure grab loop durability and always leave the grab loop outside the cockpit.
Helmets: being on the river is not about style so get a full coverage helmet that protects the forehead, temples and back of head. Get one that can take many hits over and over before the structural integrity of the lid is compromised. Face cages are a good idea too.
11. Winter gear: If you don't have sufficient gear to keep you warm, then don't go. You will be a burden to everyone else, and that is not fun.
Food: Bring adequate nutrients and sustenance, especially on overnighters.
Always bring water. ALWAYS. Rescue Gear: If you don't know what these are, take a SWR course and you will. Always have these available in your boat: 2 carabineers, 2 prussicks, 2 pieces of webbing, pulleys are optional but are nice, and a ROPE. Ropes break. Inspect them for frays and wash them free of dirt with every use. On creeks, a rope of 40-50 feet will do, but on big water, a 70 footer is nice. Belt worn ropes are good, just make sure they are not going to be an excessive snare hazard. Know how to take it off.
12. Knife: If you have a rope, have something to cut it with. Simple. Blunt ends can help with freeing tight knots, and don't use a double edge. Size: the smaller the better. You don't
need a big knife. I prefer lock blades as opposed to sheath knives. A serrated edge makes the knife much more useful as well.
Whistle: this always comes in handy when least expected.
First aid kit: These fit nicely into Nalgene bottles.
Matches are nice to have, emergency blanket, bandages, gauze, tape, drugs, etc.
Don't assume someone else will have these things. Their boat may be the one under the rock.
13. When on a run no one knows, never boat past the last see-able eddy. It is better to spend the night in a gorge than under a rock or tree. Look at the type of run and the typical size of eddies and see to it that your group is not getting bunched up and crowding the eddies. Have an official lead and sweep, and consider rotating this position among all the eligible paddlers in the group. Pick out the weaker paddlers in the group and assign more competent partners. If the size of the group is excessive, then split into sub groups, which keep a distance from one another. Eddy hopping and the communication involved can be tricky so work out the communication skills and if in doubt, don't go. Wait until motioned into the next eddy by the person already there before coming over. Poor communication and eddy etiquette can result in collisions, multiboat pins, running of class 6, social tension and possibly death. If you are one of the best paddlers in the group and are clearly "the man", don't think that gives you the right to barrel down the creek squirting into and out of the eddies that less experienced paddlers are in. Yes, downstream always has the right of way, but if you see a less experienced paddler getting ready to go for a serious move that requires concentration, consider waiting for them to make their move. The experienced paddlers should be the last people getting the way, however often they do get in the way. When passing slower groups on the river, do so at a safe spot, not on the bigger rapids. It's just like golf. If you are being passed, grab an eddy and wait for the whole group to pass by before resuming. If groups do get intermingled, grab an eddy. Offer to show someone of the other group down if they don't know the way. Ask for guidance if you are unsure yourself.
14. Don't base your decisions on other people's decisions. Only answer to yourself. Make your own decisions.
15. Expect the unexpected, and be ready to deal with
16. Gauge your paddling intensity to the run. If on a roadside run with safe and fun playful rapids, I will play till I puke. If on a 10-mile inaccessible run in January with a foot of snow on the ground, take every move deadly seriously. Be efficient and conserve energy.
17. Respect the group you are with, know their limits and the juxtaposition of yours with theirs, and make your decisions based on the success, safety and ultimately the quality of experience, of the group. Paddling is a group sport. When assembling a group, see to it that the goals of everyone interested are somewhat similar. Some people hate hiking with a boat. Some hate running the unknown or flood waters. Some like to float, some paddle. Know your group. Group size is very important. If the run is very easy for everyone, then one person in six who knows the run is OK. However, if the run is very demanding for the average person in group, consider having a one to one ration of paddlers who know the run. In general, any more than six people on a creek is too many. Split into sub groups.
18. This sport can be ultimately safe, we just need to watch each other and realize the dangers and not be afraid to confront them in the safest way possible. Here are some enemies of safe boating:
Drugs, Alcohol
Balls
Complacence
Cockiness
Showoffs
Laziness
Underlying social tension
Inelastic Goals
Being Cheap
Selfishness
Ignorance
Bad Technique
Poor and improper Equipment/lack of
Hormones
Something to prove
Ill Communication
Lack of group mentality
Lack of information
Impatience
Action in the presence of uncertainty
So there you have it. It just takes a little bit of work to boat safely.
These guidelines will ultimately improve the quality of experience you have on the river every trip.
October 2, 2013
Shannon Christy by Steve Fisher
September 28, 2013
River Teachings
September 11, 2013
The Jeff West Flatwater Workout 10 Steps to Be Ultra Successful in Whitewater Kayaking
September 9, 2013
Swiftwater Rescue
Absolutes (adapted from Rescue 3)
2. Bring your throw rope when you leave your boat 3. Remember priority of safety: Self first, then team, then others, then victim. Gear is lowest priority. 4. Use upstream spotters & downstream safety 5. Simplest, safest rescue method first 6. Have backup rescue plan in readiness 7. Never tie a rope around a rescuer. Any attachment must be releasable. 8. Never try to stand if swept away while wading 9. Never tension a rope at 90 degrees to the current 10. Don’t stand inside the loop or bight 11. On shore, stay upstream of a fixed rope 12. Where there are ropes, there must be knives 13. Don’t count on the victim being able to help in their own rescue 14. Never lose the victim once contact is established
VIDEO LINKS
These are videos
of actual rescuer responses to river or flood incidents. Some are of paddlers, but most involve fire
& rescue teams working to rescue flood victims or ignorant rafters.
Firefighters are called on to perform all kinds of rescues, and most are not
very familiar with the river environment or maneuvering rafts/rivercraft on
current. Nonetheless they usually persist until they succeed. If you watch with
the 14 “Absolutes” in mind, you will probably recognize a lot of effective and
ineffective methods. See what you can spot.
This
is a low flow situation (see how shallow the water is on the dam) and not
really life threatening. A
good example of how low head dams create traps (find the boil line), how they
capture things that float, and how paddlers might escape (unless there is a
retaining wall at each end…which is the standard construction)
Flood channel
rescue gone bad. (So many things done wrong here) Most of the problems come
from trying to tension a rope directly across the current, instead of releasing
one side to bring victim to shore. Unfortunately, the police officer who caught
his wrist was disabled in this incident, and the teenager on the same rope was
trapped and drown in a strainer further down stream.
August 25, 2013 I did go back to Lower Green yesterday… I had paddled it three or four times this summer. However, for the first time this summer the waters receded, and the river looked almost unrecognizable with all its features revealed… It has been a little more than a year since my very first paddle. I was somewhat anxious until I realized that things had changed for me. I was thinking of what Chuck told me a year ago: “I wish I had a camera to make a collage called 1,000 faces of fear”… After Nantahala, the journey down the river was incredibly low key, relaxing and enjoyable. “Enjoyable” doesn’t do my time on the river justice… I glided on the flat waters… I was catching eddies and would get washed out most of them right away… I got to surf for the first time – intentionally – under watchful eye of Hal… I went through the rapids with ease and confidence… I did make at least one mistake that was priceless – luckily I was able to stay upright (note to myself: don’t try to get out of the eddie through the back door – the in-between the currents space is a void that can suck you in and have you for breakfast, lunch and dinner)… I did jump a ledge without intending to… I smiled, and smiled and smiled throughout the entire going-down-the river… There was (even) a moment when I thought that now I understand why people would say that Nantahala is more exciting, more fun than Lower Green… There is quite a contrast between the two… I thought I did not like it, I thought it was too flat… and then I relaxed… It was with and of itself experience to remember forever… There was no talk about harder rivers to conquer… no projections as to when I would be ready for the trip on class III abroad… It was what it was – finite with and of itself… I got to surf… to stay in the friendly wave still, and watch the waves rushing by, the waves piling up on the bow… And then, leisurely, like a seagull I would peel off and out into the safety of an eddie nearby… Perhaps, I was not as gracious as I imagined myself to be… Doesn’t matter… It was incredible with the Little Corky being the exclamation mark of my journey down the river that day… Thank you and MITAKUYE OYASIN |
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On The River
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