“If you want to have it with you in an emergency, it needs to be on your person at all times.” You’d think by now I would have heard that enough for it to sink in, but apparently it hasn’t.
This past Sunday, I was canoeing with two other guys at a creek about an hour from my house. None of us had ever done this creek before, but we had scouted it and it looked like it would be a good trip with a nice variety of scenery and a good mix of slow and fast water, but nothing too big. So we geared up and got on the water around 9am.
As far as gear goes, I was carrying a psk, lighter, flashlight, and my keys in my jacket pocket, a signal mirror around my neck, and a whistle and knife attached to my PFD. I also had a backpack, which was bungeed in, with food and other assorted odds and ends, including a bigger survival kit and a good fak. I attached my camelbak and my cell phone in a waterproof case to the thwart. This was a fairly standard set up for me.
Around midday, I was getting warm so I took my jacket off and attached it to my backpack. A little later, we hit a set of rapids that was the biggest we had encountered that day, but not huge, including a spot that required us to go to the right of one rock and then cut immediately back to the left before another one.
You can probably guess the punch line. I went first and got slammed sideways into the second rock, flipping the canoe and getting it stuck upside down between that rock and another. My leg was stuck in the canoe for a few seconds (it seemed a lot longer at the time) but, thankfully, I was able to work it free and I popped up downstream with just a small lump on my head and some chattering teeth.
As far as I know, that canoe is still there. The three of us could not get it out, and we had to leave it. The only chance I have of getting it unstuck is if we get some really dry weather and the water level goes way down, but even then I’ll be surprised if we can get it free, it’s wedged in there pretty good.
We were only a little way from our take out point and were right along the road, so Sam ran up and hitched a ride down to pick up his truck and we pulled the other two canoes out right there, loaded them up and called it a day.
Very fortunately, my backpack and jacket came out of their tie downs and were floating down stream with me when I came out of the canoe, so I was able to get them. I had a hat and gloves on the floor of the canoe that are gone forever, and, if the straps held, my camelbak and cell phone are still tied to the thwart under the canoe. Which brings me back to my original point: I realize now that having something “with me,” only means having it in my pockets that I’m currently wearing. If the bungee cords holding my backpack hadn’t given, I wouldn’t have any of that gear, including car keys. This time it wasn't a survival situation, but it doesn't take a lot of imagination to think of it as a basis for one. If it had been, I wouldn't have been in serious trouble, since I was traveling with two other guys who had all thier gear with them, but I would have been worse off than I had to be. Or, if I had been alone on a back country trip (unlikely, but you never know) and my pack hadn't come loose, I would have been cold and wet with just a knife, mirror, and whistle, which is significantly better than nothing, but no fire!?! What was I thinking?
So, I'm submitting this rather embarassing story of unpreparedness because I now realize that having my psk in a jacket that's "within arms reach" isn't always good enough. I probably should have known before, but I know now.
So, what to do differently next time:
1. Car keys and PSK in pfd pocket. Find a way to do same for phone (when I get a new one)
2. Redistribute gear among everyone. This was done somewhat, but I still had most of it.
3. Add match safe with sparklite and tinder to neck lanyard.
4. Try not to get my canoe stuck under a freakin’ rock.
Chris.
Edited by Hutch66 (11/26/03 11:15 PM)
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