Broken Bow...Broken Everything

[Fishtracker]

This is a cautionary tale shared with the intent of hopefully keeping others safe.

On short notice my brother and I, two grown men closer to 50 than 40, took our teenage sons on a kayak fishing trip to Broken Bow this weekend. I've been down this water once before. This was his first time. Upon our arrival we discovered the Corp was releasing the max amount of water over the damn and the area outfitters had all been closed for over a week. Apparently the water was too high for them to risk putting their equipment out.

After a long visit w/ one of the local outfitters he told me we should be okay putting in at the bridge on 70 and paddling down from there, but no way should we paddle from Mt Fork Park ramp down. Day one we did what he recommended w/ no problem what so ever. We did the same thing in day two. With another visit with said outfitter he said after watching us paddle we should be all right with the upper section, even though we'd probably go for a swim around the water fall.

You got it, we put in and launched from just below the dam. Our kayaks were handling fine until we hit the boulder field. I would call it class 3 rapids. I was bring up the rear with the throw bag expecting to help if anyone needed it. At the entrance of the rapids my brother got flipped by a tree. Then my nephew went in. I entered the rapids paddling hard trying to catch up to them and wouldn't you know it...the current slammed me against the same tree pinning me and sucking me and the kayak down. The force of the hydraulics were so strong the aluminum paddle in my right hand literally snapped and dislocated my right thumb. Like an explosion my kayak came rolling down the boulder field. On three different tumbles I changed upriver to down river locations with my kayak. The throw bag was trailing and was the only thing allowing me to keep catching up to the boat as I was rolling down the river. My brother and nephew were rescued by kayakers camping on the shore about halfway down the shoot. As I tumbled by, my brother now standing on shore, lunged and grabbed the nose of my boat. I was holding the line and it swung me closer to the bank, but I was still a good 10 yards from shore and the water was too swift for anyone to get to me.

While rolling towards shore the back of my shirt and the webbing of my life vest became skewered hungup on an object. I came to rest facing down river in a sitting position in three feet of water. The river raged past me and the current kept me uncontrollably suspended firmly down river from whatever had snagged me. My eyes were at water level. My nose and mouth were below water and my feet were kicking against the slippery river rocks and getting no footing. After the 3rd swallow of water where there was supposed to be air I suddenly realized I was drowning. No joke, I was already beat up and bruised, and out of air. Without warning I found myself too exhausted to do anything about it...

Miraculously, just as it dawned on me I was done for, my foot begain kicking involuntarily. Somehow, it found a solid footing and allowed me to push back upriver against whatever was holding me. I took one quick breath fearing I could slip again thus returning to the same predicament. I had come to rest on a broken 2 inch branch or root and my life vest was hooked on it. I was able to lift off of it enough to roll in behind a tree that split the current and gave me a fighting chance to catch my breath. It had taken only a few moments, but had seemed like an eternity. The comedy, if there was any, was my swim trunks had been pulled down around my ankles and I was scrambling to pull them back up before getting to shore.

My kayak was swamped, right hand unusable for the moment, no paddle, and I was exhausted and dazed.

The horror, and I do mean horror, now that I knew I wasn't going to drown, was not knowing whether my son had made it. He had been in the lead and went in early and I lost sight of him as I saw my brother go in. I knew it was asking a lot, but I asked if there was anyway the guys on the bank could go after my son. Two of the guys on the bank quickly suited up w/ vests and took their kayaks to chase him down. Within 50 yards they both flipped into the current and went around the bend out of site. Not a reassuring site as their buddies told me they were expert paddlers. They were gone for 45 minutes and I began to weep and pray. Every thought you would imagine a father would have sped through my mind. It was the longest 45 minutes in my life.

Thank God, my son made it without ever going over. Thank God for the good Samaritans who pulled us out and took off to help my son. My son was also shaken when he saw my broken paddles come down river without us. He didn't know what to think.

I'm still gathering my thoughts about what I learned. I'm sure I will be doing a review for some time to come Yes, I'm the stupidest person alive and deserve whatever critique and reprimands ya'll want to dole out. But I don't want another father to ever have to wait 45 minutes not knowing whether their kid made it out alive or not.

[fisher of people]

Yes, I'm the stupidest person alive and deserve whatever critique and reprimands ya'll want to dole out. But I don't want another father to ever have to wait 45 minutes not knowing whether their kid made it out alive or not.

As a wise man once said, "let the one without sin cast the first stone".... Probably not many people on this board who haven't done something equally stupid on more than one occasion. Just glad you're all okay. I can't imagine what that 45 minutes must have been like for you. Thanks for caring enough to share your tale with the rest of us. We cannot be reminded too often of how powerful and dangerous water can be.

[BullyARed]

Thanks God you all were alright. Thanks for sharing.

[Chaz]

Yes, thank God you got out OK. That was one scary flip. And praise God your son is OK!

[Izzy]

Glad to see that you are still among the living....be careful out there.

[Strider]

Fast water is no place for the type of boats we paddle, or the skill level most of us paddling fishermen possess, ME INCLUDED. I have been saying this for a while.

Where is Doug Poudre when you need him?

Kim

[Mythman]

Thankfully you probably learned a lesson with only bruises and a real scare.

We all need to respect the conditions mother nature has out there!!!

[Paddletrucker]

Sure am glad everybody is OK. Gear can be replaced.

I've spent a lot of time on the Mt. Fork. One of the things I learned early on was to listen to the locals who know the river. Yes, it's Oklahoma and not Colorado. Yes, most of the time it's OK for beginner paddlers, BUT when that river gets crazy, it's a handful.

I paddled down the Mt. Fork one time with a bunch of hardcore whitewater guys from CO who really knew their stuff. They all commented about how they thought the river looked like it could be really wild if conditions were right, even though it was a nice lazy paddle that day.

As I recall, there was an outfitter, probably close to twenty years ago, that let a bunch of boy scouts on the river when others weren't putting gear and customers in the water. There were several lost and the outfitter isn't there any more.

It is a beautiful place, though, and I love the fishing in Beaver's Bend State park, even though I haven't been in years.

[beljason]

I've never done the big whitewater rivers, but I used to love doing the smaller whitewater trips like Nantahala in North Carolina when I lived in North GA, and after doing that several times you realize there is a big difference in what is required of the boats for whitewater paddling and slow water fishing kayaks. The boats most of us paddle are not meant for anything other than the meagerest of swift water.
I had a somewhat similar incident a year or so ago when a friend dropped anchor in the Brazos, not realizing that though the water was smooth the higher current from the dam release was much stronger than it looked. He dropped anchor and faster than he could yell at me, the boat is flipped end up and him and his son are dumped out, his son hooked by a rod attached to the boat. He is incredibly fit and by the time I had paddled to him he was hardly a fourth of the way to land and already tired. Its amazing just HOW POWERFUL moving water is, especially in these tailraces. It is nothing to be taken lightly, and if the dams are releasing I avoid the area and fish further downstream,or if they release while Im on the water, pull over and wait it out for a while.

I've got two boys which come with me often, and I can think of nothing worse than fearing your son is lost. Sorry you had to go thru that, and thanks for sharing your experience. You may get some flak for it, but its important that people understand just how dangerous high water can be. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[gerald]

Thank you for writing your report. I'm sure you learned some valuable lessons and in this way help others also learn. I just don't know what to say to help keep people safe. Personal safety equipment are just part of being safe. Skill, experience, and common sense are some of the other parts. I AM a very experienced paddler in very swift water in flooding conditions with up to class III rapids. Class III is about all I need to be out in with the boats I paddle. However I got my butt spanked on a relatively slow river just this last weekend. What made it safer for me is that I was prepared and had practiced in these conditions and much more. I also practice turn over and escape scenarios.

Once again I commend you for writing your report. It was a very close thing. I'm glad that you and your son and all others involved are ok. Relax, get your head on straight, and when you're ready--go back to paddling and fishing.

[Fishtracker]

In no way do I consider myself an expert in whitewater. I've done my fair share of whitewater rafting, really learned what I know about reading water when driving my own jet boat in skinny water in the Pacific North West and even ran the Snake River in Hells Canyon. This is said to give a little insight into my experience level. I'd rate myself in the category of "been there done that / own the Tshirt / But...in no way an expert"

Immediately after the shock of the situation my brother and I began the postpartum: Here's a few things I really messed up on:

1. If the outfitters aren't putting folks out...enough said.
2. I ran the shoot in low water conditions last year. This year the river took on completely different characteristics at peak flow. Ergo, it was a different river and everything I thought I knew about it was wrong. (A) I should have never allowed my younger son, even though he has similar whitewater experience to me, to be the decision maker in a go/no go capacity as the lead paddler. (B) We should have pulled up prior to each rapid (we could easily hear the rushing water ahead) and scout ahead for ourselves. Taking the word of a "local" that we can make it means nothing when we were rolling down the shoot.
3. We absolutely didn't know the limits of our gear, nor did we have the correct gear.
4. We had no emergency plan in the event we became separated. We assumed we'd all be within eye site the entire trip. More than the end destination rally point we should have broken the trip into segments and established a rally point just below the tail-out at each rapid. This way no one would end up separated 2 miles down the river.
5. When separated, my kid eventually left his kayak and began traveling up river along a trail to try and locate us. We needed a plan and a means to communicate condition and intent if we were leaving our kayaks. (Pencil and paper in a water proof container) Had the fellow kayakers not gone after him, 45 minutes could have easily turned into hours.
6. When I ran a jetboat in whitewater, or in any river, I always carried a knife on my pfd. Candidly, everything was happening in such a flash, I don't know if I would have had the where with all to cut myself loose when snagged, but I didn't have a knife on this pfd and didn't have the option. That will not happen again.

I'm sure I'll come up w/ some more as I mull it over...

[larry long shadows]

WOW thanks for report I'm to old too survive some thing like that. Thanks for reminding me to stay in slow water glad you guys are ok

[Harold Ray]

I am glad you all made it, but it sure sounds like you nearly didn't!!

This is not about kayaking, but it is about full release from Lake Whitney Dam following tremendous rains and people. I can't remember when it was, but I believe it was in the mid 1980s. I drove up just to see how the dam was handling the water and to watch as the water poured through the gates and down that long drop to the Brazos River below. The picture below looks a lot like it, a truly awesome sight, and this was 2007. The time I watched the action was years before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9kGLargczI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Power boats were running as far as they could toward the dam and ten drifting back down river while fishing. Once they got a good way down, they would gun the motor and their boats would race forward again. They were catching fish but the river action was unbelievable and tremendously wild. I thought someone was going to be killed.

Two days later, a boat got into the rip where all the water falls, flipped and 2 or 3 people drowned right there before everyones' eyes, so you never know what's going to happen.

Ray

[Skwid]

Wow! That is about the scariest story I've read on this site. Glad to hear you are all ok.

[JFBedford]

WOW, I'm speechless, still thankful you guys made it out alive. Someone was looking out for you that day.

[Phishtech]

Thank God you all made it out of that mess. Thanks for the report.

[YakBonz]

Definitely a reality check, and an affirmation that vigilance is necessary at ALL times when on the water. Sorry it was at the expensive of a horrific experience for you and your family.

[Gutter Girl]

Fishtracker,

Glad you and yours survived the experience. God uses people in strange ways - your storytelling may be enough to stop someone else paddling in uncertain conditions.

My 14th summer, I attended a specific GS camp known for taking canoe trips. We launched the morning after a tornado had come through the area and dumped a lot of rain. Short version - I survived my canoe capsizing and getting wedged in between two trees with fast water everywhere. The next day the camp maintenance guys went to get the canoe out of the river and instead of just the end of the stern sticking out almost the whole canoe was exposed. What a difference a day makes! The rest of our canoe trip was spent paddling on a lake - big whoop!

Again, glad you're alive to tell the story!

GG

[AyJay]

Wow, scary, thought provoking story.

I've run some class 2 stuff and class 3 stuff in a SINK kayak and in canoes, but when I was in my 20's, and in smaller rivers where the rapids themselves were not long stretches.

If snagged by the PFD, you may at some point have to cut it loose, by unlatching it and floating free of it. This is where it pays, in a serious way, to be a strong swimmer with substantial swimming experience in many water conditions. I grew up spending summers swimming in Texas hill country rivers, and the knowledge of how to swim in a strong current and even through rapids really helps. You have to accept the fact that you'll be doing some walking so never bother fighting the current...float with it and move towards the bank, and use the current to help you get there. Look downstream to avoid hydraulics and strainers, try to use your feet to ward them off, but be prepared to roll off of one. This stuff takes practice and experience in slower flow conditions. Most people swim in the slow pools. As kids, we always played in and swam in the rapids and currents. It really pays off because your instincts for what to do when you are caught in a rapid are there.

[Piscado Loco]

1st Ima repeat the others & say thank God everyone made it. But also man, don't be hard on yourself. Fact is we take chances everyday in our lives. We could lock ourselves in our homes all day & some plane could crash & still kill us. Life is just dangerous & you never know when things will go wrong. You had a reason to believe it would be a good run. The most important things are everyone came together in a crisis to look out for eachother & at least you were all able to learn many lessons from your mistakes. You sound like you have a good head on & this was just a bad call. Like I said though, when you have a local backing you up you really can't take all the blame yourself. Take it easy & recoop. Hope your next trip is way better. Thanks for sharing.

Fish On!

[Fishtracker]

Ajay, until this very moment it never occurred to me to unbuckle my life-vest. Seriously. Immediately after I got out of the water I had thought why didn't I have my pfd knife?...but never until your post did I think why didn't I just unbuckle?... The front buttons of the lower half of my shirt had popped off and the fabric was ripped. I'm not so sure the shirt would have come free but I would have stood a heck of a better chance without the pfd webbing. For the life of me I could do very little steering. It seemed I was coming down the shoot so fast all I could do is try and stay turned down river and keep my feet out in front to protect my body.

Because of my nature I've had some close calls in my life, but never like this to where my mind virtually quit computing while it was happening. It were as if I went into shock, which is not like me at all. Could be my age and deteriorating physical condition, or the fact I gulped three breaths of water. I will never know but I can tell you I've never second guessed myself more than I am now.

I sincerely appreciate the words of encouragement. However, it's important for everyone to realize I was a complete idiot in allowing things to transpire the way they did. This could have had a much different outcome.

Another point that needs to be made:
I was the more experienced person. I allowed my son and brother to decide what spots they would be in and how far we would be spread out. I probably would have kept the order the same but closed the gap substantially. My brother asked my son if we should pull up and check the water ahead and my son dismissed it. All along I had concerns about how far they leading me but I said nothing. If, and when, we do something like this again, I'll be much more deliberate in my instructions and make sure all know what is expected of them.

We also had a mini safety briefing during lunch prior to our launch. Everyone was half listening. You can bet next time I'll demand everyone's undivided attention.

[Piscado Loco]

Ya scouting is a must in those conditions. Never hurts to put a man on the banks while the others go 1 at a time & then switch off so he can go back & run it. That's usually what my friends & I do. It helps not only to have a guy waiting with a line but it also limits the number of people that may need help. I'd hate to have to choose between my son or brother as to which one Ima throw the line to & pull in.

[hotpocket]

I have been on White water once in Colorado when I was around 10 or 11.....It was fun untill we hit the last rapid which was a class 4 or 5 It sucked and scared the poop out of me. I am scared for life because of it. Which is a bummer because it looks like fun if you know what you are doing. Glad you made it out ok and in the future don't listen to other peoples advise use your own judgment regarding your skill level.

[Fishtracker]

Ya scouting is a must in those conditions. Never hurts to put a man on the banks while the others go 1 at a time & then switch off so he can go back & run it. That's usually what my friends & I do. It helps not only to have a guy waiting with a line but it also limits the number of people that may need help. I'd hate to have to choose between my son or brother as to which one Ima throw the line to & pull in.

This makes great sense. Thanks.

I also agree w/ another post saying our fishing yaks are not for whitewater. AMEN.

Thanks to everyone else. This really is a good group of folks. I gotta admit, I have really been second guessing myself this week and it's taken a little out of me. I never want to take the ones I care about for granted nor put them in harms way. I also realize part of living well is getting out and enjoying the outdoors. My whole life I've been the guy that has the topo map, compass, first aid kit, etc...and is prepared for worst case scenarios. This one got away from me, but we'll get back on the horse and ride again and hopefully learn from this.

I sincerely hope I've given others cause to think if ever you find yourself in whitewater.

[butch sanders]

how did you continue without a paddle
i have always worried about losing my paddle 1/2 way into a trip