VIDEO: Close to Dead

[Loneoak]

From one FF to another, great story with a good ending.....the best kind. No doubt your work training came in handy and you stayed level headed. Glad you and your friend survived a terrible situation and you are passing this video on to others.

[BigJake]

Arson,

Thank you for telling your story. I live very close to the Mississippi River. Sometime in January, I was talking to a guy at work about kayaking. We've had an extremely mild winter, and he was talking about people going out and kayaking the river. I told him that there was no way I'd take my boat out without the appropriate wetsuit.

Now, it's March, and the air is really getting warm. I've been craving Spring all winter. I look at my kayak and think it's getting close. I'd probably be okay with my paddle pants and some thermals underneath. Really, it's not that close. Thanks for the reminder and God bless.

[SoundWitness]

Arson,
Thanks for sharing your experience with us. It shows that the unexpected has to be expected. I'm glad you guys survived with a story to tell others. You may save others in a similar situation.

[firecaptain53]

I am so glad that you and your friend made it out alive, this could have gone either way. It is true that we at times have to handle situations that we are not fully prepared for, this my friend is when we find the strength of our inner being.

This should also hold as a reminder to all of us, that although we have a deep desire to get out into nature, there are those times when we have to step back and just say no. Our decisions not only affect us, but our loved ones too.

I truly believe that with a little time you will be back to make us more of those videos that we all have come to enjoy, thanks for sharing your story with us.


PS...did you lose those trout flies that I sent you?

Anxiously holding at the door for you return.......firecaptain53

[L.D. Cakes]

Arson, I hate hearing about stories like this but I'm glad you're viewing it as a lesson learned. I am a paddler with swift water rescue and wilderness first aid training. One of the first things we are taught is the dangers of hypothermia not just when you get wet but when you are too exposed. Taking precautions is a must when around cold water and sometimes on my trips people may think I'm being too cautious when I insist they wear more gear in case they turn over. But like you I know what can happen. I have been hypothermic after a dump in the water and things seemed like they were in slow motion and a lot of that experience I cant even remember. I had to paddle out because that was the only way. I made it and went back the next year and paddled it again to realize I had paddled through really tough waters for many more miles than I thought in a total fog and didn't remember any of that part of the river! It's like I had been on auto pilot to get out and I did.
After that I went and took a survival course and got the swift water training that is valuable in any kind of water, whitewater or flat water.
About 3 years ago I helped rescue a fellow who was an EMT who had overturned his boat he had just bought and had rushed out to the lake to try it. It was 42 degree water on a 50 degree day with the sun going down. His buddies were on shore helpless to do anything. Me & another paddler immediately got to him and got him to shore knowing the consequences. I will never forget how grateful he was that we were there. His buddies were laughing & jostling him but he was dead serious and realized that day that it could have ended very differently. You know now. Wear the extra clothes like dry suits & dive booties and have good insulating underclothes on in hazardous water.
I don't want to sound like I'm overly cautious or like I'm shaking my finger at you. I'm simply sharing with you that I understand what happened to you and you can still enjoy a paddle with the right knowledge. I'm so glad you're here to tell your story and that you are OK!
Cakes

[MAD777]

First of all, thank God you and your friend are safe! Secondly, thank you for sharing your experience, which we can all take lessons from.

It is human nature to become complacent after many successful adventures, but you have reminded us that we need to be prepared for the worst eventuallities. The extra weight of dry bags, watertight cell phone cases seem insignificant when things go wrong. There are lessons to be learned about packing certain survival gear on your person, not in a pack, to be learned here.

I hope the both of you can continue to enjoy the outdoors. Maybe just rethink the cold water expeditions; August would be a good time to go. Staying close to shore, even though that may be a longer route, is something I will remember from this (and that's coming from me who used to race sailing yatchs across the ocean).

You have helped us all I sharing this and I know even that wasn't such an easy thing to do.

[bhinson]

Glad you and you friend made it out alive
And you are able and willing to share your
Story with the rest of us
I think we all at one time or another have
Have takin mother nature for granted
And your story should serve as a reminder
To us all
That even though we have done this a number of times
There will be the one time it can all go wrong

I as all of us are glad you guys both made it back
Thanks again for sharing with us

[Redoleary]

Glad you're both safe. Thats a good reminder for us all.

[Hawk-eye]

Doesn't take much to turn the normal day into a serious situation. Glad yours worked out for the good. Glad you and your friend are still with us!

[Catavarie]

I'm glad you guys made it out physically okay. And as you said time will make the rest easier to deal with. A good reminder that even when we think that we've negated the risks, there is still a chance for something to go wrong.