River idiots, this time in Canada
Jerry Smalley
The rant continues!
Recently, in this space, I referred to people who float rivers, in any watercraft, without life jackets as "idiots."
More than one person has told me that story went pretty easy on those persons who float without regard for their safety.
Last week we fished the Elk River near Fernie, British Columbia, and, let me tell you, idiocy doesn't stop at the border - in either direction.
As I waited at the launch site for my partner to run the shuttle, a mid-20ish man and woman inflated one of those cheap two-person vinyl rafts without seats.
They had a small cooler for "hydration", but no paddles.
As they pushed off, I politely asked if they had life jackets.
"No," was the simultaneous answer.
Before we decided which section to float and fish, we had stopped at a local fly fishing shop to ask about "skinny water," logjams, and any potentially dangerous spots.
We were told, "About a mile above town there's a spot where the whole river flows into a river-right logjam. There's enough water on the left side to get around it if you don't pull left too soon."
A mile above town we found their cheapo raft upside down, trapped in the logjam. It was shredded and torn into pieces.
On our float we were also passed by two people in two floatees and two others in a small inflatable kayak.
No life jackets.
Casting large flies for bull trout, we found one of their donut floatees shredded in a nasty cottonwood tree that had fallen into a stretch of whitewater.
Later we noticed there were three people in their crowded little kayak!
I don't know the British Columbia regulations regarding life jackets. Common sense trumps regs any day.
Many Elk River logjams were decorated with parts of floatees, rafts, kayaks and paddles.
On the flipside, I met an elderly husband and wife who lived on the Missouri River near Craig, Montana. Their raft was well-used. They were obviously experienced on rivers.
They both wore their life jackets while floating and wading.
That's one way to increase your chances of a long life.