4 people rescued

[Alaskacanoe]

Last night 2 canoes with 4 people in them missed the take out point at Jims landing on the upper Kenai and both wrecked on the first rapid below Jims. They had to be Rescued by the Central Emergency services and the troopers and the Refuge people.
Only two of the 4 were wearing life vests when this happened.
Everyone is ok, but as we are all thinking.
This did not need to or should not have happened.
These people had told their families and others that they were going to paddle up the moose river, ( moose river is a class I river with almost no moving water ) instead decided to change plans and paddle down the upper Kenai. ( From flat almost still water, to fast and cold water with hazzards a Class II in some places).
Float plan ?
Life Vests ?
Did not know the take out point?
On water that they were not capable of ?
What are your thoughts?
At least 3 agency's responded for the rescue, cost to tax payers?
Anouther thing is that these were my customers. I can't tell you how bad this makes me feel that these guys could have been drowned or seriously injured.
I make each customer sign a paper that they agree to wear the life vest provided. It even states that the highest death rate for outdoorsman in Alaska is Drowning due to not wearing a PFD.
Max

water on the upper kenai.

[akpredator]

--Plain STUPID--

I saw the rescue boat passing me in sterling yesterday and was wondering what that was all about. Thats just retarded canoeing down that part of the river , especialy when the water is so high right now. I take it you rent canoes and was wondering if you tell people of the risks they take going into the Kenai??

I once tryed to launch my own personal canoe out of the Willow and the owners of the camp ground told me i could not becouse of the liability and also that it was a hard stream to go down in a canoe becouse of the log jams and quick turns. He then told me to try the little willow which was alot easyer to navigate by canoe and thats the route i took.

life vest are of course a must up here and there is no way of you making people wear them, but maybe a heads up on the areas that people plan to use them or even banning people from using your canoes in certain rivers or areas of rivers might save you a head ache if someone gets hurt or dies.

AKpredator

[Alaskacanoe]

Kenai river

We always talk to each customer about where they want to go. I have never once since 1993 when I first started my business suggested the upper Kenai. We do indeed discourage anyone from doing it in a canoe. We have rafts for that.
I think you are right. I think I will now have to put down a list of places on the disclaimer that we refuse to let our canoes down. The disclaimer gets bigger to read everyday due to bad judgement.
Remember a few years back, well its been almost 10 years ago I guess that those two guys from Anchorage took a couple of Scanoes down 6 mile creek? They found only one of the bodies. I don't think they ever found the other guy. Anyway. You can't inforce stupid. I guess that is why we have to be insured for a million bucks per incident in order to rent equipment used on the Wild life refuge, and the state parks permit also.
The guy that rented the canoes, is a guide here on the Kenai. I don't know him personally or what kind of guiding he does, but he told my wife he was experienced in every water on the Kenai, as he grew up here using all the resources.
He either lied to us, or really just changed his mind about where he was taking the canoes. I am thinking that he knew we would not approve of him using them on the upper Kenai if he would have told us that was his intended trip.
Max

[MacGyver]

I feel so sorry.......

I feel so sorry for any business man trying to make a living renting equipment or dealing with giving an Alaska type experience.
I remember a thread on one of the forums. Where a guy complained about almost getting swamped by a airboat several times. He knew how dangerous the Creek was. Yet, he keeps going back to the creek. His solution was for removing power boats on the creek so he could float it safely.

Can you imagine renting a canoe to a person who thinks nothing of his own safety and blames other people for his problems.

[Mike Echo]

"Can you imagine renting a canoe to a person who thinks nothing of his own safety and blames other people for his problems."

You mean a product of modern society?
Mike

[Alaskacanoe]

One canoe returned

We had a nice little surprise this evening, when the Kenai wildlife refuge officers stopped by and dropped off one of the two canoes that went missing down the Kenai Canyon.
They said they looked for the other one, but never saw it.
A pilot friend of ours has flown the river several times this past week and said that he could only see the one canoe that was rescued.
Other than a pretty good bend in the side, It is still in one piece and floatable. I will try to straighten her out and put it back in the fleet.
Thanks to the folks that responded to help rescue those fellows, and the Kenai refuge people for picking up the canoe.
Alaska is such a great place.
Max