It’s a Sunday afternoon and lots of rain is on the way. You have to work late all week and you just want to get on the water at least once before all you can do is ignore the texts and watch rising gauges. It has just started to rain and the gauge on your favorite local creek has ticked up to the minimum level. By the time you grab your gear and run shuttle, you have a little over two hours of daylight. The run takes about that. Do you put on?

To answer this particular question it is necessary to identify the variables: Who are you paddling with? How well do you know the area and the river? How remote is it? What will you bring? And most importantly, are you willing to just “roll with it” if you end up spending the night? When I was asked if I wanted to put on Cain and North Chick late Sunday afternoon, all these questions went through my head. I decided to pass. While spending the night in a gorge is something I will do if I must, I checked the weather and knew it would be raining all day and night. My husband (David), on the other hand, wasn’t as discouraged by the rain. Mainly because he enjoys high water so much!

While we disagreed on what we wanted to do, I knew he would have fun, so I told him to go and hurry to the put in. They had a strong group of 3 wrestlers turned kayakers that were ready to go! I was making homemade chili and grilled cheese for dinner when it started pouring buckets. I chuckled to myself… they were going to get more than they bargained for. About 2 hours after dark, I started to realize something had probably happened. Hard to say what, but my gut told me they were dealing with more than just getting changed and shuttling. I checked the gauge and it had flashed way up. Maybe a swim and a lost boat with one person on the bank, which side who knows…Maybe they simply hiked out after seeing the water level. Whatever it was, I decided to give them some time to sort it out and hopefully find one of their trucks.

As it approached midnight, it became clear they were spending the night, and the rain was relentless. Luckily it wasn’t too cold, and I remembered they had my 1st aid kit with hand warmers, a space blanket, iodine tablets, and matches. Again, I chuckled… No way could they build a fire in this downpour! Having heard past stories of unintentional overnight trips on the North Chick, I knew there was a chance they had attempted to hike back to a vehicle and got close, but not quite, before giving up in the dark. That I could help them out of, since I knew the area well. So I asked a friend for help and we were soon headed to the takeout and put-in with spotlights, food, and hot beverages. We were soon joined by one of their girlfriends who was concerned and wanted to do something.  We found their shuttle trucks parked accordingly. We shined bright lights and honked horns in case they were close but couldn’t see. Then, we embarked upon a fun 2 hour hike through clearcut in rain and mud, yelling woops and their names, in an attempt to save them from a miserable night. I mentally went through possible scenarios. I knew about how far I could get if I was boatless, or if I started scouting and going slow due to high water, and I figured I’d end up in about the most inaccessible section of the gorge. What would I do? I was convinced they were huddled under a rock somewhere and would be on the move at daylight.

About the time I decided to go home, say a prayer for them, and sleep awhile, I got word that someone had notified relatives the trio never returned from kayaking and they had called the police. Great. Now it would be on the news. I was asked to come to the police/fire station so I reluctantly went over there. They were of course setting up a rescue command station and making a big fuss. I told them not to worry, but I did reveal to them where I had already searched. Quickly and sternly, I was warned to stay put and told they were handling the rescue. They didn’t want me to interfere with their rescue and need rescued myself. I tried to reason with them, but it was difficult, and they became irritated when I refused to officially report my husband missing. As a result, I was told to leave and warned to stay away from the area. Not surprising, but frustrating. As I left, I heard talk of ‘missing the takeout’ which I knew wasn’t the case, but that meant they were watching the bridge below the takeout. At least I would know if a boat came down.

I went home, slept an hour, and started calling my in-laws before the early morning news broadcast so they wouldn’t be surprised and worried. (They all worried anyway, took off work, and later came to ‘the scene,’ which was the takeout). At daylight, my friend and I were headed back there with a big thermos of hot chocolate and some fresh muffins. We decided to check the areas near the shuttle vehicles once again, and this time we were greeted by police. They were very nice, asked for my opinion, and looked at maps with me. I assured them it was still early, explained the experience and fitness level of the guys, that they were dressed in full Gore-tex, and about the emergency kit. The officers seemed to support my optimistic position, but reminded me the rescue couldn’t be abandoned until they were found. I knew this and though I felt it was premature and maybe not even necessary, I told them I appreciated everything they were doing to help.

My next morning plan was to hike in on foot from the takeout upstream and hopefully spot them. It was still raining, so the water was stomping high and tributary streams were even too high to cross. I knew this would greatly impede their progress no matter what. But especially if they were hiking up and out, or if anyone was without a boat. This was also affecting me, as waterfalls that crossed the trail would literally blow you off the side of the cliff. It took a couple hours to get the right equipment to set a rope and safely cross. I ended up letting my friends hike up there. I had no idea what rescue crews were doing, but I saw trucks with 4-wheelers in tow drive up the mountain. I drove to a location where another fork of the trail empties into the road and looked there. If they didn’t show by noon, and it was getting close, I was getting a group of paddlers together to ferry over above the bottom rapids and start hiking up the other side. I knew it was flatter and more ground could be covered at river level. There were groups of boaters hiking in to get a view of several locations in the gorge. Coverage was very spotty, but better than nothing. A group of capable boaters was on the way up to paddle down one of the tributaries when I got a call from the hikers; David and his boat were spotted on river right a few miles above the takeout. He was patting his head. The other 2 were also seen. Yeah! I quickly notified family and police, and discreetly routed the strongest boaters to their location, in case they needed any help getting across (it was unclear if they all had boats). I was headed up there myself, but got stalled by rescue people and family who were trying to keep me from getting in or near the river (frustrating.. I am a class V boater after all!). To satisfy them, I left my boat behind and ran up the trail. I was soon greeted by a sheepish grin from my husband and the others. They all had their boats and other than being dirty, cold, and hungry, they were totally fine. It was before 1 o’clock. Without knowing it was against the wishes of the authorities, they simply ferried over and got out (rescuers wanted to set up ropes across the water). David says to me, “I’m so sorry! It just flashed up and we started scouting and being careful and we ran out of daylight. Then today it was flooded, so we had to portage a bunch…” I had to laugh, glance at my watch and ask if he wanted to grab a snack and go run something. “There’s plenty of water and daylight!” I said. He shook his head, “I’m done for the day.”

I was very relieved they were careful and safe and made it out without incident. While it can be fun and quite efficient to paddle out fast when darkness approaches, if they had blazed downstream in the high, rising water the night before, something much worse might have happened. When you find yourself running out of daylight, it’s helpful to feel like you have choices. If you like to put in late and push the envelope, always have some overnight gear in your boat!  In addition to First Aid supplies, I carry the following:

1. Space blanket or bivy
2. Iodine tablets for water purification
3. extra power bars and/or MRE sandwich
4. Gatorade and/or Emergen-C powder
5. headlamp (E-light is a great tiny one)
6. hand/toe warmers
7. Matches/lighter/tinder
8. Glow stick

In addition to the above, have a conversation with family and relatives. Show this article to them, and educate them about what you do. If you frequently paddle in remote areas, be ready to deal with unplanned situations. Make it clear what could happen and let them know you are prepared for it. Don’t tell them NEVER to call police or be concerned, but give them an estimate for how much time you might need to simply hike out. We are so lucky to have folks who work and volunteer with rescue, devoting their time and energy helping search, locate and remove people from bad situations. But we shouldn’t send them out unless we absolutely need them!  And sometimes, the process they are trained to use and follow can prevent those most capable from quickly helping out and things get stalled or complicated. It is rare that police and rescue personnel will understand and respect the ability and rescue potential of a whitewater boating skillset. We should realize what is easy to a skilled paddler, many times is not an option even considered, and often appears extremely dangerous to those who don’t paddle. Especially if help has been called to rescue paddlers to begin with! Remember also, we put them in danger when they go out to search for us. So first of all, let’s try not to get in such predicaments. But if we do, calling search and rescue is a last resort… when someone is hurt or truly lost, that’s when we call!