By Shiah Lints
With warm temperatures and lower river levels, there are a lot of people out on the river. Due to high water levels, this year is different than years past and people need to be aware of the significant risks involved in the river environment.
Three years ago, high water levels led to eight deaths in eight weeks on the Wenatchee River. There has already been a drowning on the Methow River this summer. Here are some key points to staying safe:
• Always wear a lifejacket. Eighty percent of all fatalities involve a victim who was not wearing a lifejacket. Everyone on the river should have a properly fitting lifejacket.
• Don’t consume alcohol. The other common theme of deaths in rivers is alcohol. It impairs your judgment and your motor skills. Consuming alcohol when you are responsible for children is just like driving your children while drunk. Don’t do it.
• Have good equipment. The cheap tubes and rafts that they sell at hardware stores should not be considered a part of your safety equipment. In the industry we call these “Kmart Coffins.” They are extremely easy to tear on a rock or woody debris and will deflate instantly. Furthermore, they often have a cheap nylon cord around them that can act as a noose around a body when it gets snagged on the wood. I would advise cutting that cord off. If you have children in tubes or rafts, they must have a nylon cover around the whole tube or be a quality raft that costs a lot of money.
• Avoid woody debris. Trees, logs and root balls are the hazards that can kill someone even if they are wearing a life jacket. When a victim is stuck in wood, the incredible force of water straining through the wood will hold them in place and prevent them from moving. If the person is head-down, they will die.
• Always look downriver. The river is not like a car — it will not stop. If you are approaching a hazard, you must move sideways to avoid it. Identifying the hazard early buys time to act!
• Do not put into the river above Winthrop. The presence of woody debris increases significantly in the upper Methow and Chewuch rivers. These stretches should only be run by experienced boaters. That being said, there are still hazards that must be avoided downstream from Winthrop!
Shiah Lints is the owner of Methow River Rafting and Kayak.
