Early risers

Rising rivers spell the start of rafting season

In today's newspaper you're likely to find ads like this: "For Sale: raft, hardly used."

And almost every spring you read the stories like this: Raft flips, man drowns.

Before you go buying a raft with visions of running whitewater and charging through the rapids this spring, take heed from experts who share a word or two about river safety.

More people are getting into rafting every year and each year professional guides see the results of people not taking proper precautions in spring whitewater.

"It has to do with private boaters not knowing what the levels are like," says Alex VandeVoort, manager at Glacier Raft Co. in West Glacier.

River levels can change overnight, creating new obstacles that may not have been there the day before, he said. "People need to know what the river is doing, and the river is most dangerous in spring."

Water levels in local rivers are coming up already, which means the floating season is under way. That, combined with cold spring weather, means taking extra precautions when you go hit rapids like Fool Hen, Jaws or Bone Crusher.

According to the American Whitewater Association, the top-three killers of whitewater boaters are pins, long swims, and swimming into entrapments.

The association says pinning incidents include those on rocks, bridge abutments, rock undercuts, vertical pins and entrapment in debris, such as trees.

Of 100 incidents that the association studied, 11 percent of the fatalities were caused by people swimming into logs, and four percent were caused by some sort of foot entrapment.

Many of the incidents and fatalities on local rivers involve inexperienced boaters who are unprepared for what lies ahead.

It was in 1986 that an experienced whitewater kayaker died on the Swan River in Bigfork. On June 15, a woman who was kayaking alone was trapped underwater by a tree and drowned on the difficult "Wild Mile" section of the Swan River.

It was a long swim that killed Sharon Goyette, 53, on May 1, 1999. Goyette and her group were rafting on the popular Alberton Gorge, a canyon of the Clark Fork River 40 miles west of Missoula. Their raft flipped on entering Fang rapid, and while the rest of the crew was able to swim to shore, Goyette was not.

It doesn't always take Class IV or Class V whitewater to kill you. It can happen while fishing or just on a leisure float.

On May 31, 1999, Sandra Townsend, 48, and Roxie Oakes, 22, drowned when their raft hit a dam on the Big Hole River and flipped and they were unable to swim to safety in the cold, rain-swollen river.

Here are some of the things to keep in mind when hitting the river:

River levels

Knowing what the river is doing will give you a better idea of how to prepare for the day, said VandeVoort. Start by calling professional outfitters in the area or the U.S. Forest Service. "Ask those who know," he said.

May and June are typically the higher runoff months on local rivers, and paying attention to river levels could save you from disaster. "One day the river could be at a low level, and the next day it could be flowing at 15,000 cfs [cubic feet per second] and raft companies might not even be going on it when it's like that."

Another way to gauge river conditions is to log on to the Internet, where you can find real-time water conditions. Flathead-area river levels are available online at http://www.digisys.net/oes/hydroguages.html

Equipment

Check your equipment from last year and replace outdated equipment such as life jackets and throw lines. Make sure that your raft, drift boat or canoe is in good condition, with no holes left over from the winter's hibernation.

Use only high-quality outdoor clothing, such as wetsuits, dry suits, polypropylene and fleece. "Cotton is a no-no in spring, when air and water temperatures are cool," VandeVoort said. It only takes a few seconds to get hypothermic in 40-degree water.

Wear your life vest at all times. On the Big Hole River on June 23, 1996, Leah Jamiolkowski was fishing out of a drift boat when the boat's anchor fell out of the boat and became lodged on the river bottom. Water began pouring into the stern, swamping the boat and flipping it. Three of the occupants swam to shore, but Jamiolkowski, 58, could not. Her body was recovered several miles downstream. Four life vests were on board, but none were in use at the time of the accident.

It's a good idea to keep your life vest on, and keep your boat lines in order; keep unused bow lines and anchor ropes stowed away where they can't fall out of the raft, snag on something and grab your foot or ankle.

Bob Jordan, owner of Wild River Adventures raft company, recommends using bow-line bags to stow your bow line and keep it out of the way. These bags keep the rope from getting tangled, potentially catching a foot.

"The most important piece of equipment, beside your wits, is your life jacket," Jordan said. "Wear your life jacket … that's going to take care of 90 percent of the problems."

It's also good to carry a whistle, which can be heard over the roar of whitewater, and a knife, for use in emergency cutting of a bowline or anchor line.

In high water, rig your raft for a flip. Make sure everything is tied down, with flip lines attached and "the training to know what to do with them," Jordan said.

Preparation

VandeVoort recommends that new boaters spend time on easier water before running rapids. He recommends trying the lower sections of the Middle Fork before venturing onto the upper whitewater section between Moccasin Creek and West Glacier. "People need to get on something that's not quite so canyon-oriented," he said. "Spend some time on milder water before you get into whitewater."

Go with at least one other boat, and don't overdose on "Kodak" courage - that urge to run something that you might not be prepared for. "If you see something coming up that you're not sure of, scout the rapid," VandeVoort said. "Be very aware of what's going on downstream."

Who's on your crew?

While you might be tempted to take your children along for an afternoon float, think twice. If they were ejected from the boat, would they be able to swim to safety?

On July 6, 1996, a group of rafters tried to run the difficult Rest Stop rapid on the Clark Fork River near Alberton. This is a river-wide wave that in higher water creates a huge, turbulent hydraulic. Included in this group was a 2-year-old child wearing an adult life vest. The raft flipped on the wave, ejecting the child, who was never found. The association speculates that the child fell out of an improperly fitted life vest.

Self rescue

Eventually it's going to happen. Whether you fall in the water while wading or fishing or you fall overboard, you're going to find yourself swimming.

Self rescue is one aspect of safety talks that the guides for Wild River Adventures like to go over in detail.

"People seem to think that someone in the boat will save them," said Jordan. That's not always the case. You have to get yourself to safety. If you fall out of the boat, get into the downriver position with your feet in front of you, as if in a recliner chair. Only do this if you're in a rapid or coming into some rocks. Otherwise, start swimming immediately to the raft or closest shore, Jordan said.

The most crucial part of self rescue is the life vest.

Get educated

There are opportunities to learn more about whitewater safety. Wild River will have a river-rescue clinic June 4-6 in West Glacier. For information call 387-9453 or log on to www.riverwild.com.

The Aerie School of Backcountry Medicine will have a wilderness first responder clinic May 16-24 in Missoula. There also will be a course "River Rescue for the Medical Professional" July 8-9. For information, log on to http://www.aeriemed.com.

What lies ahead

With ski areas closed and warm weather pushing more water into the rivers, raft companies are already bracing for an early season.

Depending on what kind of weather the area gets during the next two months, the whitewater season could be shorter than usual - or last through July, says VandeVoort.

VandeVoort's company is starting commercial river-running operations about a month early; trips on the Middle Fork will start in about 10 days. Wild River will begin trips in early May.

"It's really hard to tell what it's going to do," VandeVoort said. "The lower snowpack is gone, so the moisture levels between now and June" will determine the extent of the whitewater season.

"We just need a few well-timed rains," Jordan said.

Last year, for instance, there was a mild winter, but it was followed by a cool spring, which prolonged the runoff through June. "I think it's going to be a little lower than normal, but I think we'll see some decent flows coming out of the Middle Fork," VandeVoort said. "It just may be a little more short-lived than the norm."

As a professional outfitter, VandeVoort said he sees many more rafts on the river than he used to, while kayaking seems to have hit its peak about six six years ago. "We're seeing many more people rafting than there used to be," he said. "People are really taking advantage of being able to get out there."

On the Net: www.americanwhitewater.org