by Ralph Gardave
We all paddle with risk every time we go out. I know I do it with little thought about it anymore. Recent events this summer have made it more top of mind. Do I give it the respect and consideration that it deserves? The answer is probably not enough and not often enough.
In driving up Highway 17 on August 10th, north of Sault Ste. Marie, I gave only a passing thought as to why a lone fire rescue truck was parked along the highway where a river passed below the roadway. The only other vehicle around was a parked tractor trailer and there appeared to be nothing urgent going on. Soon after passing them I forgot about them until the next day.
On Sunday morning three of us arrived at Hattie Cove in Pukaskwa National Park to begin a twelve day paddle to Michipicoten. Two of us had been here before several years ago and attempted the same trip in 2010. As it turned out, the weather, or more specifically the winds, conspired to keep us wind bound on one too many occasions which caused us to change our plans and return to Hattie Cove. So now, three years later, two of us have returned with one new paddler to attempt the full trip once more.
It was a beautiful summer day with air temperatures in the high 20s, light winds of about 5 knots, and water temperatures of 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. Other paddlers, both arriving and departing the beach area, were all wearing only shorts and casual tops.
Although our newest addition was a relative newcomer to the sport of kayaking and wilderness camping, I was more confident of her abilities to make the trip than she was. In fact she may have allowed my confidence to influence her assessment as whether she was ready. Over the weeks leading up to the trip there were many questions about food, cooking, clothing, and safety. Although this was her second season owning a dry-suit, for the most part it had only seen occasional use up till now.
As we completed the hurried activity of packing the boats for departure, conversation at the launch area, from onlookers and returning paddlers, turned to events of the previous day. Apparently, a canoeist had perished at the mouth of the White River the day before. This was not the time to delve into the details of the event as we needed to be on our way and would have to pass by the very place that the tragedy occurred within the first few hours of our trip. I did not want this to be on the mind of our newest member just as we were departing. It was now time to decide what to wear while paddling on this beautiful day. In the end, two of us choose to paddle without our dry suits while the third member did wear theirs. So who made good choices? Who took risks that maybe they should not have? The answers to these questions are purely personal and for each of these choices we determine the risk tolerance level that we will paddle with that day, and the risks that we will expose our fellow paddlers to should we have made poor decisions. For the remainder of the trip wind, air and water temperatures helped us all to decide to paddle the rest of the trip wearing our dry suits.
Later on, through second party accounts, we would learn more details of the tragic accident that befell 73-year-old Erhard Frenzl from Kingston, who died after his canoe capsized. The other party in the canoe was able to activate a SPOT GPS emergency locator and get to shore safely. It was later deter- mined that Erhard died from drowning. Apparently Erhard was not wearing any wet or dry suit layers. His PFD was the inflatable pouch type worn around one’s waist. From what little information is available, it is highly likely that he may have perished due to the initial gasping reaction that occurs when one is plunged into very cold waters. This can cause one to immediately inhale a considerable amount of water upon immersion. Apparently there was a water taxi in the area that was able to make it to the scene in relatively short order and the body was discovered 500 metres offshore. It should be noted that Erhard was instrumental in the formation of the Friends of Frontenac Park and he was a trip leader and instructor, for over 30 years, for many of the skills courses offered at the park. So again, who among us made the better choices of what to wear on that first day?
We make other decisions all the time that determine our risk levels. What health information do we choose to share with the group and/or the organizer? Have we made fair assessments of our paddling abilities for the conditions that we may likely encounter? Is the state of our health such that we are making good assessments as to whether or not we should be on wilderness trips at all? Are we putting not only our- selves, but the others in the group at risk by taking on more risk, by making poor decisions, than we should? If we are making poor decisions may there come a point in time that others may choose not to paddle with us?
There are no clear answers to these questions. Each of us has to make our own decisions as to the risks that we are willing to expose ourselves to and our fellow paddlers. Hopefully, with more thought, we will make better and more honest assessments of risk in the future to make paddling safer for both ourselves and the others that we paddle with.