: 2010 Kayaking Safety Reminder

: This is my ninth kayaking safety post since joining the Kayak
: Forum. This year I was reminded of one of the major causes of
: kayaker deaths when I started the final leg of my cross-Canada
: kayaking tour: poor decision making, not to be confused with
: being complacent. I will relate two stories about this trip to
: demonstrate how one situation can cause a paddler to take
: unwarranted risks and another that demonstrates that there is a
: time to let go of dreams that can lead to ones death.

: I wanted to paddle from Grand Rapids, Manitoba, located near the
: northwest end of Lake Winnipeg, to Hudson Bay, Manitoba. This
: would be the final leg of what had been 2200-kms of paddling
: along the Saskatchewan watershed region, the same route that fur
: traders used hundreds of years ago to transport their supplies
: into what would later become Canada, and bring their furry
: riches back to England. Hudson Bay is a huge body of water
: carved out the north end of Manitoba, Canada, and serves as a
: catch-all for the waters of many western Canadian Rivers,
: including everything thrown at it from the good old Saskatchewan
: and Red River watersheds via Lake Winnipeg. Hudson Bay connects
: the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic and has many dangers in its own
: right. Over the last 400-years, many explorers, tourists and
: locals have died upon and near its waters, either by foul
: weather, wave or polar bear. I made two decisions before and
: during my kayaking journey that caused me to risk my life and
: probably saved it. Read on:

: Lake Winnipeg is a shallow lake. This condition can generate some
: pretty large waves when the wind is blowing: even when the wind
: is not blowing the wave action can cause problems. Waves
: generated along one section of the lake can find their way to
: other sections. That was my problem while I was paddling the
: north end of the lake during July, 2010. I did not have to face
: large waves last summer but I was pummeled by 1-2 foot
: short-period waves which socked it to me from the side. You can
: imagine the ride I faced during the roughly 10-km crossing I
: opted to make from Eagle Island to the point at the north end of
: the big lake. For the entire length of that paddle, I was tense
: without rest and paddling hard to keep the kayak stable against
: the waves. Sometimes the waves broke over the decks and spun the
: kayak around but for the most part, I pressed myself firmly onto
: the kayak and held her steady. I did not need to do that
: crossing but making the inadvertent crossing to Eagle Island
: caused me to think less safely than normal. I should have turned
: back to the mainland when I realized that I was not at the point
: but circling Eagle Island…following the mainland shoreline was
: a safer bet than running across the open waters of a known
: dangerous lake. I wasn’t complacent during this time; I was
: just frustrated at my error of paddling to Eagle Island instead
: of the point, and wanted to take the shortest possible route to
: where I needed to be.

: Lake Winnipeg’s north-south length is roughly 243-kms. Winds
: generally trend from the north so you can imagine how the wave
: action can gather energy until the waves reach as high as
: 8-feet: pretty risky paddling conditions. While I was making
: that crossing, I knew the risks and I knew that a storm can brew
: in 20-minutes to change the character of the lake. Conditions
: were already annoying to me but I plowed ahead despite my better
: senses. I was fortunate this time. The crossing took over two
: hours to complete and I sustained what I would call minor
: injuries: pinched sciatic nerves in my legs caused by pressure
: under my legs from the edge of the seat, and pinched nerves in
: my right arm that caused my two small fingers to go numb for a
: time. This was a small price to pay for my impatience to get to
: where I wanted to be. Had a storm kick up the wave size, I would
: have had a serious problem. The weight of my gear in the kayak
: would have made a self-rescue difficult. My legs and fingers
: still bother me from time to time.

: The second decision I made probably saved my life. Historically, I
: have always started my paddling trips on June 01 but this year I
: was to begin later than usual. I spoke with a friend in Winnipeg
: prior to embarking on the kayak trip. He related to me a stern
: warning about the polar bear risk on the shores of Hudson Bay
: during the month of July. Apparently, the shores that I would
: have paddled along and camped on were rather heavily populated
: by polar bears during 2010 due to the decrease of ice within the
: Bay. The more he spoke, the more the hairs on the back of my
: neck raised themselves to arouse my sense of self-preservation.
: I have dreamed of paddling Hudson Bay for 9 years and wanted to
: arrive at Churchill, Manitoba, my final destination badly: but
: not THAT badly. My friend showed me an online warning provided
: by the Wapusk National Park staff. It stated that solo paddlers
: were strongly warned not to paddle in the area and that groups
: of paddlers needed someone to stand guard with a gun any time
: they are ashore, day and night. I was unarmed for the final leg
: of my trip and to risk paddling the entire 245-kms from the
: mouth of the Nelson River to Churchill would be foolhardy.
: Storms sweep in over the Bay suddenly and once they happen, it
: is difficult to get to shore and then on shore, I would have to
: worry about the bear situation. This was enough of a warning for
: me to immediately start talking about an alternative ending for
: my trip. I did not paddle 2200-kms just to be gobbled up by some
: hungry polar bear and I knew that some day I could go back and
: paddle the Bay under safer conditions. I made the right choice
: even if it left a sense of dissatisfaction within my heart. I
: live to write this and I know I will return another day. After
: all, isn’t that why we paddle: to experience the water and
: nearby shore and all they have to offer, to photograph the
: experience, write about it if that’s what we choose to do,
: then RETURN to those places we enjoyed the most? Hell ya!

: This year, I have read at least two news stories about paddlers who
: did not return to live another day because they took on more
: than they could manage. For those of you who read this posting:
: keep in mind that when things go bad, they go bad fast enough
: that you might not be able to recover to save your own life.
: Approach the water with proper training, experience and safety
: gear, and then use your head. Our senses are remarkable survival
: tools: they understand inherent danger even when our brains and
: conscious thoughts are thinking that everything is gonna be ok.
: Pay attention to that gut feeling and you will probably make the
: right choices. If you have to think about too many variables
: when considering togo paddling, perhaps that is the time to save
: it for another day.

: Robert N Pruden

Very timely post Robert. Our kayaking club was going on a New Years Day paddle, yes it's cold for that, have to dress for the weather, but the lake is very warm. Today I wake to hear the wind roaring in the trees, bad sign. Gusts to 35 mph, wind chill considerably under zero F, and a two hour drive with everything turned to ice, really bad idea, I'm not going. Now I gotta get the kayaks off the roof in a 35 mph wind with air temps in the teens. Was a very unseasonable 50 degrees yesterday when we put them on the roof of the car.

Bill H.