Self Rescue Equipment That I Wish I Had....

This is a response to a personal message I received from Bluejeans. I'm going to paste the message here:

"Been in the Deam for last 20 years and familiar with the ground you were discussing.

I would really appreciate a short reply discussing what items you wished you would have liked to have had in your pockets that day to aid in your rescue.

I commend you for having the courage to make the video and I truly hope it is cathartic for you. Other then under estimating the weather/boat conditions in my opinion you made more good decisions then bad and did a fine job of rescueing yourselves. Most importantly you never gave up and persevered through a difficult and life threatening situation. Well done!"

Great questions, and yet another opportunity to open a dialogue.....

Here's the video:


For me, right now in my thought process, there are TWO things I would have done differently:

1. I should have have suvival equipment on my body while I was kayaking. If my equipment had sunk or had not been washed up on shore, I would have had a much tougher time getting out of my situation. I'm buying a new PFD with lots of pockets and D rings. That won't happen to me again. I got lucky this time.

2. My equipment was in waterproof bags..... my friends gear was not. All of his cloths, equipment, and bags were totally soaked. Me having dry equipment for myself was good, but in my situation it was only half a solution. It made things difficult because we had to prioritize HIS needs for the situation. I based my decision to walk out on the fact that he was wet, cold, and in moderate hypothermia and it would keep us both warm and motivated knowing we were being proactive about our situation. Not preparing my partner for submersion was a huge mistake.

I won't pretend to be an expert at survival, but this experience HAS changed the way I will do business in the future, especially when it's other's people's life on the line, and not just my own.

Bluejeans question about what I would have had in my pockets:

Firesteel
Knife
Emergency blanket
Compass and waterproof map
Headlamp or flashlight

All of those things aided me in my hike out, and are in no particular order. If I hadn't had a compass and headlamp, I could not have hiked out in the dark. Our maps turned into pulp, and we were only able to view them twice before they mushed themselves up too much to be useful. Without the Firesteel to make a fire I would not have been able to dig in if needed. Read up on the 10 essentials for survival, and make sure they are on your persons when you go out. I will from now on.... Again, I got lucky when it all washed up on shore...... Lucky. If those things hadn't washed up on shore, we would have been in real trouble.

Thanks again to Bluejeans and everyone for all the positive messages.

Always have with me in a kayak from my whitewater days,,and we always had to use them with new kayakers in whitewater, and I keep one with always.. a rope throw bag. Its a necessary piece of equipment.

http://store.noc.com/Paddling-Rescue...26-458/Product

couple of beiners, good strong ones, couple of prussics made out of 1" webbing for Z-drag saftey lines about 3' long, maybe even a pulley for the Z-line,

Coughlins makes a survival kit with several items in it like you described or you can make one up yourself and put it in a dry bag. I have done both and packed some energy bars with it. I'll post a link if I find the one I have. Your story by the way got me thinking about what I would have done in your situation. I am proud that you are seeking solutions, probably from your firefighting training!

Thanks for the video and this response as well.

Scenarios such as these are why when people ask about attaching their knife to their pack etc. in the back of my mind I am wondering why they do not have their knife, firestarter, etc. on their person.

As always HYOH though.

Glad you made it out of this one in one piece and hopefully your story will help others avoid disaster.

Wow, what an ordeal. I think we often take things for granted and we shouldn't. It sure makes me re-evaluate things. Thank you for sharing this with us. We all need to be safe and do the right thing first off, so we don't have to figure out what to do in a life threatening situation.

Arson,

Compelling experience. A million dollar experience you would not give 2 cents to repeat. Thanks for sharing, your lessons can now be shared with so many of us.

I too have had unexpected encounters with weather when paddling, getting caught in a blizzard in northern michigan. While not submerged, I remember getting out of my canoe and attempting to tie it off, could not remember how to tie a knot. I seriously thought about just launching it and watching it float away. Made some good decisions with my paddling buddy at that point and we were able to finish comfortably.

Hypothermia really is one of the greatest challenges when out of doors. Even a summer rain storm can cause us to chill to the point of impaired judgement.

I am so glad you and your friend are okay. You will heal. Time is as powerful as that heater in your car. A lot of my buddies think I over prepare when I paddle, your story once again assures me of my methods.

I send my warmth and support as you process this experience.

David

Your experience is a reminder to the rest of us not to take things for granted and be prepared for Murphy's law to be enforced when least expected. I'm going to put together a small kit of items like you mentioned that I can keep on my person.

Your sharing this openly may just save one of us someday because we took your warnings to heart!

Thanks for sharing this. Obviously very emotional to retell the story. We're all better for having watched it. Takes alot of courage to post something like this.

I have a question: you said you do "a risk assesment" everytime you go out. Is this a formal process you go through or is it just a crossing of t's and dotting of i's sort of thing in your head? I don't consider myself to a woodsman. At best I'm apprentice level. I've not read of a formal system of risk assesment. Can you share more about that?

You mentioned this in passing, but I would like to bring to the attention of all who venture out on the water:

DRESS FOR IMMERSION!

There is no substitute for a dry or semi-dry suit in 40 degree weather. Are they expensive? Yes. Do they work? YES! I remember my first swim in whitewater after purchasing a drysuit: The first thought that entered my mind was "Hey, I am warm and comfortable!" Made my day.

Far too many folks venture out in early season on prematurely warm days, assuming that warm air will make up for cold water. Not so.

Again, I am glad for you guys and thank you for posting this accident analysis. Maybe it will prevent somebody from falling into the same trap.

Jim

Extra knife/firesteel ON body not just one in pocket.
Things wash out of pockets--been there done that.
Things wash off boat decks-lost a good camera to the waves paddling back to shore from Wolfe Trap Lighthouse....everything possible in the kayak.
Small pouch that fits in small of back will hold a Ritter emergency kit and then some.