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Surviving the River Wild
Expert offers advice to whitewater boaters who end up in raging water
TECLA MARKOSKY | May 24, 2007
THE STAR NEWS

"There are two kinds of boaters-those who have flipped and those who will."
- Les Bechdel

As the temperatures rise and high waters beckon boaters to local rivers, it is easy for whitewater boaters to let down their guard. When that happens, Les Bechdel hopes his knowledge will come to the rescue.

Bechdel spent last weekend training a dozen whitewater enthusiasts from around Idaho what to do to put a happy ending onto a whitewater accident.

"As whitewater has become more popular, we're seeing more accidents," said Bechdel, owner of Canyons Inc., and the author of the book, "River Rescue."

During the weekend, he discussed techniques to spot hazards and patterns in the river as well as group organization, first aid and basic safety.

The bulk of the course reviewed what Bechdel called "mechanical advantage" or the use of simple machines to aid in the rescue process.

Bechdel has taught rescue courses regularly and in far-off places including Norway, Japan and Chile. By his peers, he is considered one of the founding fathers of whitewater paddling in America.

"It dawned on me there was an area of knowledge that mountaineers and rock climbers had developed over the years that could be applied to whitewater," he said. "Rock climbing and mountaineering are much older sports and have developed the right gear."

Converting much of the techniques and equipment employed by climbers in the face of an emergency, Bechdel has successfully developed many river rescue maneuvers.

The course included highly technical instruction on how to use ropes, carabiners, pulleys, slings, prusik loops and z-drags. These simple devices have been used for ages in the rock climbing and mountaineering arenas, and Bechdel adapted them for use in river rescues.

Bechdel's basic philosophy is something he calls "river sense," which puts an enormous emphasis on preventive measures to reduce accidents.

Photo by Teole Markosky
Above, Shawn Blewett of Lewiston and Brian Fegler from Boise practice rescue techniques on the North Fork of the Payette River on Sunday. Below, world-renowned river rescue expert Les Bechdel of McCall instructs a group of whitewater enthusiasts on rescue maneuvers.

Breathe, relax, observe
Practical knowledge that Bechdel shared included the tip that if there's an upturned- raft, stay up-river. If there are any "swimmers," or lone passengers floating down the river separate from the raft, it's important they go down the river feet first and hold onto the paddle.

"Think of the paddle as an extension of the arm. It gives you several more feet for a rescuer to grab," he said.

"But don't just float down the river," he said. "Swimmers have to angle their body to point to
l where they want to go. Think as if they were in a boat. They should avoid obstacles and breathe, relax, observe."

In a situation of entrapment in fast water, the safest place to breathe is in the trough of a wave, he said. In a situation of what Bechdel calls a "hydraulic" or "unfriendly hole," his advice switches significantly. In that case, go head first.

"Didn't fight it, those are the key words," he said, "You have to swim out of a hole."
For the casual boater or rafter, a bag with a throw rope is the most critical piece of equipment, Bechdel said.

"A throw rope is the most important device, and the easiest thing to carry," he said. "Every boat must have one."

However, even the seemingly simplest devices require some precaution and common sense, he said.

"Never tie up a throw bag to anything, even in a rescue situation. You want to be able to let it loose if it becomes entangled," he said.

In an emergency, the first rule of thumb is working through a problem independently. Through out the course, the overarching emphasis was on what Bechdel calls "self-rescue."

"On the river, you have to self-rescue," he said. "In the time of an accident, you must save yourself."

Nearly one-third of the people who try to save others drown themselves, so being responsible to yourself is the key rule of the river.

"Your first responsibility it to yourself, your second to the others in the group and the third to the victim," he said.

Physics, angles equal rescue
To demonstrate the strength of the simple z-drag device, Bechdel roped his Ford 350 to a tree and told the course participants to pull. With the use of a few simple ropes, a pulley and a vector, the truck could be tugged along with a minimal amount of pressure.

"I'm no mathematician," he said later standing in front of his projector showing slides of the various techniques. "But these work."

The self-effacing Bechdel is as famous for his sense of humor as his modesty.

"The first rule of river rescue: carabiners don't float. The second rule of river rescue: pulleys don't float."

When posed with the question of how he gained all his whitewater experience, Bechdel gives an easy grin.

"Where do you get experience? Usually from bad judgment," he said. "There are two kinds of boaters-those who have flipped and those who will."

McCall Idaho Headline News

Surviving the River Wild Expert offers advice to whitewater boaters who end up in raging water TECLA MARKOSKY | May 24, 2007 THE STAR NEWS

Surviving the River Wild
Expert offers advice to whitewater boaters who end up in raging water
TECLA MARKOSKY | May 24, 2007
THE STAR NEWS