Lynne videotaped my departure on Box Elder Creek: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-xjJWtd_no (please excuse the video quality—Lynne thought she was taking still photos).
As it turned out I bit off WAAAAAYYYYY more than I could chew. I thought it was going to be a fun hour ride since the water was MOVING so swiftly! But I ended up dragging around so many dangerous rapids and it SEEMED like a trip of ten miles. (Measured on Google Earth after the fact indicated the total kayaking trip was only 3.7 miles). I was never so happy that cows are creatures of habit. I used their well-chosen, well-worn paths to pull my kayak along.
I lost my only water bottle at the second rapid. I had no food with me. I got caught sideways on a rock. The water pouring into the opening of my kayak prevented me from moving it for a while. Finally with a super-Sherman effort I finally got it off. It seemed like I dragged the kayak at least a mile overland to avoid bad rapids.
Here is one rapid I floated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTtAovH-xlY&feature=related
………..and here is one I pulled my kayak around: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb4AS1XBg-w&feature=related
A hazard I didn’t anticipate before I started the float was also due to cattle, specifically, to their restraint—BARBED WIRE FENCES across the creek, which for a large part of the year is dry. The first fence that I encountered had red flags attached to the bottom strand of wire. That gave me plenty of time to pull over to the bank before ramming into the barbs. The second fence did not have any flags on it and I saw it just in time to avoid it. I pulled over to the bank within in feet of the fence. The third fence I saw too late to avoid. My only chance of not ripping into it was to hold out my paddle to catch the bottom strand and try to force it up over my head. Would the strand be too taut to force over my head? Thankfully, it was not. But just past it I had another rapid to negotiate. I had to get the paddle back down and into the water to avoid the next set of rocks. Whew! That had been close!
Lynne and I had parted with the thought that I would be done in an hour. She said if I had not shown up in 2 hours, she would contact emergency services. I checked my watch as I pulled my kayak past the latest big rapid. It had been 4 hours. I was really concerned. Would Lynne have called 911 yet? How worried was she? How tired was she of waiting with our dog Lily? I was really tired and cold. Looking downstream I could see a really bad rapid just ahead. I saw no way to drag the kayak around it. The canyon closed in to both sides of the creek. I did not know how much further I had to go to get to the pickup point where Lynne was waiting. I thought I needed to start preparing to be rescued. I found a clearing on a high bank where I could leave the kayak, paddle, and all my wet gear. I spread the wet clothes all over the grass to create as large a visible footprint as possible for a rescue helicopter. The sun was still high in the sky. I thought that as soon as it dropped below the canyon wall temperatures would drop and I would soon be in danger of hypothermia.
I thought that I needed to try to build a fire, both for warmth and to send up smoke to reveal my location to any air rescue team. I had no matches or lighter with me. I started collecting dry wood for a fire. As I collected firewood it dawned on me that the only wood available was pine—softwood. I needed a stick of hardwood in order to use the survival technique of rubbing two sticks together. Building a fire seemed to be out of the question.
I decided I was going to have to try to walk out of the 300-foot-deep canyon and seek help. Leaving behind all my gear except for my dry bag containing my camera and my cell phone, I began looking for a path out of the canyon. Soon I identified some recent 4-wheeler tracks leading out of the canyon. I began following them. In places the track was very rocky and steep. How long was I going to have to hike? How long would my energy last? Eventually I began hearing road noise and a barking dog. I knew I was approaching civilization again. Then I noticed a house through the trees. Next I saw a lady working in her yard with two large German shepherds with her. As I approached she noticed me. I waved and said: “I’m lost. I’m lost.” She took me for a neighbor. I told her of my predicament and she took me in and gave me a glass of cold water. I called Lynne. Thankfully she was at a filling station back in town and received my call. My rescuer gave her directions. Twenty minutes later the 5-hour ordeal was over. (The hike out of the canyon had only been 8/10ths of a mile, but I was nearing the end of my energy).
Lynne was EXTREMELY PATIENT with me and I apologized profusely, knowing how I would have felt if the tables had been turned.
A few days of wet, cold, foggy weather followed. The following Tuesday we were supposed to leave Rapid City for Hot Springs SD. The day dawned clear and bright. I called my rescuer and set up to go back down into the canyon to retrieve my gear. Her husband volunteered to hike down with me into the canyon and haul everything out. My rescuer mounted her horse, released her 2 German shepherds and their daschund, and she, her husband, and I took off.
An hour and a half later I bid my rescuers goodbye. My attempts to pay for their help were rebuffed. Her husband said, “Just pass it on. The next time you see someone that needs your help, pass it on.”
There are good people everywhere!
A WILDFLOWER IN BOX ELDER CANYON
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