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River Tragedy


Missoula Griz
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A friend of mine who was a river guide died this weekend. He was a very experienced fishing guide. His wife and him were scouting out an area to take clients on this week. The river is known for the down trees which cause sweepers. She was pulled ashore by some kids. He was not so lucky.

 

Last year, I was rowing in low water, and we got stuck on a sweeper. It took us 15 minutes to get the raft out of the log jam. It was one of the scariest moments I have had on the water.

 

Very tough loss. He was a great man.

 

 

RIP Dave

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Sorry to hear that :wacko:

 

I am not sure what you mean by sweeper...but whatever happened it sounds like a really unfortunate freak accident.

 

 

A sweeper is a downed log which is at water level. The swift current forces the raft into it, and usually the raft either flips or gets stuck underneath the log. Its your worst nightmare on the river.

Edited by Missoula Griz
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I'm sorry for your loss. That is very sad.

 

So, what happens in a sweeper, does the canoe/raft get pulled under the tree and trapped underwater or is it more like an eddy?

 

Edit: Answer noted above.

Edited by The Irish Doggy
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For those of us that were wondering:

 

Sweepers

 

Sweepers are trees fallen or heavily leaning over the river, still rooted on the shore and not fully submerged. Its trunk and branches may form an obstruction in the river like strainers. Since it is an obstruction from above, it often does not contribute to whitewater features but may create turbulence. In fast water sweepers can pose a serious hazard to paddlers.

 

From the wiki entry on white water

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wow, Griz...thats tough.

 

My wife is from St. Louis, and has lots of friends that raft in central Missouri and northern Arkansas....this hits close to home.

 

EDIT: her best friend has a home in Bull Shoals(sp?), AK....near you?

Edited by i_am_the_swammi
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