Death on the Chatooga River, 1-11-98
Gatatum3
Over the past three days we have maintained a close network of information
coming from the friends who were there and are most afected by the accident.
The family is informed and has open arms for Tim's friends.
I was not on the scene. Tim McLure was a very good friend. I enjoyed paddling
with him. He will be missed.
Tim was very familliar with the river and the rapid. The crew of boaters was
strong and experienced. He swam out of his boat after several attempts to roll
when he flipped at the end of Jawbone. He swam into Sock'em Dog near the
PuppyChute. Rescue was swift and heroic. Tim remained calm. Another paddler
from Tim's party got onto the rock in the center of the rapid and was able to
hold Tim's hand until he went unconcious. Two Z-drags were broken in the
process. All that could be done was.
A team will be going into the site to work with the athorities to rescue the
body. Please, help thier efforts by choosing to paddle another section and not
disturbing thier work.
Many people have been helpful in assisting in many ways.
Thank you.
For now we only want to bring our brother home.
More details will become available soon.
Please, keep the McLure family in your prayers.
Tom Weideman
Gatatum3 wrote:
> Tim was very familliar with the river and the rapid. The crew of boaters was
> strong and experienced. He swam out of his boat after several attempts to roll
> when he flipped at the end of Jawbone. He swam into Sock'em Dog near the
> PuppyChute. Rescue was swift and heroic. Tim remained calm. Another paddler
> from Tim's party got onto the rock in the center of the rapid and was able to
> hold Tim's hand until he went unconcious. Two Z-drags were broken in the
> process. All that could be done was.
My condolences to all of those who knew Tim. Forgive me for my
curiosity, but I don't understand what happened (I'm not familiar with
the river). Why was a grip on his hand insufficient to rescue Tim? Did
he get caught in a foot entrapment, a strainer, or what?
Tom Weideman
RRidgell
>Subject: Re: Death on the Chatooga River, 1-11-98
>From: Tom Weideman <zugz...@dcn.davis.ca.us>
>Date: Tue, Jan 13, 1998 18:36 EST
>Message-id: <34BBFA...@dcn.davis.ca.us>
very sorry. Please forgive me for my curiosity also, but what was the water
level at the time? Perhaps if we get enough detail about accidents on the
rivers we love we can educate more people about the objective hazards we face
when we persue our favorite passtime.
"Hop"
Julie Keller
RRidgell wrote:
> My condolences also to family and friends and to all who attempted rescue. I'm
> very sorry. Please forgive me for my curiosity also, but what was the water
> level at the time?
The Chattooga was running 2.6 at 3 pm on Sunday. This is an extremely high water
level for Section IV. "Southeastern Whitewater" by Monte Smith indicates 1.3 to be
low, 1.7 medium and 2.2 high. I have paddled Section IV from 1.4 to 2.2 feet;
Section IV has a big kick to it at 2.2!
> Perhaps if we get enough detail about accidents on the
> rivers we love we can educate more people about the objective hazards we face
> when we persue our favorite passtime.
I agree!
My condolences to all Tim's friends,
Julie Keller
Scott Bristow
>The Chattooga was running 2.6 at 3 pm on Sunday. This is an extremely
high water
>level for Section IV. "Southeastern Whitewater" by Monte Smith indicates
1.3 to be
>low, 1.7 medium and 2.2 high. I have paddled Section IV from 1.4 to 2.2
feet;
>Section IV has a big kick to it at 2.2!
>
>> Perhaps if we get enough detail about accidents on the
>> rivers we love we can educate more people about the objective hazards we
face
>> when we persue our favorite passtime.
>
A very sad story.
There have been several questions about how he could be so close to rescue
but not be rescued. In soc em dog that is very easy. I was not there but
just wanted to describe the river for those who are asking.
Soc em dog is a ledge with many severe undercuts on and around the ledge.
There are many pinning rocks and it is possible to pin in just about any
imaginable way. At low water it is not a very difficult rapid but there is
always a high degree of danger. A month or two ago I saw a Team D paddler
in a Vertigo in the same general area. He was sitting in his boat in what
he thought was an eddy just below the big rock in question. His boat all of
a sudden squirted and folded. He got out quick and was fine but two people
standing on a rock beside the boat with more than half the boat out of the
water could not pull it out. It took a lot of pulling, a broken throw rope,
and a broken grab loop to get the freshly bent boat out. This was at a low
level of about 1.3. His comment after getting everything back together was
very revealing. "I guess I may need to reevaluate what I think is to easy"
This river is a whole different ball game above 2 feet. At 2.6 the hole
just to the right of this accident is a definant killer. The chute he took
is one of the two routes I know to take at this level. Most people walk
the rapid above 2.5 because of the severe penalties.
To quell any rumors before they start about being above his head or
something. For him to have gotten that far on this river he had to be a
very good paddler. The hole he swam out of is a very steep hole that the
end are raised several feet and pointing upstream. Very hard to get out of
especially in a big boat (the hole is not bad below 2 feet). It would have
been an extremely difficult move to simply side surf since it is so steep
and short that both ends of his boat would have been in the edge of the hole
at different levels causing instant windowshade. The only move I can
imagine would be to somehow get vertical and cartwheel out. Not very easy
in an OX. The class 5 rapid above feeds this hole and at levels above 2
feet if you do not have a perfect line in Jaw Bone it would be almost
impossible to avoid due to the fact that the water is moving very rapidly
and you would have to make a fast ferry in front of a major undercut that
has sucked boats and boaters under and spit them out the other side.
Basically if you are running the five falls above 2 feet even with throw
ropes ect set up before the run. Swimming is not an option. All of the
rapids are starting to merge and there is simply not time to get to shore.
I as a regular paddler of section 4 would appreciate if someone who was
there could give a better description of where exactly this occurred so I
can put it in my mental database of the countless undercuts in this rapid.
At low levels this river is a relatively easy river with nasty undercuts.
At high levels it totally changes personality.
I would also like to express my condolences to every one involved.
Scott Bristow
Paul Skoczylas
Scott Bristow wrote:
> There have been several questions about how he could be so close to rescue
> but not be rescued. In soc em dog that is very easy. I was not there but
> just wanted to describe the river for those who are asking.
>
I don't have anything to add about this specific case, but I would like
to recommend that people read Charlie Wallbridge's "River Rescue
Anthology". This book is different from the simple compilations of
river incidents in that it takes several categoroes of incidents and
uses several different incidents to illustrate them. It is definitely
an eye-opener, and I would recommend that anyone paddling whitewater
should read it and take a river rescue course.
Categories of incidents include people who did everything wrong, people
paddling in pairs, near-misses, and several others. Probably the
scariest category is that of incidents in which someone died after
making NO mistakes at all. As Wallbridge and his co-author say in the
book, when we hear about incidents in which someone did something stupid
we tend to think "I wouldn't have done that," but these cases where
there is no mistake made are scary because you can't say that it
wouldn't have happened to you.
Anyway, I highly recommend that book...
-Paul
Socemdog
My heartfelt condolences to friends and family of Tim McLure.
For those not familiar with Georgia's/South Carolina's Chatooga, Section IV is
a classic Class 4/5 run. At the very end of section IV lies the infamous Five
Falls: Entrance (4), Corkscrew (5), Crack-in-the-Rock (4-5?), Jawbove (5), and
Socemdog (5+). This section is always challenging, even for the locals.
There is another serious danger in this rapid, as discovered by Dave Dostall
back in the late 1970's. Even though my screen name is in honor of this
rapid, Dave has a more *intimate* perspective of Socemdog. Just below
Handkerchief Rock, (the one on river left at the base of the drop, that
literally blows the nose off of your boat if you run too far left), there is a
rock slab tilted upstream, that it acts like a funnel or a scoop. Looking
downstream from the ski jump over the main ledge, this slab is to your left
about 25 feet from the base of the drop, about midway between the river banks,
or perhaps slightly on the Georgia side. The open, upstream side of this slab
is just under the surface of the water at levels above 1.0 ft, so the spot
looks innocent enough. Water going into the slab exits out of the bottom of
thedownstream side, quite a bit deeper than the upstream side.
David was walking out to the center of the river to get as close as he could to
the bottom of Socemdog and watch people running the drop. I recall that the
level was about 1.0 foot. He was walking along the rocks and slipped, falling
into the upstream opening of the slab. David was immediately pulled under the
slab, with his hands hanging onto the upstream edge of the slab. After
strugglingg to pull himself out, fighting the current, he eventually gave way,
expecting the worst. The water pulled him under the slab and out through the
bottom. The opening at the bottom was very narrow, and David sustained
numerous large bumps and bruises. He kinda looked like he had been run over by
a cement truck. However he was grateful to have survived!
The bottom line is that Socemdog is deceptively dangerous, whether you are in a
boat or not. Whereas Woodall Shoals, a couple of miles upstream of Five Falls,
has become famous (infamous), through its reputation as a killer, Socemdog is,
IMHO, even more deadly. Paddling Section IV for 25 years has not made me more
comfortable running this section; instead I seem to be more anxious with each
run.
Judy Bruckner
Scott Bristow wrote:
>
> >The Chattooga was running 2.6 at 3 pm on Sunday. This is an extremely
> high water
> >level for Section IV. "Southeastern Whitewater" by Monte Smith indicates
> 1.3 to be
> >low, 1.7 medium and 2.2 high. I have paddled Section IV from 1.4 to 2.2
> feet;
> >Section IV has a big kick to it at 2.2!
> >
> >> Perhaps if we get enough detail about accidents on the
> >> rivers we love we can educate more people about the objective hazards we
> face
> >> when we persue our favorite passtime.
> >
>
> A very sad story.
>
> but not be rescued. In soc em dog that is very easy. I was not there but
> just wanted to describe the river for those who are asking.
>
the middle which separates the Dog and the puppy chute). He swam after
flipping over somewhere in Jawbone and missing 3 rolls. The rock is
named after Alison Guy, a rafter who swam out of a raft in Jawbone at
1.6' and washed under the right side of the rock(she was under their for
3 weeks). So if you're swimming towards the dog, avoid that rock. Its
bad news.
One thing that really bothered me about this drowning was that the
victim had been paddling for a long time. Even though he had spent a lot
of time out on the river he still couldn't save himself. The other thing
was that his best friend lives next door. Its really sad, and also
sobering at the same time. It always feels like a betrayal to me when
someone drowns on a river the same day that I'm on it, or when I see
ropes going up under a rock for a body. While I realize that rivers are
inherently dangerous, I love being out on them. I guess that its
difficult for me to reconcile the two sides that I see to the chattooga.
The river can be so beautiful that it brings you back to it again and
again, but after years of friendship it can turn around and kill you or
your friends. wierd. Sorry to ramble on like that. Josh
Stephen Nix
The rescuers were finally able to free Tim's body from under the rocks
early yesterday (1-14) afternoon. Spokespersons for the efforts
reported that the water level receeded enough during the night to allow
rescuers to safely remove the body. Upmost respect goes out to the 30+
people involved in the rescue.
Steve
Gatatum3
On Wednesday, January 14th, the body of Tim McLure was extricated from Sock'em
Dog rapid on the Chatooga. The coordinated efforts of local rescue groups,
outfitters, and individuals gathered on Wednesday morning to remove the body.
The river level was 2.2' (lower than the 2.6-2.7' of Sunday) which made the
effort much safer and more feasable. The plan was executed quickly and
professionally. Tim's body was recovered shortly after noon. The body was
carried across Lake Tugaloo by raft, escorted by friends and paddling partners.
The sense of relief and closure was shared by all present. No one wanted to
see a brother left behind. We were happy to help see Tim home again.
Tim died on his favorite river at his favorite rapid. The accident was the
result of a series of events that could not have been predicted or prevented.
I hope to have a detailed account of the incedent compiled soon.
Tim's body was broached on his paddle which was still in his hand on Wednesday.
He had tried swimming left after several attempts to roll. He swam into the
underwater sieve immediately right of the Puppy Chute sneak of Sock'em Dog.
The paddle had broached from a log to the rock several feet over the sieve
itself. The paddle prevented the body from slipping further into the sieve
under the rock in the middle of the river, aka Allison's Rock. At this point
the primary factor seems to be the level of the river and the force of the
water involved. This is a known hazard which several have narrowly missed in
the past. Please be aware of this hazard. Many of the hazards of a swim in
the Five Falls are well known, add this to your list.
The outpouring of emotion has been overwhelming. The McLure family has been
strong and felt the support of many friends and family. They all knew and felt
Tim's passion for the river. Tim is loved and respected by many people from
all parts of his life. His laughter and smile will continue to bring kind
thoughts to those he touched.
Thank you for the consideration that everyone has had during this time. The
Funeral will be held on Saturday, January 17th.
The McLures have asked that any donations should be sent to the AWA for river
conservation in Tim's name.
GratefulEd
Jesus...just heard about this one...terrible thing.
I ran Section IV at 2.9 a couple of years ago, and as I recall I ran Crack and
Corkscrew and walked everything else. Even above Five Falls on normally flat
sections of the river there were four-foot standing waves, and there were
sticks and trash everywhere. That river changes character drastically as
levels increase, and I'm afraid that people are taking it less seriously than
they used to. Damn shame that it had to take this to remind us how tough it
can be...
Prayers, thoughts, et cetera...
Ed
Watauga426
heard that as he was swimming, his paddle jammed up in a rock and his body
wrapped around it.