[PAmedic]

A HMO stated earlier, hopefully this raises awareness of the dangers present, this article is a good start:

James River stretch has deadly reputation

By Carrie Sidener and Erin France
The News & Advance
July 7, 2006

The James River narrows as it cuts through the mountains of Rockbridge County, turning into a rocky, winding and fast-moving playground for the experienced.

But for the unprepared, it can be a dangerous and even deadly obstacle course.

The dangers of the James River near Balcony Falls came into focus this week with news of the drowning of Liberty University student Aaron Cooper.

“It’s one of - if not the most - dangerous stretches on the James because of that gorge,” said Robert Foresman, emergency management coordinator for Rockbridge County. “When the water levels come up, those rapids are extremely dangerous.”

Because of recent heavy rains, the water level was up when Cooper and his friend put two inflatable rubber rafts in the river last Friday at the public dock where the Maury and the James rivers intersect in Glasgow, Foresman said. The rafts, measuring just over four feet long and less than three feet wide, were not designed for use on rough, fast-moving water, he said.

The river, normally two to six feet deep, was running higher than 10 feet that day.

John Futrell, an experienced canoeist, describes that stretch of river as nothing too challenging. But at 10 feet, he said even paddlers experienced with rapids much worse than Balcony Falls won’t paddle the river.

“When you get 10 feet of water, it becomes a dangerous river,” he said.

Foresman said the two started the float trip when the river was up about nine feet and made their way downstream. They met trouble below the rapids at Balcony Falls. Cooper’s friend made it through the rapids and turned around to watch Cooper.

He saw his friend’s raft flip and expected him to come back up, but he never did.

Cooper’s body turned up on Tuesday, after the water level dropped. His feet had become wedged in some rocks, holding him below the water less than 500 feet from where he first went under.

In 13 years of paddling and playing in rivers, Don Morrison has witnessed nine deaths and numerous near-fatalities.

The reason is often a lack of common sense and experience, he said.

Morrison, a raft guide for a local whitewater rafting and kayak club, said Balcony Falls, below the location Cooper fell in, is not usually dangerous. He said a lack of proper safety equipment and knowledge of the river made for hazardous conditions.

“You don’t go out and start as an experienced football player,” he said.

Even the divers who searched for Cooper’s body ran into some trouble when the swift currents swept them downstream and left them stranded, Foresman said. They weren’t injured, but the emergency helicopter had to be called to pick them up.

“People need to be extremely careful,” Foresman said. “They need to go out on the river with experienced people. They need to have a life jacket and other safety equipment on.”

He also said rafters should never drink on the river. Alcohol was not a factor in the recent drowning, he said.

“It can be very fun on the river from a recreational standpoint,” Foresman said. “But it can become dangerous, if not deadly. You’ve got to use some common sense. If the water is clear, it tends to be OK. If it’s cloudy, you don’t want to be on it.”

Twin River Outfitters runs that stretch of river only at four feet due to the dangerous rock formations that can hide under high water, said Emily Mays, an owner of Twin River Outfitters.

The stretch has several class two rapids and one class three rapid, at Balcony Falls.

The classes range from the slow-moving water of a class one rapid to rapids that only an expert paddler can navigate and even then, the risk of injury is great. There are no class five rapids on the James River.

A class three rapid is one that takes an intermediate skill level to navigate and requires complex maneuvering to keep the boat under control.

“People don’t understand how powerful water can be,” Mays said.

Daryl Cash has floated down the river many times. The Glasgow resident said most of the time the river is so low it can be walked across. But recent rains meant the river level was high, hiding the sharp rocks that make the trip treacherous.

“Like any water, you’ve got to respect it,” Cash said. “You’ve got to know what you are doing or have someone who does.”

Roger Funkhouser, a Glasgow resident, said while he’s never taken a trip down the river, its reputation is well known.

“People come here all the time to canoe or kayak it,” he said. “There are people that do it every day and they don’t think twice about it. A lot of them don’t wear life jackets and helmets. They just get on there and float and go.”

Liz Garland, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, said one of the biggest variables in a river’s safety is the water level.

A former member of Coastal Canoeists, the largest canoeing and kayaking club in Virginia, Garland said a group approach was the best way to prevent emergencies.

“One of the most fundamental rules is safety in numbers,” she said, “which probably applies to a slew of other activities as well.”

Garland said practicing survival skills on dry land before launching into a river is needed to perfect life-saving skills, such as landing a throw rope on a target.

Over the last five years, at least two have drowned and another almost drowned near where Cooper’s body was found.

Joseph Wheeler, a 51-year-old camper from Rockbridge County, went swimming April 30, 2004, with three friends.

Area rescue squads found his body two weeks later.

Three years earlier, Joseph William Hendershot’s body was found May 20, 2001, near the same location.

While there were no witnesses to the incident, area police and Hendershot’s family believe he drowned while swimming.

Ben Nester, a 23-year-old Liberty University student, was rescued Feb. 26, 2003, from a small island in the middle of the James River after flipping his canoe.

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