Safety Tip - lessons from a swim.
This is Christina Russell reporting from frozen Oregon. Yep…we’re still frozen. I’m back in Bend from a spat of moving my things in to my new floating boat-house on the Colombia River…boy was it cold up there. The damp cold gets to me! It was -22 degrees last night and the rivers in Bend have frozen over. Today, the high was 8 degrees and with it being so cold, I spent my day INSIDE, snuggled up in a fleece blanket….with a fantastic cup of blueberry tea. These past few days of cold weather have reminded me that when we paddle, we need to always dress for a swim. And right now, a swim could mean death if you are dressed inappropriately. Last winter, I had an icky swim on the Green Truss. I believe I posted photos of the incident but I thought I would take a moment to relive it and go over the things I learned from it: My swim occurred on a day when the air temperature wasn’t over freezing. The White Salmon had swollen to an unknown level (we can only guess the flow), and the rocks on the bank were covered in Verglass. At the put-in, I considered the conditions I knew existed and wore thermals, fleece pants and a fleece jacket, two pairs of socks, and a fleece vest under my drysuit. I felt prepared and felt super solid on the run…at least until my swim. ha ha. Funny but not. Anyways, my swim occurred at the base of the waterfall called Big Brother. A fun 25 footer with a cave on the bottom river right. I stuck my line and as I was paddling away from the drop, I flipped on a boil….bummer. I got pinned on the outcropping next to the cave and missed my roll. I ended up swimming in the cave at a flow that (we were told) no one runs the drop at. 
What can we take away from my swim?
a. Always dress for a swim
b. Paddle with people that are also dressed for a swim- its your safety as well as theirs
c. STAY CALM. I was in the water for over five minutes and despite being dressed well, the cold definitely got to me. I couldn’t feel my hands or my legs and I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to swim if I let go of the throw rope
d. Make sure everyone in your group has a throwbag
e. ALWAYS CARRY A KNIFE
f. Know when it’s a smart things to hike out- After my swim, I lost my lifter pad (which means I paddle like crap without it) and I had absolutely no energy. I opted to hike out and wait for the crew to finish the run. I’m not proud of the whole thing but it definitely was humbling. This was the second time I seriously thought I might die. It’s taking me a while to get back to where I was mentally but I’m getting there. 
I learned a lot and will be more prepared when I swim next…we are always in between swims.
Stay safe out there and DRESS WARM!
Merry Christmas,
Christina Russell
