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Boy Scouts rescued after 'ill-fated' trip in homemade canoes Login/Join 
Serenity now!
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posted
I think there may be an opening for a few new leaders in this troop.

quote:

Scouts group rescued in Emery County after 'ill-fated' Green River trip in homemade canoes.

GREEN RIVER, Emery County — Two Boy Scout troops were rescued unharmed Wednesday after an “ill-fated” river trip in homemade canoes ended just several miles from the boat launch, authorities said.

The group of more than 20 Scouts and leaders set off from Green River State Park on Wednesday afternoon in mostly homemade canoes that were fashioned out of PVC pipe and wrapped with a plastic tarp material, according to a Facebook post from Emery County Sheriff’s Office.

The group, which was from Cedar City, planned to go 67 miles from the park to the Mineral Bottoms area just north of Canyonlands National Park, according to the post. However, their trip ended just 4 miles downstream.

A sheriff’s sergeant responded to a call of a young man who had shown up at a farm distraught and needing assistance, according to the post. The sergeant then launched a sheriff’s department boat that was staged in Green River and headed to the state park boat ramp, where one of the Scout leaders was waiting.

The Scout leader had sunk his canoe after just a few hundred yards but was able to get out of the river and get back to the boat ramp.

Shortly after, a man who lives downriver arrived with three more Scouts and one of their leaders who had stopped their trip after having canoe problems, according to the post.

Several other sheriff’s deputies proceeded down the river to find the rest of the Scouts and leaders. They found one Scout clinging to a tree about a mile downstream from the boat ramp, and he was able to float to the sheriff’s office boat using his life jacket, according to the post.

Authorities located the rest of the Scouts and leaders further downstream. Sheriff’s officials offloaded the canoes, which were bogged down with gear, from the river, the post states.

Authorities waited at the Crystal Geyser area several miles south of the state park until all members of the Scout group made it safely to the shore and were driven away from the area. The rescue lasted three hours total.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Mitch Vetere, who has extensive experience on the Green River, said in the post that the boats had “no business being on the river,” especially because the river is currently flowing swiftly.

It is running at 11,400 cubic feet per second as of Thursday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey WaterWatch. That is a level at which the river might be too high even for some experienced boaters with sturdy canoes, Vetere said in the post.

Emery County Sheriff Greg Funk reminded people to do adequate research, know their limitations and be prepared while recreating on the rivers of Emery County.

“We have had numerous river rescues over the years,” Funk said in the Facebook post. “It is fortunate that the canoe problems happened early in this trip where there is access to the river from the banks, rather than farther downstream with sheer canyon walls. The Green River is wide, the water is cold, and hypothermia can set in in a matter of minutes.”



https://www.ksl.com/article/46...p-in-homemade-canoes



Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice - pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ
 
Posts: 4923 | Location: Highland, UT | Registered: September 14, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I'd call it "ill-conceived"
 
Posts: 8944 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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So it was a three hour tour?

And those are kayaks, not canoes, not that it makes a difference as poorly constructed as they are.
 
Posts: 10824 | Location: SWFL | Registered: October 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Very little
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Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
A tale of a fateful trip
That started from Green River Port
Aboard some homemade skiffs.

The leader really wan't bright, nor a sailing man,
The scouts were brave and sure.
Twenty scouts set sail that day
For a sixty mile tour, a sixty mile tour.



 
Posts: 23244 | Location: Florida | Registered: November 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Nullus Anxietas
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Jebus Christos! Whomever thought that was a good idea should never be put in a position of responsibility over children... or anything, come to think of it.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
 
Posts: 26009 | Location: S.E. Michigan | Registered: January 06, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
thin skin can't win
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WTActualF?

That is one of the dumbest things ever. I can't even imagine thinking of putting my boys at that kind of risk for some lesson about building their own boat.



You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02

 
Posts: 12350 | Location: Madison, MS | Registered: December 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Not only are the leaders morons, why didn't one parent at least one step up and question this.



 
Posts: 23244 | Location: Florida | Registered: November 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Probably should have tried them in a pond or lake first.

Cool idea, bad execution and what appears to be a non-existent safety plan.
 
Posts: 4548 | Location: Where ever Uncle Sam Sends Me | Registered: March 05, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I would venture to guess that a lot of parents that put their kids in scouts lack the skills and knowledge themselves and are placing their trust in the organization to have qualified leaders. Another factor is a lot people over estimate their abilities. I was searching the web to find out what a "medium size" boat is and came across a government survey about boats and owners. It said 76% of boater owners consider themselves experienced boaters. I'm not one and I know it. On a side note, 97% of privately owned boats in the US are 25' or under.

A closed deck design should be higher in the middle than the sides. One, it sheds water better. Two, should you capsize in open water, it's possible to turn the kayak upside down and empty the water out. This requires a lot of flotation. A coaming around the cockpit will also help keep water out and gives you a place to attach a spray skirt that will really help in rough water. Stuffing any empty spaces full with inflatable bags also limits the amount of water the kayak can take on. This works with open canoes as well.

Skin in frame designs rely on the skin being tight to provide rigidity. The two I have, have inflatable sponsors on each side that pull the skin taut. The sponsors also provide a significant amount of secondary stability.

I'd have taken those kayaks on a shallow slow moving river for a few miles or a calm lake fishing trip, but 60+ miles on a large, fast moving river with portions inaccessible? Not a chance.
 
Posts: 10824 | Location: SWFL | Registered: October 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by HRK:
Not only are the leaders morons, why didn't one parent at least one step up and question this.


Being that they based out of Cedar City I'd guess you're one letter off with the morons descriptor. Although they do seem to be morons as well.
Not that it had anything to do with their ill conceived plans. And yes, you'd have thought at least one rational adult would have questioned it.
 
Posts: 1950 | Location: Indiana or Florida depending on season  | Registered: March 18, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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A folbot it is not.

When I was a Boy Scout every edition of Boys Life had ads for Folbot, a folding kayak. I wanted one but, alas, money for such things wasn't available at that point in my life.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folding_kayak

In my 20's I made up for it, whitewater boating was my focus. Met my wife at a canoe club meeting so it worked out well.



Let me help you out. Which way did you come in?
 
Posts: 715 | Location: North of Pittsburgh, PA | Registered: January 29, 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Maryanne or Ginger?



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Posts: 29608 | Location: Highland, Ut. | Registered: May 07, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I've been to Crystal Geyser. Several times in fact. But of course I drove my Jeep.. Big Grin It did well on land and didn't even take on any water. I guess we differ on what a large river is. Its bigger than a small stream. By a little. Best not be on the water when the geyser decides it time to go off. Especially those flimsy things.

For background, the geyser isn't a steam powered affair. It started as an exploration hole. The geyser itself comes up through a pipe, maybe 12" in diameter. Some idiots in the past have attempted to clog it with all manner of debris, maybe the worst of which was at least one railroad tie. It goes off when the internal chambers fill with water and dissolves enough carbon dioxide to force everything inside up and out.

Its a fun thing to watch because everyone there takes his/her camera and starts snapping photos when the 12" spray gets maybe 20 or so feet in the air. Then more when it gets to maybe 50 or 60 feet. Big Grin Then the stop to conserve film or space on their phone/chip. Then it really gets going and at 100' or so draws your attention. Smile

The material coming out flows kind of like water, but you could call it mineral water, with the mineral getting the emphasis. Kind of a nasty brown stuff. Its at the end of a road that goes through the middle of a missile base. That part is abandoned. They used to send sounding rockets out across the dessert. They didn't recover all of them. One guy down in Moab found one and mounted it on top of his jeep to parade around town.

I wouldn't want to be the guy to discredit the sheriff's spokesperson, but... it was a fairly calm stream back in the last century. Didn't pick up much steam until the walls close in.

My experience with scout leaders wasn't all positive. They accept anyone willing to donate the time. No skill needed.

If you're ever in Green River, take a few hours to go sit and watch the geyser. Not in a boat and not from the water. Frown


Unhappy ammo seeker
 
Posts: 18385 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: February 25, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by darthfuster:
Maryanne or Ginger?

At this point in my life, surprise me. Razz
 
Posts: 1345 | Location: WI | Registered: July 07, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by rburg:
My experience with scout leaders wasn't all positive. They accept anyone willing to donate the time. No skill needed.
(


That isn't quite true. BSA actually has pretty high standards for their leaders and offer extensive training. Alas, though, it falls to the chartering organization and higher level volunteers to ensure that the leaders are, in fact, properly trained, and sometimes they don't. Frown In fact, I am scheduled to take the requisite paddle craft safety training next week at Summer Camp.




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Posts: 4870 | Location: Florida | Registered: August 16, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Alea iacta est
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quote:
Originally posted by rburg:I guess we differ on what a large river is. Its bigger than a small stream. By a little.


It was flowing just shy of 12,000 cubic feet per second. That’s a fair bit if water. I certainly wouldn’t let anyone get into a river with that much flow in a damn pvc covered in tyvek boat.
Suicidal.



quote:
Originally posted by parabellum: You must have your pants custom tailored to fit your massive balls.
The “lol” thread
 
Posts: 4023 | Location: Staring down at you with disdain, from the spooky mountaintop castle.  | Registered: November 20, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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If only they had used duct tape!
 
Posts: 11152 | Location: Big Sky Country | Registered: November 20, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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People don’t think boatbuilding be like it is, but it do.
 
Posts: 1801 | Location: Possum Kingdom, TX | Registered: April 11, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Beancooker:
quote:
Originally posted by rburg:I guess we differ on what a large river is. Its bigger than a small stream. By a little.


It was flowing just shy of 12,000 cubic feet per second. That’s a fair bit if water. I certainly wouldn’t let anyone get into a river with that much flow in a damn pvc covered in tyvek boat.
Suicidal.


There's two pictures in the linked article and the Green River looks to be 1,000 feet across.
 
Posts: 10824 | Location: SWFL | Registered: October 10, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Coin Sniper
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That was not ill-fated, that was poorly planned and executed.

This could have been a fun project, a great learning experience, and taught valuable lessons about how to execute a project.

IF... they had taken the simple precaution of testing the craft for basic seaworthiness and stability under increasing loads in a shallow (2-3 feet) pond, lake, or even a pool, then repeating tests in slow moving shallow streams before tackling a swift river. If these options weren't available the project should have been scrapped.




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