http://upnorthlive.com/news/local/lost-kayakers-in-crawford-county-rescued-by-conservation-officers
“‘We were informed by the family members that the lost kayakers were only wearing swimsuits, had no shoes and were wet, making them susceptible to the cold,’ said Payne. ‘They had no means of drying off or staying warm and they had no food. In addition, neither subject was acclimated to the outdoors or a wilderness setting.’”
Have to wonder how this started
It seems that they were more than just “separated from their group.” They were on foot in the woods, and one has to wonder what led to that. Did they get lost while on a bathroom break or something? Surely they didn’t just abandon their kayaks and decide that setting off on foot made more sense than paddling.
On a similar note, it is kind of amazing how many times I’ve seen rental boaters on some of the really popular rivers around here in the early stages of hypothermia simply for lack of rain gear or extra clothes.
the Grand Rapids paddler
– Last Updated: Jun-16-16 11:55 AM EST –
certainly should know better.
Reading the story, it's weird that they couldn't complete a seven-mile downstream paddle on the Au Sable, which had to have a few fisherman on the banks. Something's missing.
Makes no sense.
Looking at the map, Willows Road, the area where they were found, is 2.38 river miles from where they put in at Chase Bridge Road.
I wonder if they had bug spray.
Hanky Panky
is my guess
not sure what tourist has to do with
the subject
We are all tourists from time to time. I would think we would remember to bring our brains.
Or if brainless on the road, brainless at home?
I sure hope so
The mosquitos and deer flies are already in midseason form around here.
two
23 year old’s…a boy and a girl…in nothing but swimsuits…no shoes…HMMMM…away from the crowd…HMMM
They weren’t locals.
That’s why we call them tourists (or sometimes Fudgies).
A small percentage are clueless because they’re out of their natural element (tiny boxes and concrete) and get themselves into bad situations. Others think the area is the wild west where anything goes and get themselves into bad situations involving the law.
That’s not to say locals don’t do dumb things, but I don’t think locals would have gone for a paddle on the AuSable, only to get out and get lost in the woods - unless they were drunk.
Fudgies?
we just call them “from Away”
tourist fare
Tourism areas like Northern Michigan (as well as other small town destinations nationwide) typically have shops selling fudge by the pound or piece. Hence the term: fudgies.
I don’t know if people in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard call tourists “taffies” but that would be appropriate since salt water taffy vendors are a similar characteristic of those locales.
Tough to get “lost”
That is an excellent paddle through the Mason Tract, but it is amateur/drunken idiot river on the weekends and summer holidays. There are 3-4 designated spots to stop on that stretch (with outhouses), as well as foot trails that follow the river. Plenty of places to get in a quickie, without going to far from the river… you do not have to paddle, there are no rapids, no obstacles, just sit in the boat,let the current carry you, and enjoy the scenery.
I do question why they left so late in the day… that stretch will take about 4-5 hours at leisurely pace. Add in bathroom/snack break and alcohol, they would have been floating till midnight!
interesting topic
I remember my relatives in south Jersey telling me they called tourists “shoobies”. And Florida has a name for elderly tourists.
Some states probably have nicknames because they see so many tourists. Tourism is one of our biggest industries here in MI.
OTOH: what does an ohioan call tourists?
Lost.
that’s what I suspected
That and the Pere Marquette can be innertuber hell during the weekends. I always feel a bit bad for the fishermen.
Guessing weather conditions.
I worked at a USACK kayak marathon trial June 11 - small craft warnings, heavy wind gusts, and generally cold nasty conditions forced it to be moved off Pickeral Lake and to the Crooked River. I was sorry I hadn’t worn fleece.
Rain stopped, sun came out, and it warmed up in the afternoon, so that’s probably the reason for the late start.
how was the attendance/participation?
I think you posted earlier about that event. I wasn’t aware that it was an olympic qualifying event, very cool. It’d be great if they could make it an annual fixture for the area…not many better places to be in springtime than in N MI.
Had some late cancellations,
so there weren’t a whole lot of entries (the M-22 was that weekend as well) but it was very well received by the competitors (some who came from out of state). The portages had to be eliminated because of the course change.
Craziest story of the day was a very close race between two excellent paddlers. A giant turtle surfaced in front of the lead boat and while trying to avoid a direct hit, the paddler went over, giving the win to the other guy.
I think Steve will do it again next year, but on a date that doesn’t conflict with other ski events.
! turtle
– Last Updated: Jun-16-16 5:10 PM EST –
That's crazy.
So were these all k1s or were the entries mixed, surf skis and fast kayaks?
Hopefully the start and finish were located/placed so that the public could watch. The turtle incident would make for folklore for future races.
LOL
That was good.
daze gone
n lookit what happened.
dis morning weeez hadda cosmic law enforcement exercise sireeens running up n down…deputies ahrunnin round intersections. ON FOOT !
scarin the Deeevil away.
daze clueless !
but the place is lots quieter.
driving down from Tampa to FMB with AC runnin full blast is sirene…puffy white clods floating in a blue white sky…ahhhhhh.
PEACE