I've long enjoyed canoeing, and long thought about how I'd react if my canoe capsized in the middle of a lake. Fortunately, it's not something I've had to actually react to. Unfortunately, though, there was a canoeing accident in Olympic National Park the other day that claimed the life of a 21-year-old Washington State man who died from hypothermia.
Park officials say Alex Dixon, of Olympia, and three friends had headed out across Ozette Lake this past Wednesday for a backcountry camping trip. As the group, in two canoes, was passing Eagle Point, the canoe with Dixon and his partner capsized, dumping the two into the lake's cold waters.
Dixon had only been in the water for about 15 minutes, but its 46-degree temperature quickly sapped the heat from his body. Although a Coast Guard helicopter was diverted from a training mission to ferry Dixon to the Forks Community Hospital, he was pronounced dead early Thursday morning.
Cold Waters Kill Canoeist in Olympic
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