On Christmas afternoon, a man who had received a kayak as a Christmas gift was anxious to try it out, so he took it to the Amistad Reservoir at Amistad National Recreation Area, launched it, paddled out from shore, and ended up having an experience he will never forget. After his newly-acquired craft capsized and drifted away, he found himself struggling for his life in bone-chilling water. He was wearing a PFD, but several hours of immersion in the 60-degree water left him dangerously chilled.
Rescuers got to him in time, but it was a very near thing. Someone made a 911 call to the Val Verde County Communications Center after spotting someone in the water waving for help near the Highway 277 Bridge at the far eastern end of the park. Rangers Andrew McGahan and Matt Gilbert rushed to the site from different locations. McGahan arrived within minutes and spotted the man in the lake. Wearing an insulated "float coat," he swam out to the man, who was about 75 yards from the shore, and used a throw rope to tow him to safety. Gilbert arrived soon afterward to assist.
The rescued kayaker, who said he thought he'd been in the water for about two hours, was transported by ambulance to Val Verde Regional Medical Center after he was determined to be moderately to severely hypothermic. He was released after being treated for hypothermia and his kayak was recovered the next day.
Comments
I'm slightly disturbed with this string of conversation.
The original article: though brief, it was interesting and thought provoking. I enjoyed the article and was glad the man got his Christmas present back! Moral of the story: if you're a mere mortal, don't go kayaking alone.
Andy from Arkansas: If you don't like the editorial, leave. If words like "stupid" come to mind, keep them to yourself. If you think its a waste of time, leave. You obviously don't appreciate the efforts put forth, so perhaps you could do a better job on your own page?
Bob's reply: it saddens me to see you waste your time defending your article. I appreciate the articles you and yours publish and look forward to future articles.
I think the conversation of depth of information is interesting and constructive. I appreciate intelligent conversation on the subject.
Keep up the good work, and thanks from an avid reader who doesn't contribute much but couldn't keep from responding on these subjects.
To the Traveler: You don't have to spend time replying to such people. They are not happy and will never be happy with any thing. There are thousands + of us out here that think The Traveler is a GREAT web site and read it every day. Keep up the great work and don't spend on people who will never be happy with anything.
We appreciate all of our readers, David, even the ones that hold our feet to the fire. I am actually grateful to Andy-from-Arkansas. Responding to his criticisms gave me a chance to provide additional relevant information and offer some insight into how we do things here at Traveler. I will probably be more conscientious in the future, and that's not a bad thing.
Bob and Kurt, and all other contributing Staff, I want you to know I appreciate all your efforts to a great web site. Additionally, I find the banter in the comments sometimes equally entertaining as the articles. Thanks for all you do.
If you can stand one more comment, I would like to say that one of the reasons I keep coming back to NPT is because I can actually join the conversation. Sure, I've been chastised on occasion, from people who know lots more than I and from people who just think they do. I find the forum just as valuable as the features. I've learned a lot about the National Parks through both, and isn't that the reason why we're here?
I look forward to another year of NPT stories. Thanx, and best wishes. -- Bat