summer fun / By Heidi Walters

A Cautionary Tale

Not to scare you, but there are ticks out there. Lions. Powerful water. Potato salad.

(May 29, 2008)  A friend once asked me, mockingly, “Do you consider nature benign?” I instantly pictured what he pictured: me floating barefoot through wildflowers, head in the clouds and a benevolent smile on my face, hugging rabbits and kissing beetles, oblivious that a few paces behind me in the flowers bobbed the fuzzy tipped ears of a mountain lion, presumably with a slavering grin on its face.

“No,” I said. “Of course not.” And I gave him a dirty look.

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In fact, I am a scaredy cat. I’m always thinking about the dangers out there: lions, ticks, froth-mouthed foxes, sneaker waves.

But fear’s no better than obliviousness. It’s better, say sensible outdoorsy types, to arm yourself with caution, information and concrete practical things like tweezers, insect repellent, a life jacket and a buddy. And maybe a big stick. Something bad could still happen, but you’ll likely increase your potential for continued happiness (and survival).

Water

Between 2000 and 2005, 38 people drowned in Humboldt County, according to the Six Rivers National Forest’s river manager Bob Hemus. Of those, 21 drowned in freshwater and 17 in saltwater. Thirty of them were males. The age group with the most (10) drownings was 20 to 29.

Hemus says this is the time of year when our rivers are most treacherous. Hot weather melts the snow quickly, rivers rise cold and swift, and the potential for cold-water drownings increases.

“I can tell you story after story,” Hemus says. “Two years in a row, we had HSU students drown in rivers. One scenario is, a person who lives at the coast where it’s cool then travels to Orleans, where it’s hot. But the water’s cold. Maybe add alcohol. And you jump in, and your body starts to shut down. The water can be 50 degrees, if not colder. Do you know the 50-50-50 rule? A 50-year-old man can swim 50 yards in 50-degree water. That’s not very far. Sometimes people go out and they can’t get back. I remember one time, a guy dove into a creek and never came up. It was Memorial Day weekend, it was 105 degrees out, and Dillon Creek was probably running in the high 40s — fresh snowmelt.”

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