Yosemite in the news---very sad.

[John Kasaian]

I recollect getting as many air mattresses "connected" together as we could, perhaps ten or twelve or even fifteen kids in a chain.

[ROL]

Yeah the Kern is a bad one!
The only places on the Merced in Yosemite Valley my folks would let us swim or raft was below Stoneman Bridge down to where Curry now has the pull out for thier rafting concession, making me think that that section of the river must have been long known to be the safest (or least treacherous)
Except of course we'd fall into Fern Springs, lol!

These "mountain death" threads always degenerate into pissing matches over at Summit Post, but I have a few general, experienced comments about the two river systems. I've kayaked nearly all the main river systems in the West and especially California for upwards of three decades now In fact, I've recently returned from a 6 day solo run of the Middle Fork of the Salmon, in Idaho, and am making a movie and developing a site on solo self–support river running:

For the record, I've run the Merced from near Happy Isles to the old generator dam at the west end (also from El Portal to Don Pedro, etc.). It was easy class IV, with the section mentioned being a flat float.

The Kern, in its various incarnations below Brush Creek, is quite an underestimated, nasty river, uncharacteristic of other Sierra west side streams. It is brush choked with many undercut ledges. That, alone would make it dangerous, but that is not why people die on it. The numbers are great there because of its proximity and use by one of the largest population centers in the U.S. – LA. The visitation is simply greater than other rivers experience. While many "endemics" have poor swimming skills, and worse, judgement, the common and/or river sense of those entering it is no greater or less than on other rivers. The temptation of those, or those who are in charge of others, to cool off in the spring and summer, baking, road accessible Kern River Canyon and above Kernville can be an impossible lure for many who underestimate the power of even shallow water current.

[Vaughn]

Yes, it is my understanding that the combo of an unsuspected strong current and many unskilled people is what makes the Kern so deadly.

Up this way, the Trinity River can be equally, if not more dangerous, but the number of fatalities is low due to the remoteness (and very cold water that keeps the average person out of it.) Lots of rafting companies -- but they generally pull out before the Class 5 section.

My boys and I had a great day on the South Fork Trinity River last week -- not dammed, so the water is warmer (but getting too warm here soon -- algae growth and biting water bugs will make it unpleasent).

[goamules]

My basic rule for kids and water is if they are not strong swimmers, they don't go near it. I have 3 kids and have traveled a lot with them in wilderness and 3rd world countries. Having a non-swimmer wading in water, or even beside water with a drop off or current is extremely risky. One slip, one experiment to see how slippery that rock is, one too many steps deeper with a parent looking away or talking to someone has killed a lot of kids. Part of growing up is experimenting with everything, but don't let them do it in places where only one mistake is deadly. Shallow, small streams, yes. The wildest rivers in America? No. If they cannot swim, VERY WELL, keep them away and teach them to swim.

[John Kasaian]

In Yosemite, with the waterfalls, water becomes oxygenated and in turbulent areas swimmers loose the ability to float well, if at all. Just one more card stacked against ya'

[Vaughn]

The ocean beaches, especially up here in northern CA claim lives on a regular basis -- 'sneaker waves' (random waves of much larger size than average) knock people off their feet and pull them into the surf. The worst places are where the sand drops off very quickly and the waves break right on shore. The cold water (low 50'sF) quickly zaps their energy and they drown -- many times also claiming family and/or friends trying to rescue them. Average swimming skills make no difference.

I nurtured a strong fear/respect of the waves with my boys. Otherwise I would not have been able to take them to the local beaches like I constantly did as soon as they could walk. I favored beaches with creeks so that they had water to play in or at. Fortunately, my parents live in SoCal and eventually the boys learned how to handle the waves during visits...often in late November when the water was too cold for the locals, but warm to us! The breaking waves is another example of the water being filled with air and there being a loss of bouyancy.

[Ed Bray]

I'm watching a TV programme at the moment which is about the serial killings that happenned in Yosemite at the end of the last century. I had not known about this before today.

[Sevo]

In Yosemite, with the waterfalls, water becomes oxygenated and in turbulent areas swimmers loose the ability to float well, if at all.

Not a matter of oxygenation (water will only dissolve a few ppm of oxygen, not enough to change its physics) - the air bubbles in the whitewater decrease its specific weight so that a body won't float on it. On the other hand, whitewater is a highly localized phenomenon, and the bubbles also create a strong upward current, so that you get driven out rather than caught when swimming/diving underneath a waterfall. The danger zone, if any, will be some distance off where the water has picked up speed again.

[Drew Wiley]

Last I heard they believe the hanta virus was caught somewhere else, and that it is just
coincidental that the symptoms appeared when the visitor was in Yosemite. I just got back
from two weeks in SEKI backcountry, including quite a bit of off-trail hiking with LF gear.
Knees are still a little stiff, and it was imperative to get over the high crossings (6 of them)
before the thunderstorms slightly after noon each day. Only saw three other people the first week, and absolutely nobody once off-trail. Incredible country, but requires experience, good planning, and common sense. Oh and John, if you're tuning in, I finally
made it into the Pleistocene critter museum just north of Madera on the way home.

[NickyLai]

The BBC headline just came up: Deadly Yosemite virus warning to 10,000 US campers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19447160