KAYAKER SWEPT UNDER ICE DAM

The Knife River is a Class III just east of Duluth, Minnesota, on the north shore of Lake Superior . On April 3, 1994, a group of three kayakers were attempting the run at low water. They rounded a bend and were confronted by a river-wide ice shelf. The first boater broached on the ice and scrambled out; the second caught a small eddy. The victim, a woman name Laurie, flipped, bailed out, and hung up on the edge of the shelf. He friends tried to pull her out from under the shelf, but finally let go. She was carried forty feet underwater before popping out downstream, and had to be brought back with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

AUTHOR: Greg Williams

EDITOR’S NOTE: Ice always deserves considerable respect on early season runs in the north country.