The Cheat Canyon is a well known stretch of Class III-IV whitewater in northern West Virginia . On May 24, 1998, it was running at 1.6 feet, a good introductory level. Conrad Grove, a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer, was paddling a Thrillseeker inflatable kayak with a group from Lehigh Valley Canoe Club. The day before the group paddled the Lower Youghiogheny without incident. Today the Cheat at a low introductory level seemed like a good bet.

            The group experienced no problems until arriving at Big Nasty. After Ken Sanders ran the rapid without incident, Grove lost his line, broached and flipped above a pour-over. As he was trying to assume a proper feet-first swimming position, he found himself planted upright in the river. His legs were thrust into a pothole or gap between rocks that reached to his mid-thigh. The force of the water locked him in place in the middle of the current. Water poured over his head, creating an air pocket. He could breathe, but he was trapped. The pressure was incredible! He tired to push off the rock with one hand, but could not get a grip on the smooth, slippery rocks around him.

            After trying to help Grove by paddling up to him or throwing him a line, the group deployed a tag line rescue. Since the river was too wide to throw a rope across and too fast to ferry the line, they moved to the pool above the drop, tied several throw ropes together, and ferried them across. They walked the line downstream, then flipped over Grove’s head and into his hands.

            As soon as he grabbed hold, the rescuers tensioned the line. Grove freed himself quickly, and floated downstream to where Ken  Sanders was waiting to bring him to shore. He had been trapped approximately seven minutes. Assisted by several hikers, they used a backboard to carry him up a rough trail to the put-in. It was a long, demanding evacuation. There he was met by ambulance and taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released.

SOURCE: Philadelphia Inquirer; Readers’ Digest; letter from Tom Palmer; conversations with Ken Sanders, Scott McIndoe, and others.

ANALYSIS: (Walbridge) 1. The group is to be commended for their imagination and creativity in getting a rope to Grove in a place when the line could not be thrown or ferried across the river. It is one thing to take a rescue course; yet another to deploy the techniques quickly in non-textbook situations.

2. In general, throwing a rope directly to a foot entrapment victim is a waste of time. If they get a pull from one side, it will knock them over without releasing them. They need support from both sides, and this is what a stabilization line and a snag line provides.

4. Several people have suggested that this trip was not appropriate for someone of Grove’s experience. This sort of progression is not unlike that used by professional outfitters who offer high-end ducky trips. Grove was a fit individual traveling in the company of experienced boaters, all of whom though he had the skill needed to complete the run successfully. I would have agreed, although in hindsight it might be a good idea to detail the special swimming skills needed for strainers and ledges.