The Bruneau River is a popular Class III-IV overnighter through the remote high desert of Southern Idaho. Kathleen Anderson, the chief legal officer for Esprit Corporation in San Francisco, was paddling the river with a female friend. Both were competent Class IV boaters who had recently practiced their skills for several days at a kayak school. Water levels were at 1200 cfs, considered near optimal.

The accident occurred at Five-Mile Rapid, a long Class III, on May 1, 1998. Her friend led the drop and eddied out below. Anderson was out of sight when she flipped. When she did not appear at the bottom, her friend, a professional firefighter and very competent, hiked up and found her floating unconscious in an eddy. She pulled Kathleen into shore and began CPR. These efforts, though vigorous, were unsuccessful.

SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle; Keith Miller, Pete Sturges, Anthony Kahn

COMMENTS: It is not clear what happened to cause this tragedy, and attempts to contact her friend were not successful.