Gary Marsh reported that Carlos Gonzales, 24, died on the John Day River near Mitchell, Oregon on the afternoon of July 14th. Witnesses said that the man and his friends were running Burnt Ranch Rapid (II) repeatedly in a small raft. Mr. Gonzales had just finished a run and was wading the raft to shore when he slipped beneath the surface and did not reappear. A dive team responded and quickly recovered the body. The BLM, which manages the area, does not require adults to use life jackets. A river ranger who tried to educate Mr. Gonzales' group ran into a language barrier and was probably not understood. River managers might consider providing their staff with an English/Spanish phrase book to cover situations like this.
