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Going Dutch By Chip Powell

Going Dutch with a German on Canada Day / Almost major mishaps 2002

Had a good run on the Lussier during the week and an absolute Hell mission trip down Dutch Creek and Brewer Creek. Took 7 hours to cover 1.5miles of bush bashing and street boating down the middle access to Dutch Creek. Steep, trees, etc.

Stu Smiths book suggests a bit of a bash down the Brewer could be arduous but it doesn't drop 58ft/mile. It drops about 40 ft in 300m. Trees are a nightmare on this run too, came the nearest I got to being killed on a river since gunfights with bandits in 99 when I hit a eddy only to be bounced off a submerged rock and backwards back into the current and into a bit of a log jam. Jammed paddle, flipped, felt boat catch and then kicked out. Caught a breath of air from inside the cockpit of my inverted boat and was then swept down further into the jam.

Started fighting like a mad thing as I could feel myself snagging and getting hung up on submerged branches. A lot of kicking and wriggling and it really is close to being all over as I'm swallowing water in an effort not to breathe it and it's a little like concussion as I'm hazing out and seeing stars in the darkness and cursing. Finally get my feet braced on something and push real hard and manage to get my face to the surface tho' my helmet is still snagged in the branches but right now air is good. It's been a long two minutes since I kicked out of the boat.

Hang there for a moment with waves washing into me but I can spot a possible route through now I have oxygen. I duck down to the river bed and swim through and under the log jam feeling shoulders and boat breaking branches off on the way through. Andi on the bank was horrified, he thought he'd be doing a body recovery and that this would be your correspondants obituary. It nearly was. I'd got bloodshot eyes by the time I was on the bank.

This is the scariest moment I've had for a long time and one I don't want to repeat as I don't gamble on luck like that being regular. Dutch creek quite pretty and really cool hoodoos. 19km bike shuttle back to put in fun too. Getting the truck (4wd F250) out of the put in destroyed a rear tyre and ripped one of the dampers (shock absorbers) off the back axle (it's a bit rough). There's bear activity in the area too. Canyon on Dutch Creek pretty but I wouldn't recommend Brewer.

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