Midwest Creeking Accident

Source: The Mining Journal, Marquette, Michigan
POSTED: April 19, 2009

"Kayaker dies on local river"

L'ANSE, Michigan - A Houghton man is dead after a kayaking accident that occurred on the Silver River in Baraga County Friday evening.

Richard Honrath Jr., 47, was pronounced dead at Baraga Memorial Hospital.

Baraga County Sheriff's deputies went to the Silver River in L'Anse Township, shortly after 8:20 p.m. to assist a kayaker who was reportedly "pinned against a tree."

Deputies found Honrath pinned under a tree in fast-moving rapids. He was pulled from the water and taken to the hospital.

Honrath and his partner, Dave Bullock, 38, of downstate St. Johns had entered the Silver River about two miles upstream from where the incident occurred.

Bullock told police that Honrath had rolled and was separated from his kayak. Bullock attempted a rescue with a throw rope, but all attempts failed.

According to Bullock, he and Honrath had been kayaking together for about 15 years and were familiar with the Silver River.

The L'Anse Fire Department, Bay Ambulance, Keweenaw Bay Tribal Police and the L'Anse and Baraga village police departments assisted with the incident.

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I didn't know him, but as a fellow creek runner he will be missed.

Prayers for family and friends.

Vibes ++++++

RIP Poor guy sweepers are no fun

He has become one with the river. RIP.

We had two accidents in the Kern River Valley last weekend, both involved folks running Dry Meadow Creek.

http://www.dreamflows.com/DryMeadowCreek/

The first one occurred after a group of 15 completed the Dry Meadow Creek section and had merged with the Kern River just above Carson Falls. A 63 year old kayaker, John Burner, had trouble in a hole just above the falls and ended up swimming. He was working his way to the left side of the river but was not going to make it before the falls, the left side of the falls is a known death trap. One of the members of the group had gotten to the falls just before Burner and had just gotten his rope out and made a good toss and got Burner over to the right side, but the rope went tight just as Burner reached the lip of the falls. He couldn't hold on for long and let go and went over the falls and never came back up. It's not a big drop, and many folks run that rapid, but this time it didn't work out. John Burner was with his son Macy Burner that day, they were paddling with the Bomber Gear guys who were in town for the Brush Creek Race...it was a sad day.

The other one was in Dry Meadow Creek the very next day. A family of boaters were working their way down the Tea Cups section when one of them landed flat off the 30 footer and broke his back. They got him air lifted out the same day.

It was a rough weekend in the Tea Cups.