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Woman missing after boating accident on Smith River
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By the Associated Press | Posted: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 5:12 pm | No Comments Posted
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GREAT FALLS - Meagher County officials say a 68-year-old Washington state woman is missing after the boat she and her husband were in capsized on the Smith River in Montana.

The Great Falls Tribune reports local and state officials and area landowners searched for the woman Tuesday.

The couple's boat capsized at about 2 p.m. Monday about seven miles north of Camp Baker.

Other floaters heard a scream and saw the boat capsize. They parked their boat and walked back upstream, where they found the man clinging to a rock.

The man told the witnesses to leave him and go search for his wife. The sheriff's office says the witnesses hiked for four hours to the nearest residence to call for help. The man was able to make it to shore and build a fire.


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Posted in State-and-regional on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 5:12 pm Updated: 5:14 pm. | Tags: Smith River, Boating Accident, Drowning, High Water, Camp Baker

I saw that yesterday. They capsized somewhere between Indian Springs and Rock Creek IIRC.
What a drag. A really fun trip turns to total tragedy. Very sad.

The big boulder rock gardens start in that stretch. It's big water for the Smith right now. I've always thought of it as being a relatively easy river but at higher flows it wouldn't be all that hard to capsize a hard boat on a rock if you got sideways. It would be tough to flip a raft unless you really messed up.

I was on it right as it started to rise. It blew out on us the second day and we rowed out on the third. It was like 1200cfs at Eden when we got off. Thats the highest I've been on it and it seemed pretty much smoothed out compared to when it's in the 300 range.

I used to spend a LOT of days on the Smith and it always amazed me just how many people were on that river that were obviously very new on the oars, but this is the first fatality I can remember. Last year a guy drowned on Rock Creek and the flows are much higher this year.

It's sad.

I would only add that if you have a permit for the Smith for the next few weeks, and you've never rowed a raft or driftboat before, you might opt to forfeit your permit because the flows are going to go up before they come back down as the runoff has just started.

This photo was taken at Indian Springs, about a mile upstream of where the lady drowned. The flows were above average, but not quite as high as they are now. The fishing at these current flows will be tough.

Spoke to women yesterday who floated the Smith last week.
Wondered why they didn’t see many rafts until a ranger told them they
closed the river behind them due to high water and the debris it was
sending down the canyon.

Ranger told her group that the missing women gave her life jacket to her husband who couldn’t swim.
This was her birthday wish to do something different and exciting. Problem was the couple had never
floated in a drift boat before which was rented, hit a logjam holding on a large rock and tipped.

If this is true . . . they broke 3 cardinal rules of water safety.

No Life Jacket (not sure if he had one at some point in the trip or not)
Non-Swimmer
Zero Experience

Now granted: Flows were higher than average probably spiked by our recently heavy rains
or perhaps early signs of run off.

Every time this these tragic events happen it fuels my wife’s tirade on floating in general.
So be safe out there this year - I’m counting on you. . . .

They are opening the Smith for floating as of today. Flows have dropped substantially since last Thursday likely due to the colder weather over the weekend slowing the snowpack melting. Today is supposed to be warm but colder and rain for tomorrow and Friday, then more warming.

They still haven't found the missing woman.

I have floated the Smith many, many, times. Each time the ranger asked about life jackets per State law, but I doubt he/she has time to check every boat that is launched.

My advice to anyone new to rowing a driftboat or raft is to first go with someone experienced and on a river that is mostly without structure or much gradient. There are plenty of books and videos out there also. Trying to learn to handle a driftboat or raft while loaded down with 5 days worth of food and camping gear, on a river that is at flood stage, is a very bad idea. Water is powerful – drowning kills more people worldwide each year than fires, war, or prostate cancer. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_causes_of_death_by_rate

Another angler is now missing on the Big Hole River after flipping his raft yesterday. He was not wearing a PFD.

With all this high water in Montana, I know life jackets are a pain, but it's time to start wearing them.

I've seen many situations where one guy is an experienced rafter, and his buddy isn't. The experienced rafter makes it look easy, and the buddy feels bad that he's catching all the fish while the guy who owns the raft is doing all the work. They switch and bad things happen.

I've floated and fished the section of the Big Hole where this happened. It's not normally technical water, but there are all sorts of structures on that section that one would have to pay close attention to. If you are unfamiliar with a river, especially if you are new to rowing, I'd advise you to be very careful, wear your PFD, and remember that there is no fish in any Montana river worth drowning for.