Topic: Don't mess with the Mississippi River!

[DrSonny]

  http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12793455

[MW]

Huck Fin's they ain't!

[philllll]

Mitch and I caught that... he turned to me and just said "Really?"

[flowwithin]

That really did happen in our backyard. Awesome. I feel so privileged to live among those people.

[timmmber]

its the guys the news ALWAYS interview after a tornado blows through....." man it sounded like uh darned ole train wuz blowin through... you know thuh one like on thuh t.v. beer ad! WHOO!" dang

[Elmore]

     Now guys, before we cast any more stones from our glass house, let's just ask ourselves if these guys are really that much different from we.  Sure, they banged together a "bubba" craft rather than do what erudite intellectual types like you and me would have done and invest in a solidly constructed, state-of-the-art boat design.  And they should have familiarized themselves with the river and the weather conditions before setting off for New Orleans.  Beyond that, what's not cool about what they did?  They were here, they wanted to be there, and the river flows from here to there, so why not get on the river and go?
     Some of my most rewarding paddling experiences have been on unfamiliar wilderness rivers that nobody in my group had run before.  It might have been less risky to find some local who could "take us down," but ultimately, nobody but I was going to get me down that river, and I enjoyed the challenge of relying on my own judgement and skill level to make it through.  And the possibility that that wouldn't have been enough, and that I would have ended up in the same predicament these guys ended up in (or worse), was very real.
     I guess what I'm really saying is that I'd like the level of discourse on this forum not to sink to the level of the "Comments" sections on the WMC-TV site, the Commercial Appeal site, and so forth.  Keep in mind that the people who commented on this story, calling the guys idiots and Darwin Award nominees, are probably small-minded enough to think that a person who gets in any boat on any river should be taken away by the men in white coats.  We know better.

[potterspoint434]

 I agree with Elmore , if we got in trouble on the River and needed help they would say the same about us.I know I fight it here in Little Rock. People here think I`m crazy for paddling on the River, if I had a problem and needed help it would be in the paper and on TV. Most of you have been on the Arkansas River and for the most part its not bad but people are still afraid of the so called giant whirlpools and undertow
 These guys thought they had a great idea, but I guess it didn`t work out. I guess we all want a little adventure .

[Trail Monkey]

I guess the skill level is the only thing i have a problem with. As far as i could tell neither had ventured out much more than a pool. I may be wrong. As far as craft is concerned., ever since the old testament Noah sailed across in his Perception 20 Ft touring yak with all these paired animals and gave us bill padding we as a society have come to a misconceived understanding that if its store bought, then it must be the best. We of all people should realize that boats and boat design came about from trial and error. If anything, I would agree with most people if they DONT try again and let this set them back. If they learn from it, then give them room.
EDDIE

[MW]

Elmore, if this were a couple kids, I would agree with you. But the level of poor planning, poor construction, and poor judgment can only be attributed to total ignorance. They put on right before a huge storm, they brought their dogs along, and they made it a total of 8 miles before their craft collapsed. Come on, that is way too irresponsible.
You compared it to your unguided river trips. I bet on these "unguided" trips you read river descriptions and guidebooks so you would know what to expect. You had to do some preparing or you wouldn't have even found the put-in.
I will tip my hats to these guys for having an adventurous spirit and for their bravery for trying something they apparently knew nothing about.
I have done a lot of stupid things in my life and continue to do so. If, for some reason, I end up on the news, please feel free to use my poor judgment as an educational tool so others might not venture down that same path, it's totally okay.

[DrSonny]

I fault the Coast Guard for interfering with natural selection.

There is not supposed to be lifeguarding in the gene pool! 

[Elmore]

     I'm not defending the egregious lack of preparedness of these guys--I tried to make clear in my first paragraph above that they indeed should have gone to greater lengths to educate themselves about what they were getting into.
     But I also think it's neither useful nor appealing of us to use this board to pile a bunch of abuse on these guys like the mean-spirited lowlifes who mouth off in the Commercial Appeal comments section.  I think the message that we, along with paddling organizations everywhere, should be sending is "You are RIGHT to want to get on that river, but there are right ways and wrong ways to do it.  Let us help you find the right way."

[DrSonny]

   Elmore has missed his true calling.  He should have been the White House Press Secretary!

[Jason]

i'm just happy that there aren't any reporters around when i accomplish all the stupid stuff i do in my boat. 

[timmmber]

I just like laughing at there real bad poorly planned idea, in hopes no one will notice the dumb crap i do.

[Trail Monkey]

What about this? The only difference I can see is the planning and training. I think the Craft design falls under the first two I mentioned. http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/images/5369-floating-on-plastic-.html