A River Rescue

So lately I've just been busy unable to find the time to be on the water, to be inspired by the beauty and wonder of all my local river has to offer. I feel a need and a desire to post something though so I thought it be an appropriate time to tell you all a story from my past. Many of my close followers have heard this story already but since I started my blog I feel obligated to share it on here as well.

Now when I say my past this event that took place really just happened this past spring. But when one frequents the gunpowder river as much as I do the minutes become hours, the hours become days, the days flow into weeks, the weeks into months and the months broken down into seasons. All my excursions on the river are so precious to me and with to many to count between now and last spring. It feels a lot longer ago then it actually was.

One day in early spring right after the winter snows had melted and the frequent sunny days began to warm the water temps. I decided to strike out across the fields on the farm I live on and hit the water. So I grabbed my rod, put on my waders, and invited my dog (a 120 lb male german shepherd) Manassas to join me as he frequently does. So we walked through the fields, through the woods, and sloped down the banks to the emerald river. We reached a spot that was familiar to me with some deep pools on the opposite side that I knew from experience held some big fish. Now rather than wade right in the river there for fear of spooking the fish, I decided to cross over to the other side, walk upstream along the bank, and wade back downstream into the deep pool. So off we went, now here is where I should've been more cautious for as I said it was spring, the days were getting warmer, we recently had allot of flooding in this section of the river and the banks in this section are mostly dirt and silt. So Manassas and I waded across downstream and got up on the bank slipping and sliding, small footprint sized sections collapsing into the water as I got up out of the water itself (which should've been a warning to me) so then Manassas and I started walking upstream along the bank. We reached the spot where the deep pool was and I foolishly thought ill just walk to the edge of the bank to see if I happen to see any bows swimming around (now the bank I'm standing on was ten feet above the rivers surface and what I didn't know at the time was the edge I was about to walk out on was severely undercut from all the flooding) so simultaneously as soon as I crept to the banks edge a huge section of the bank gave way, probably fifteen feet in length, plummeting myself and the massive landslide right within the deep pool of the river.

Immediately when the shock of falling was over I found myself sinking (very quickly) I had no footing, couldn't touch any surface of river bottom with my feet. And trying to kick in a massive dirt, becoming silt, becoming mud, becoming like quicksand the act only seemed to quicken my descent into the depths of the river. I fell forward onto my stomach deciding to try to actually use the action of swimming to reach some form of solid bank. But I was unable to move my legs in the proper motion, my waders quickly started to fill with the muddy water mix. And now my upper body began to be sucked down under the surface. Panic struck, my arms and head were the only things left above the mud. I tried desperately! frantically to grasp what looked like a more solid clump of back residing amongst the water and mud in front of me, but it was just beyond my fingertips length. My head began to sink, spitting out mud, trying to gain one solid last breath of fresh air as my lips, my eyes went under the surface. My arms outstretched towards the heavens, pleading! praying! panicking! That this was not the way I was going to die! Fear and sadness overwhelmed me, the final image of my wife's face flashed across my mind and I began to give up!

Just then the thud of a foreign object above the mud's surface near my forearms kind of snapped me back in reality. Within an instant like a flash I began feeling pounding, beating against my arms! Scratches from the paws of my dog, frantically swiping the mud away from my would be grave. It all happened so fast! But I remember the smacking of his paws against my arms at first. It seemed to clear away allot of the mud that eventually led down to my head. His paws continuously slapping against my head, my shoulders! And then its kind of a blur but then I remember the tugging began. Along with the tugging, a bite around the back of my neck that every now and again would pinch my skin and the hair on the back of my neck. I remember I could now breath! Spitting out mud and water from my mouth and at the same time I could breath, I guess my ears opened back up so I could hear the whining. For like a true old yeller, a modern day rin tin tin, my dog Manassas had jumped down to the solid section of bank in front of me, and dug, pawed, bitten on to, tugged and pulled me by my shirt collar as well as a chest fly pack I had on. Enough for me to use my own arms and grasp some solid roots, and pull myself (along with Manassas who never stopped tugging until I was more than up and safe of the solid bank) the feeling was unreal! I sat there in disbelief! The joy, the happiness, the great fullness I had in my heart for god and my dog for saving me from what could've been a terrible end. I laid there still frightened and exhausted, still in shock and disbelief by the act that had just happened. But I could focus on that aspect for long, for the next thing to follow was showering array of dog kisses! Whining, licking and rubbing his face and whole body against mine. Wincing, and nudging, trying to snuggle underneath me and show me I was his dominant master that he wanted to take his place along side me as a pack member. I hugged and kissed and returned the affection on all counts but he deserves all the credit and honor of being called the alpha male in our two boy pack.

Everything passed by the next couple of days with kind of a haze, a fog about it. My wife and I forever great full and with full intentions of spoiling our beautiful dog everyday for the rest of our lives. Our family has never been closer, it was something that changed us forever. And I pray I will never let down, never disappoint my best friend, my dog Manassas and never will I forget our day on that river, and a river rescue...

(The photo/graphic novel strip shown here is from the August issue of Outdoor Life Magazine, they did an interview with me and I told them the story of how Manassas saved my life)