1 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: If we don't get picked up by this helicopter, we 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: probably will hit the other shoreline either at or shortly 3 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: after dark. And then my concern is, am I even 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: gonna be able to walk around to get firewood? Are 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,640 Speaker 1: my fingers gonna work for me to light that fire? 6 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:21,799 Speaker 2: This is the story of a near death experience of 7 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 2: a game warden in northern Canada. It's kind of weird 8 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 2: to me how humans are so attracted to these near 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 2: death stories. I know that, I sure am, and I 10 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 2: think it's a primitive built into our DNA thing because 11 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 2: these stories are loaded with payoff, they teach us how 12 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,760 Speaker 2: to survive, and are simply entertaining stories, and both of 13 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:46,160 Speaker 2: these things are connected. On this episode, you're gonna learn 14 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:49,920 Speaker 2: a new way to die, which also might teach you 15 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 2: a new way to survive. Cold water is a deadly killer. 16 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 2: I really doubt that you're gonna want to miss this one. 17 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 2: And hey, don't forget about our new Bear Grease YouTube 18 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 2: channel and Instagram page Bear John and I've got videos 19 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 2: coming out every Wednesday. 20 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 3: Thank you for the support. 21 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,199 Speaker 2: My name is Clay Nukeom and this is the Bear 22 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: Grease Podcast where we'll explore things forgotten but relevant, search 23 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: for insight and unlikely places, and where we'll tell the 24 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 2: story of Americans who live their lives close to the land. 25 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 2: Brought to you by to Covi's Boots. I'm a cowboy 26 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: boot man and I've been wearing to Covis for years. 27 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 2: They're the most comfortable boot I've ever put on. Good 28 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 2: boots for good times. 29 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: We're making our way up through the river. Eventually we 30 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 1: get to the lake right around It was in the evening, 31 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:00,560 Speaker 1: around six o'clock, and you sort of play it that way, 32 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: thinking that, Okay, if guys are going to be, you know, 33 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: coming up to the camp throughout the day, they'll probably, 34 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: you know, either like a lot of guys. I should 35 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: also say, like the ice has only been off the 36 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: lake for I think two or three days at this point, 37 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: this is late May. We get out of the lake. 38 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: We don't hear anything, we don't see anything. We kind 39 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,840 Speaker 1: of putter down to one end of the lake. We 40 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 1: can't see, you know, anybody in the camps. It just 41 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: looks like it's it's empty. There's nobody around. So we 42 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: get out, grab a snack, stretch our legs a little bit, 43 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: get back in the boat, start puttering our way back 44 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: and it wasn't windy, but there was, you know, a 45 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: bit of a wind, I will say. And we're driving 46 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: along and I don't really I don't think either of 47 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,680 Speaker 1: us really know what happens or what happened. But I 48 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 1: was peeling a banana in the front of the boat. 49 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 3: That's why I remember. 50 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: I'm peeling the banana, and the next thing I know, 51 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: I just feel the boat. It kind of you know, 52 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:55,839 Speaker 1: like if you're going along to have a small wave 53 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,680 Speaker 1: kind of hit you sideways, you just kind of roll 54 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: over that almost ladder, if that makes sense. So we 55 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: feel that that wind, that little wave, it just kind 56 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: of rocks the boat one way, and then the next 57 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: thing you know, we're upside down. 58 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 2: The table for crisis has been set, icy water and 59 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 2: a flipped boat in a remote location. We'll start to 60 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 2: move backwards from here. 61 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 3: My name is Rob Argue. 62 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,520 Speaker 1: I'm a retired conservation officer from the Province of Ontario 63 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,920 Speaker 1: in Canada, and I'm now the owner and operator of 64 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: Eastern Canadian Outfitters, where we have three hunting and fishing 65 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: lodges in Ontario and Quebec. 66 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 2: In twenty seventeen, a hunted bear with Rob at his 67 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 2: place in Quebec, and I've never forgotten a story that 68 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 2: he told me. I think I remember it because it 69 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 2: touches on one of my core fears, big water. You 70 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 2: may have heard me talk about it, but my only 71 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 2: legit near death experience that I've had thus far in 72 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: my life was a close call in fast water in 73 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 2: wash it Tall Mountain Stream when I was nineteen. Rob 74 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 2: has a story about not just water, but cold water, 75 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 2: icy water, which is as deadly as any bullet bomb 76 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: or disease. Our bodies just starting equipped to take much 77 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 2: of it. Rob was a conservation officer, or what we'd 78 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: call down here a game warden, and he was stationed 79 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 2: in a remote community in northern Ontario called Cappus Casing. 80 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 2: I wanted to ask him how he got into being 81 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 2: a game. 82 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: Warden basically, I mean, I started out being a conservation 83 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:34,040 Speaker 1: officer a game warden in the late nineties. That's when 84 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: I got on full time, was January of ninety nine. 85 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: But yeah, as a young officer in a northern community 86 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: like that, I mean it was it was kind of neat. 87 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: I equate it to being like a you know, the 88 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: sheriff of a small town. Everybody knew, you know, who 89 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: you were. It was neat and that you made contacts 90 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: and relationships with sort of key people in the community 91 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,479 Speaker 1: and it was nice to you know, you'd start to 92 00:04:57,520 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: build trust with those people and then they would give 93 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: you in for me, which made your job easier just 94 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 1: of you know where to look and who you were 95 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:06,600 Speaker 1: sort of keeping an eye on and what was going on. 96 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: So it was a great, great place to start being. 97 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:12,359 Speaker 1: You know, I wouldn't say a city kid, but I 98 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 1: mean I was born and raised in Ottawa, which is 99 00:05:14,279 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: the capital of Canada, so I was in a very 100 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: suburban environment growing up. Then in high school we moved 101 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 1: about forty five minutes out of the city, so it 102 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: was in a small town carl Carlton Place, and it 103 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: was like going back in time. Basically everybody hunted and 104 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: fished there. The high school. You know, there would never 105 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:32,840 Speaker 1: be a test during the first two weeks of November 106 00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: because i was the deer season and there were just 107 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,240 Speaker 1: no boys in school during those those two weeks of November. 108 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: So it was a bit of a culture shock going 109 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:43,040 Speaker 1: from the city out to the country. But that's where 110 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 1: you know, the hunting and fishing bug kind of really bit. 111 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:50,920 Speaker 2: Rob's story of deer days in school makes me see 112 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 2: that rural North America, even if it's in Canada, isn't 113 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 2: much different anywhere. We're kind of all the same. The 114 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,480 Speaker 2: context of Rob's story happens while he was a game warden, 115 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 2: but the second part of the context was that it 116 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:10,280 Speaker 2: took place in deep Canadian wilderness, which is no joke. 117 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 2: When I first started traveling in Canada, I quickly realized 118 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 2: the vast amount of uninhabited wild places that they have 119 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 2: as far superior in terms of absence of people in 120 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 2: roads than anything that we. 121 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 3: Have in the lower forty eight. 122 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 2: A good place to start this story is to try 123 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 2: to get a grasp of Canadian wilderness. 124 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: So to give you an idea of the expanse of 125 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,680 Speaker 1: sort of, I'll say northern Canada, and it doesn't even 126 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: have to be that far north. But basically, you know 127 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: where I live in Ottawa. It's the capital city of Canada. 128 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: There's a million people here, which is not a big city. 129 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: But if you drive say forty five minutes to an 130 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:54,239 Speaker 1: hour outside of the city, you have Deer, Moose Bear, 131 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: you have some small towns, but you're kind of in 132 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 1: the on the border, the middle of nowhere, and even 133 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: beyond that, Like if you think of the province of Quebec, 134 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,039 Speaker 1: for example, the northern. 135 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 3: Tip of Quebec is the Arctic. 136 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: There's polar bears, there's walrus, there's you know, seals, there's caribou. 137 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: The eastern corner of the same province in Quebec is 138 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: the ocean, so you have you. 139 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 3: Know, the. 140 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: Saint Lawrence River, the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River 141 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: where you have whales and you know seafood, so you 142 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: have that maritime environment. If you look at the reflection 143 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: of the wildlife that's present and the different species, it 144 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: just gives you an idea of the different environments and 145 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 1: how much that one province, you know, spreads from one corner, 146 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 1: which is the Atlantic Ocean basically to the Arctic Ocean, 147 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: and then in the southwest you know the Great Lakes region. 148 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 3: So these are big, big areas. 149 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:47,560 Speaker 1: Canada's population, i think right now is around forty million, 150 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: so it's about a tenth of what it is in 151 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: the States. So we have just massive, massive tracts of 152 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: land that there's nobody around. 153 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 2: Roughly one point five million square miles of Canada. Nearly 154 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,080 Speaker 2: forty percent of the country's land mass is considered largely 155 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:09,600 Speaker 2: wild and remote, characterized by minimal human impact and sparse 156 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 2: infrastructure in low road density. Much of this is boreal 157 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 2: forest and Arctic tundra. Over eighty percent of Canada's land 158 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,400 Speaker 2: masks is public land or what they call crown land, 159 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 2: while roughly twenty eight percent of America's land mass is 160 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 2: publicly owned. But it's kind of deceptive because a large 161 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 2: percentage of that roadless big public land is in Alaska. 162 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 2: About sixty five percent of Canada exists in large roadless tracts, 163 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 2: reflecting its vast, sparsely penetrated interior. Point being, Canada has 164 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 2: some seriously wild places. Big backcountry is the context of 165 00:08:48,559 --> 00:08:53,160 Speaker 2: Rob's story, and it involves some walleye poachers or potential 166 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:56,880 Speaker 2: walleye poachers. Let's get into the story and if why 167 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 2: Canadians call the backcountry or backwoods the bush? 168 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,080 Speaker 1: So? I mean, one of the first things I should 169 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: say is when I was in Kappuskasing, I started with 170 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: another new officers name was Greg Clark, super guy. He 171 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: was a couple of years older than me, had a 172 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:13,280 Speaker 1: you know, he started at the same time as I 173 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: did as a conservation officer full time, but he had 174 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: been a deputy a little bit longer than me. He 175 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: was from northwestern Ontario, you know, born and raised in 176 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: the bush. Great with everything, snow machines, boating, you know, 177 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,680 Speaker 1: he was just he was a bush guy. So it 178 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: was again just what a great way to start my 179 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: career with this other guy. And we got along anyway. 180 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: It was just a fantastic relationship and a great partner. 181 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:40,360 Speaker 1: So as I mentioned, you know earlier, is you know, 182 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:42,720 Speaker 1: we had heard that there were people that were always 183 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: fishing every year the day before the walleye season opened 184 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: on a certain lake in the southern end of our district. 185 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: So this was a remote lake, hard to get into, 186 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 1: and cap Skasing is a pretty it's kind of a 187 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,679 Speaker 1: swampy area, so a lot of guys up there had argos. 188 00:09:57,320 --> 00:09:59,440 Speaker 3: You'd have you know, ATVs with big mud tires. 189 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: But our goo were pretty popular at the time, just 190 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,160 Speaker 1: because it was so wet. So a lot of these lakes, 191 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: you know, you might be in your argo for an 192 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: hour or two hours from where you park your vehicle 193 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: to get back into your camp that's on a certain lake, 194 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:14,080 Speaker 1: so so we were trying to figure out of you know, 195 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:15,600 Speaker 1: the big problem with a lot of these spots is 196 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:18,080 Speaker 1: you just you can't get in there without everybody else 197 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: knowing that you're either coming or that you're in or whatever. 198 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: So there was a river that flowed in from another 199 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:28,160 Speaker 1: you know, remote location, so we had to It was 200 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: a lot of work to get into where we were, 201 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:30,920 Speaker 1: so we're kind of limited in what we could take. 202 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,960 Speaker 1: So we basically brought a square stern canoe and there 203 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: were a couple of sets of rapids that we knew 204 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 1: we had to get through to get up into the lake. 205 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: So we ended up I chucked because we put like 206 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: a fifteen horse outboard motor on this canoe. You know, 207 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 1: that's basically what we needed to get up. But at 208 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: the same time, safety wise, you know, maybe that was 209 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:56,199 Speaker 1: a touch over powered for the canoe kind of thing, 210 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: but whatever. So I always always, and I still to 211 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 1: this day, you know, a pack with me that has 212 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,680 Speaker 1: a first aid kid survival kit, especially in those northern environments, 213 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: right because if something goes wrong, you may be there 214 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,199 Speaker 1: for a day or at least overnight before somebody can 215 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: get to you. So the M and R provided M 216 00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: and R Ministry and not resources. They provide us each 217 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 1: with a personal locator beacon and then we kind of 218 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: made our own survival kits. You know, I had my backpack. 219 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 3: With my gear. We loaded the canoe. 220 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: We were doing what was called plane clothes patrol, so 221 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:30,839 Speaker 1: that meant that, you know, we were dressed. We weren't 222 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,679 Speaker 1: in uniform, but we still had our gun belts on. 223 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:37,360 Speaker 1: We sort of had all of our tools with us, 224 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,360 Speaker 1: our ticket books, you know, binoculars, cameras, all that kind 225 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: of stuff. So we loaded up the canoe and I 226 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: don't remember how long, but it was certainly, you know, 227 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: it was a couple of hours. I can say probably 228 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: about two hours to kind of because again you couldn't 229 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,560 Speaker 1: go too fast up this this river. It was again 230 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:54,320 Speaker 1: there was good current and everything else, so we kind 231 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 1: of just putted our way up the river. 232 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:57,320 Speaker 3: It was beautiful. 233 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: All I could think about, you know, being sort of 234 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 1: this new Hunters, like I'm want to come back here 235 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:02,480 Speaker 1: in Mussan because it just it looked like I was, 236 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,439 Speaker 1: you know, on a TV show in the Yukon or 237 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: something like that. It was gorgeous area and again nobody 238 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:11,240 Speaker 1: else around. So we're making our way up through up 239 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: through the river. Eventually we get to the lake right 240 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 1: around It was in the evening, around six o'clock, and 241 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: we'd sort of planned it that way, thinking that, Okay, 242 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: if guys are going to be, you know, coming up 243 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 1: to the camp throughout the day, they'll probably you know, 244 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 1: eater like. 245 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 3: A lot of guys. 246 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: I should also say, like, the ice has only been 247 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: off the lake for I think two or three days 248 00:12:29,800 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: at this point. 249 00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:31,080 Speaker 3: This is late. 250 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 1: May, so depending on the year, sometimes sometimes walleye season 251 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,400 Speaker 1: opened up there and there was still ice on the lake, 252 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:40,520 Speaker 1: normally not enough to ice fish. But anyway, it was 253 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: right around that time when the lakes were thawing that 254 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,880 Speaker 1: the walleye season would open. So we get onto the lake. 255 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: We don't hear anything, we don't see anything. We kind 256 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: of putter down to one end of the lake. We 257 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: can't see, you know, anybody in the camps. It just 258 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 1: looks like it's it's empty. There's nobody around. 259 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 3: So we turn the boat around. 260 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: I think we got out at one point actually because 261 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: we switched spots where I had driven up and Greg 262 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: was going to drive us out, and so we get out, 263 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: grab a snack, stretch our legs a little bit, get 264 00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: back in the boat, start puttering our way back. And 265 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: it wasn't windy, but there was, you know, a bit 266 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: of a wind, I will say. And we're driving along 267 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: and I don't really I don't think either of us 268 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:25,079 Speaker 1: really know what happens or what happened. But I was 269 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: peeling a banana in the front of the boat. That's 270 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: where I remember. I'm peeling the banana and the next 271 00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: thing I know, I just feel the boat. It kind 272 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: of you know, like if you're going along you have 273 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,199 Speaker 1: a small wave kind of hits you sideways, you just 274 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: kind of roll over that almost laterally, if that makes sense. 275 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: So we feel that that wind, that little wave, it 276 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: just kind of rocks the boat one way, and then 277 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: the next thing, you know, we're upside down. So yeah, 278 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:56,320 Speaker 1: I'm peeling this banana one second and then I just 279 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,559 Speaker 1: just like this little swoop and then I'm underwater. 280 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:04,320 Speaker 2: Everything is perfect until it's not. This is usually the 281 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 2: context for bad things happening. And don't forget about that banana, 282 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,680 Speaker 2: because I garand dog te you we will be back 283 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:16,160 Speaker 2: for that. But usually disaster is quick and unexpected. However, 284 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 2: they were on a remote ice cold leg, so they 285 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,880 Speaker 2: knew there was just a razor thin layer between them 286 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 2: and extreme danger. But let's dwell on that thin edge 287 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 2: for just a minute. I think about that thin edge 288 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 2: when I ride a mule. Things can go wrong like 289 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 2: so quick. I think about it. When I drive a car, 290 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 2: things can go wrong quick. And you should think about 291 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 2: this when you're in cold water. These guys all of 292 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:46,480 Speaker 2: a sudden found themselves in a life threatening situation. But no, biggie, right, 293 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 2: I mean, they've got a lot of options, or do they? 294 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: So? As I mentioned, you know, we're still wearing our 295 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 1: I call them duty boots or whatever, but you know 296 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,160 Speaker 1: they're like fairly black hea boots were wearing a gun 297 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,320 Speaker 1: belt back in the day. Of course, everybody, that's cool. 298 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,280 Speaker 1: You're not wearing a life jacket. You're sitting on it 299 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: because it's a seat. So neither of us were wearing 300 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: life jackets, which was really dumb. And it's funny because underwater, 301 00:15:16,360 --> 00:15:19,000 Speaker 1: it's it's amazing what sort of comes to you and 302 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,320 Speaker 1: how quickly things come to you. When I was a kid, 303 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: before I knew what a conservation officer was, I always 304 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: wanted to be a fighter pilot, So you know, I 305 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,080 Speaker 1: knew everything about we had f eighteens up here cfaighteens. 306 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 1: I knew all the stats on cfaighteens. I was watching 307 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: videos all the time as a young guy, and one 308 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,640 Speaker 1: of the videos I remember seeing was it was a 309 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 1: US Navy video where you would see the pilot in 310 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: like a fake cockpit coming down into a pool. So 311 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: I think it was for like whatever fourteens or something, 312 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: but it was a training video of what you do 313 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:49,920 Speaker 1: if you hit the water and you're kind of you know, 314 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: you'd lose your whereabouts. And what I remember is you 315 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,720 Speaker 1: blow a bubble. So when you blow a bubble, automatically, 316 00:15:56,800 --> 00:15:58,960 Speaker 1: the bubble goes up, and that tells you which way 317 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: to swim because you're upside down or twisted around and 318 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 1: you start swimming. You may be swimming down, you may 319 00:16:04,600 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: be swimming sideways. You don't know. So that that came 320 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: to me in my head. So I blow the little bubble. 321 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:10,920 Speaker 1: I see which way is up. So I and then 322 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 1: again in my head, I'm like, oh my god, I'm 323 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: gonna sink like a rock wearing you know, the gun 324 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 1: belt and everything else. So I just start swimming up. 325 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: And you know, I wasn't that deep. I was probably 326 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: only a couple feet under the water, but you don't 327 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:23,440 Speaker 1: realize it at the time. So I actually came up 328 00:16:23,920 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: underneath the canoe, and so I sort of put my 329 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: hands on the canoe, you know, take a breath, and 330 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: that's when it hits you of how cold that stupid 331 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: water is. Like I say, I think the ice had 332 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,800 Speaker 1: been off the lake for two maybe three days. So 333 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: then the next thought is, okay, where's Greg. So you know, 334 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: I kind of pull the canoe over my head or 335 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:45,080 Speaker 1: I get out from under the canoe. 336 00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 3: I look around. I see Greg's you know. 337 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: Off whatever I'm gonna say, five yards maybe off the 338 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,480 Speaker 1: back of the boat. And of course, like you're hearing 339 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,240 Speaker 1: different videos or whatever, he had hit his head as 340 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,200 Speaker 1: part of his kind of process going down, so you 341 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,600 Speaker 1: know he was. He was okay, but still a little 342 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 1: I don't want to say groggy, I think just disoriented, 343 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:09,400 Speaker 1: maybe like you don't both wear in the water. 344 00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:13,159 Speaker 3: But yeah, anyway, we you know, I get him to 345 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:13,639 Speaker 3: the boat. 346 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 1: We kind of take a second to take it all in, 347 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 1: just realize the situation we're in, which isn't good. 348 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 3: You know, it's cold water, the boat's flipped over. 349 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:26,639 Speaker 2: How far are you from the bank? 350 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 3: Exactly, great question, Not that far. 351 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: I would say we were probably, oh, one hundred yards 352 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:38,879 Speaker 1: at the most. Probably like eighty yards would be my guess. 353 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:41,920 Speaker 2: So, Robin Gregg, are less than one hundred yards from 354 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 2: the bank. That doesn't seem like very far. If someone 355 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:46,919 Speaker 2: put a gun to your head right now and asks 356 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,960 Speaker 2: you if you believe that you could swim to the 357 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 2: shore with a life jacket on in thirty five degree water, 358 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 2: what would you say? If you're with somebody right now 359 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,720 Speaker 2: riding the in a truck, or with your why or 360 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:03,160 Speaker 2: your kids, ask them if they think that they could 361 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 2: do it, say yes or no. When in cold water, though, 362 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,960 Speaker 2: you typically have about ten minutes of fairly normal mobility 363 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 2: before you start to seize up. 364 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 3: The tick and clock has started for Rob. 365 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:18,040 Speaker 2: Let's see what Rob says. 366 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: The first thing we're doing is we're going, okay, well, 367 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 1: let's try to, you know, get the boat flipped over 368 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:25,960 Speaker 1: and we'll see if we can get back in the boat. 369 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: And as we're doing this, you know I talked earlier 370 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: about having a backpack with different equipment. Some of the 371 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,639 Speaker 1: equipment then starts kind of popping up from underneath I 372 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: see my backpack pop up. So I think the first 373 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:42,480 Speaker 1: thing I did was I went back underneath the boat 374 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,239 Speaker 1: because I wanted to try to find life jackets. Right 375 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: our two life jackets. So I found one life jacket. 376 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: I put that on. Then I swam again, not far 377 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: a couple feet to grab that backpack. And then we 378 00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,399 Speaker 1: tried correcting the a couple of times, and we we 379 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:03,119 Speaker 1: just we couldn't do it. I mean a it was 380 00:19:03,760 --> 00:19:06,399 Speaker 1: a combination of the cold water. It's amazing how fast 381 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:08,480 Speaker 1: you just you can't move. It's like your muscle sees 382 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: up you're breathing, really constricts on you. So then my 383 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: next thought is, okay, I have this life jacket on. 384 00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 1: You know, Greg's holding on. 385 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 3: To the back of the boat. 386 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:19,360 Speaker 1: You know, the whole key in cold waters just get 387 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:21,200 Speaker 1: as much of your body up out of the water 388 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:23,200 Speaker 1: as possible. So at that point, you know, Greg was 389 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 1: pretty much I would say, other than maybe his legs 390 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: in the water, like his chest and upper body was 391 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: up over the back of the canoe, you know. And 392 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: I I was a very strong swimmer. I used to 393 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: love swimming all that good stuff. I said, Okay, well, 394 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,399 Speaker 1: I have my life jacket on, I'm going to swim 395 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:40,760 Speaker 1: to the shore because there were camps right across from 396 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: where we were, So I'm gonna swim to the shore. 397 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: I'm gonna grab you know, another boat. If I have 398 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: to break in somewhere, I'll break into a shed or 399 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: grab a canoe, whatever, and then I'll come back out 400 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:50,720 Speaker 1: and pick them up. 401 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 3: Okay, good plan. 402 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:55,720 Speaker 1: So I start swimming to shore, and like I say, 403 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:58,120 Speaker 1: at that point, I you know, when I say eighty yards, 404 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: As I'm thinking back, I don't even think it was 405 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: that far. Like I think it was more like, you know, 406 00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:05,879 Speaker 1: fifty yards. But I start swimming and I'm kind of 407 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: on my back just trying to sort of, I don't know, 408 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: kick and push water. But because I didn't want to 409 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: expend a whole lot of energy. It's not like I 410 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: was going to do a breaststroke or overhead or whatever. 411 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: But every sort of every time I would exhale, I 412 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 1: could inhale less. And it was just it was like 413 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:24,880 Speaker 1: a ball constructor on my chest. And it didn't take 414 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 1: me very long at all. I went maybe ten yards 415 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:29,960 Speaker 1: and I'm like, man, I can't do this now. Whether 416 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,560 Speaker 1: I could have kept going or whether that was more 417 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: of a mental panic thing. I don't know, wow, but 418 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:36,879 Speaker 1: I was just like, yeah, I'm not going to be 419 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:39,679 Speaker 1: able to breathe soon. So anyway, I went back to 420 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 1: the boat. I'm like, you know, I don't know what 421 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 1: to tell you, but we're kind of stuck here. 422 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 2: I want to talk about, like how close you were 423 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 2: to the shore. I think most people, including me, who 424 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 2: wouldn't have the experience of being plunged into water that 425 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 2: is just above freezing. 426 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 3: Just how difficult it would be. 427 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:06,680 Speaker 2: You would think that, oh, he's eighty yards from shore, 428 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:12,120 Speaker 2: this young fit guy, he's gonna easily swim to the shore. 429 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 2: And then you're just contending against he's he's also now 430 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,399 Speaker 2: you know, cold and wet, but he's on shore. He 431 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 2: could build a fire. 432 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 3: He'll be able to walk. 433 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,399 Speaker 2: And move and and and and you know, save himself 434 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:30,920 Speaker 2: from hypothermia. But I mean, you're telling me that the 435 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:35,040 Speaker 2: water is just crippling when it's that cold it is 436 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 2: and you just can't you just can't navigate through it. 437 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you're one hundred percent rate in that. A 438 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,359 Speaker 1: lot of this was it was just it was a 439 00:21:44,400 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: super emotional roller coaster because you know, you're. 440 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 3: Right when I when I. 441 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: Did the first attempt to swim to shore, you know, 442 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,600 Speaker 1: when I left that boat, I'm like, yeah, okay, well 443 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: that's that's just what I'm going to do. I mean, again, 444 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,719 Speaker 1: I was a super sman, strong swimmer. I was in 445 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: good shape. I was even wearing a life jacket. I'm like, 446 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:04,360 Speaker 1: you know, even if I have to stop and take 447 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:06,200 Speaker 1: a break, okay, I'll take a break. 448 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:07,879 Speaker 3: But I had. 449 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: No idea, or I would never have thought that I 450 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: wouldn't be able to swim that distance to get to shore. 451 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,199 Speaker 1: And at that point, you know, I wasn't so concerned 452 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:23,080 Speaker 1: with mobility once I hit shore, I think because it 453 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,159 Speaker 1: was still you know, it was very early on. We'd 454 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: probably only been in the water, like i'm gonna say, 455 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: maybe five to ten minutes at that point. Like that 456 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:31,600 Speaker 1: was that was the first thing that came to mind. 457 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: That was the easy answers. Okay, it's it's right there, 458 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 1: the cabins are right there. I'm just gonna swim there. 459 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:38,320 Speaker 1: So I wasn't even thinking of you know, plan B, 460 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,239 Speaker 1: C or D down the road. That was that was 461 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:41,920 Speaker 1: just what I was going to do, and that's how 462 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,199 Speaker 1: we were going to get out. 463 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:49,080 Speaker 3: But yeah, it's the it how fast like it was. 464 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: Literally I'm gonna say, you know, five strokes away from 465 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,480 Speaker 1: the boat, maybe five you know yards from the boat, 466 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:58,159 Speaker 1: and that's where I'm like, I can't do this. 467 00:22:58,200 --> 00:22:59,600 Speaker 3: There's there's no way I'm going to be able to 468 00:22:59,640 --> 00:22:59,919 Speaker 3: get over. 469 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 2: I appreciate Rob's honesty about not being able to swim 470 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:07,640 Speaker 2: the shore, it just seems so close. But if he 471 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:09,840 Speaker 2: couldn't do it, I have no reason to think that 472 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,119 Speaker 2: I could have done it. I didn't grow up boating 473 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 2: on big cold water, but have spent some time in 474 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 2: my adult life in some big cold Canadian and Alaskan water. Once, 475 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:24,600 Speaker 2: while I was with Steve Ranella up in Alaska, we 476 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 2: were less than a half mile off the shore in 477 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 2: probably forty degree water, forty degree air temperature, something like that, 478 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 2: and I asked him, I said, Steve, if we sank 479 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 2: this boat right now, could we swim to shore? And 480 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 2: he casually and without hesitation, said no. And I said, 481 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,000 Speaker 2: so we just die. If this boat sinks, we die, 482 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 2: and he was just like, yep. And it was then 483 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:50,840 Speaker 2: that had occurred to me just how risky it is 484 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 2: to be on a boat in cold water. Juju Newcomb 485 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 2: should have warned me about this. 486 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: So then the next step, and it's in a way 487 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,639 Speaker 1: part of I think is maybe a bit of an 488 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:06,400 Speaker 1: embarrassment factor, or maybe it's you know, you're just trying 489 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,640 Speaker 1: to grapple with the reality of the situation you're in. 490 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 1: So I had that personal locator beacon in my backpack 491 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: that came up. Another thing that was in that backpack 492 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: that we'll come back to later that was super important 493 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: is I had an airhorn. So I got the PLB, 494 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: I turned it on and so what that does is 495 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 1: that sends a signal to a satellite and then the 496 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 1: satellite relays it back to I believe in Ontario, I 497 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:35,000 Speaker 1: think it's the opp Ontario Provincial Police, so it'd be 498 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:36,640 Speaker 1: like our state troopers kind of thing. And I think 499 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: they're responsible for like search and rescue activities in the province. 500 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:41,480 Speaker 3: And we were. 501 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: You know, I keep thinking of things in the term 502 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: of like helicopter distances, right, and we had a big 503 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 1: forest fire fighting center in the city of Timmins, and 504 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: Timmins would be helicopter flight wise probably about forty five 505 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: minutes from the lake where we were, So you know, 506 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:00,400 Speaker 1: I kept thinking, Okay, this is cool. We just got 507 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: to hang on for about you know, forty five minutes 508 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 1: and we'll hear a helicopter come in and they'll scoop 509 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,440 Speaker 1: us up and we'll be all good. As I mentioned before, 510 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: this was around six six thirty at night in late May, 511 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:13,520 Speaker 1: so I think it gets dark. I don't know, a 512 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: thirty maybe nine at the latest kind of thing. Probably 513 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: that's probably about probably about nine o'clock at night. So 514 00:25:19,280 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: you know, we just decided, okay, we're just going to 515 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,199 Speaker 1: have to sit it out, and we're waiting for for 516 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,359 Speaker 1: a helicopter to come that I'm thinking shouldn't take very long. 517 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:29,879 Speaker 1: So at this point, you know, Greg's kind of the 518 00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 1: same thing. On the back, I actually get up to 519 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:35,760 Speaker 1: the front of the boat, the bow of the canoe, 520 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:37,520 Speaker 1: and I'm straddling it, so I'm sitting on it like 521 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: I'm riding a horse. And what I'm doing is that 522 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:43,159 Speaker 1: with you know, with my legs, I'm trying to keep it. 523 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 1: It's still a very tippy canoe, so I'm trying to 524 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,639 Speaker 1: kind of keep the canoe balanced and stable so that 525 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,200 Speaker 1: both myself and Greg are you know, up out of 526 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 1: the water as much as possible. But every once in 527 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: a while, we'd get just a little gust of wind 528 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 1: or a wave or whatever, and you know, boom, we 529 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,399 Speaker 1: both go back in. And it was so frustrating because 530 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: you know, you you'd feel your the basically your skin 531 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:08,200 Speaker 1: temperature warming up after you're up out of the water 532 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,080 Speaker 1: for a little while, and then you get dunked in 533 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:13,160 Speaker 1: and you just feel that cold water, you know, wash 534 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:15,320 Speaker 1: away all the warmth and then you're back down to 535 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:20,439 Speaker 1: freezing cold again. So sort of just frustrating is the 536 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,240 Speaker 1: wind is then slowly blowing us away from that shore 537 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: across the lake and it's not a huge lake, but 538 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:31,960 Speaker 1: you just feel really helpless. You're like, you know, you're 539 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:33,679 Speaker 1: just in a waiting game, right, So we just you know, 540 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:35,879 Speaker 1: we're talking to each other kind of trying to keep 541 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: spirits up, keep optimists, you know, yeah, optimistic that either 542 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:43,119 Speaker 1: the helicopter is gonna come. And then you know, in 543 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: the back of my mind or our mind, we're both 544 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: you know, realizing that it is still the day before 545 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,320 Speaker 1: fishing season, and if we've had these complaints of guys 546 00:26:50,359 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: coming in the day before, there should be people coming in, 547 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:55,560 Speaker 1: you know, to these camps the night before in order 548 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:56,760 Speaker 1: to be there for the following day. 549 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:59,240 Speaker 2: Let me ask you this, what was the confirmation that 550 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:03,159 Speaker 2: you're beaking had sent the distress message. I mean, this 551 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 2: is not a text message machine. No, obviously that you 552 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,520 Speaker 2: could like tell them exactly what was going on. Yeah, Like, 553 00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:11,240 Speaker 2: is it just assumed that if you hit that button, 554 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:13,119 Speaker 2: they're coming for you? 555 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:15,440 Speaker 1: All your right, all your faith is in a little 556 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:18,919 Speaker 1: red flashing light. It's like, you know, you know that 557 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,520 Speaker 1: it's on and it's sending a signal, but that's all, 558 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,119 Speaker 1: you know. I when I really started getting worried was 559 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: after that forty five minute, one hour, hour and a 560 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: half market. I hadn't heard that helicopter. I'm like, what 561 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: is going on? Like, it shouldn't be taking this long. 562 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:36,840 Speaker 2: That's got to be a spooky, lonely feeling when no 563 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:40,360 Speaker 2: one comes, especially when you know that your life has 564 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 2: a time stamp on it that's not years or days, 565 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 2: but is hours and minutes long. And that brings up 566 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:51,680 Speaker 2: a great question, how long can these guys last? That's 567 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,760 Speaker 2: a good question to ask yourself right now. How long 568 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 2: do you think a human would last in these conditions? 569 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,119 Speaker 2: Within assumed air temperature in the forties and we know 570 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 2: there's a little bit of win. Make your guess how 571 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:12,480 Speaker 2: long could they last? What was your understanding of hypothermia 572 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 2: at that time? I mean, obviously, I know you would 573 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:18,240 Speaker 2: have known that's what you were fighting against, But did 574 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:22,679 Speaker 2: you know the signs of hypothermia? Was that something that 575 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,800 Speaker 2: you were fighting against? I mean, like thinking about. 576 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: Yes, I think most people have a basic understanding of hypothermia, 577 00:28:31,040 --> 00:28:31,320 Speaker 1: you know. 578 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 3: How you get it, how to treat it. 579 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,680 Speaker 1: But that was absolutely our number one challenge that we 580 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:39,960 Speaker 1: knew we were going to have to sort of deal with. 581 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 1: And like I say, goes back to sort of that 582 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: the mental game of you know, frustration, trying to stay 583 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: positive because every time that you know, we've rolled off 584 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:52,360 Speaker 1: that boat, you know, you know in your mind what 585 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:53,400 Speaker 1: that's doing. 586 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 3: To you physically, and it's it's not good. 587 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 1: It's not what you want, right, Yeah, And you know, 588 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:00,480 Speaker 1: I mean I think there was, Yeah, there were things 589 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,680 Speaker 1: that we were lucky, you know, the weather, and again 590 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: there's lots of things you'll never forget. 591 00:29:05,640 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 3: Like, you know, it was a beautiful day. 592 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:11,480 Speaker 1: It was a beautiful, blue skied, gorgeous day out in 593 00:29:11,520 --> 00:29:13,719 Speaker 1: the woods, and I remember sitting on top of that 594 00:29:13,760 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 1: boat and especially you know, the farther we drifted across. 595 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: You're just watching the shoreline, and the cottages get farther 596 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:22,400 Speaker 1: and farther away, and you're like, oh man, so then 597 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:25,120 Speaker 1: you know then it's it's not I wouldn't say it's 598 00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 1: starting to get dark, but you know it's it's definitely 599 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: coming soon. 600 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 3: And you know that. 601 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: The next plan was it's like, okay, well, the way 602 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,760 Speaker 1: the wind's going, if we don't get picked up by 603 00:29:35,760 --> 00:29:39,920 Speaker 1: this helicopter, we probably will hit the other shoreline, you know, 604 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: either at or shortly after dark. Okay, And then my 605 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 1: concern is it's exactly what you said. Am I even 606 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: going to be able to walk around to get firewood? 607 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: Are my fingers gonna work for me to, you know, 608 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: light that fire. 609 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:58,480 Speaker 2: Think of hapithermia as your body's battery saber mode gone haywire. 610 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 2: It's a progressive slowing down that often robs you of 611 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,520 Speaker 2: the wits that you need to save yourself. It usually 612 00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 2: begins with stumbling, mumbling, and fumbling as your motor skills 613 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 2: and personality start to fray. 614 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:11,400 Speaker 3: At the edges. 615 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 2: You'll transition from violent, uncontrollable shivering, which is your body's 616 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:20,719 Speaker 2: last ditch effort to friction heat itself to this deceptive 617 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 2: eerie stillness as your core temperature drops below ninety degrees 618 00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:29,240 Speaker 2: fahrenheit and the shivering stops entirely. This is the danger 619 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:33,880 Speaker 2: zone where victims may become confused, lethargic, or even experience 620 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 2: paradoxical undressing, a phenomenon where the brain in a state 621 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 2: of terminal haywire suddenly fells scorching hot and prompts the 622 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 2: person to strip off their clothes and freeze and tempts. 623 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:51,040 Speaker 2: This is also where people experience terminal burrowing, where you 624 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 2: feel the need to dig a hole and climb in it. 625 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:57,240 Speaker 2: If you are cold and you feel that sensation, you 626 00:30:57,320 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 2: gotta know you're in bad trouble and you better do 627 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:03,719 Speaker 2: something different. But after that, finally the heart rate starts 628 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 2: to slow, the skin becomes blue and cold to the touch, 629 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,480 Speaker 2: and the person may even appear dead even while they're alive. 630 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:16,479 Speaker 2: Here's some key stages to watch for in hypothermia. Mild 631 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 2: hypothermia is shivering like having goosebumps and numb hands. The 632 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 2: brain is still sharp, but the body is signaling for help. 633 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 2: Moderate hypothermia is the shivering becomes violent. Coordination fails like 634 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,000 Speaker 2: you can't zip a jacket, you have slurred speech and 635 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 2: kind of get this glassed overlook. Severe hypothermia is when 636 00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 2: the shivering stops. The person may become non responsive, irrational, 637 00:31:43,720 --> 00:31:47,280 Speaker 2: they may pass out. The pulse becomes weak and irregular. 638 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 2: Here's more from Rob. 639 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 1: We, like I say, we went in. I think it 640 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: was shortly after six, and then I want to say, 641 00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,720 Speaker 1: it gets dark around nine. I'm gonna see I think 642 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: it was around eight or eight thirty that in the 643 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,000 Speaker 1: distance we hear a couple of ATVs coming. So I 644 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,440 Speaker 1: had said earlier that, you know, we we were hoping 645 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 1: that maybe somebody would come into their camp, and sure 646 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: enough they did. So we heard the ATVs. And I 647 00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:17,240 Speaker 1: mentioned again earlier that in my pack with the survival 648 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: kid all that stuff, I had the PLB that was 649 00:32:18,880 --> 00:32:21,240 Speaker 1: up and running, and I also had an air horn. 650 00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: So a couple of times earlier, I think twice earlier, 651 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 1: i'd kind of done the like the SOS signal on 652 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 1: the air horn. No answer anyway, So we heard these ATVs, 653 00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:33,800 Speaker 1: you know, really clearly came into one of the camps 654 00:32:33,800 --> 00:32:35,800 Speaker 1: that were on the north side of the lake, which 655 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 1: was the you know, the decide that we're now drifting 656 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,080 Speaker 1: away from where we initially went in, sort of pretty 657 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 1: close to there. Yeah, it was I mean, you know, 658 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:47,680 Speaker 1: when you hear the ATVs, it's just, you. 659 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:49,240 Speaker 3: Know, literally it's like, thank god. 660 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:52,760 Speaker 1: We you know, we were you're hoping that someone's going 661 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: to come into their camp. We we knew that historically 662 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 1: people were coming into their camps the night before, so 663 00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:00,680 Speaker 1: you know, we had just there were a couple of 664 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:03,920 Speaker 1: you know, we had a couple of hopes the first 665 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 1: and it was it was also one of my real 666 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,200 Speaker 1: frustrations after it all. 667 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:09,960 Speaker 3: I really really thought that we. 668 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,680 Speaker 1: Were gonna have an minar helicopter show up about forty 669 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: five minutes, you know after we went in, and I'm like, 670 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:19,280 Speaker 1: I just couldn't understand why that wasn't happening. But then, yeah, 671 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:22,560 Speaker 1: when we did hear the ATVs, it's like, you know, A, 672 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:25,800 Speaker 1: it's thank goodness. B it's you know, please let them 673 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 1: hear this air horn. You know, they're not gonna hear 674 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 1: it while the ATV's are running, and if you know, 675 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: if they go from a running ATV directly into their camp, 676 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 1: they're maybe not going to hear anything. Is there even 677 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: enough air still in the air horn to signal that 678 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:41,520 Speaker 1: they're gonna hear. So, yeah, it's it's emotionally so it's 679 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: it's exciting, it's rewarding. At the same time, there's just 680 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: a lot of anxiety of you know, am I even 681 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:48,880 Speaker 1: going to be able to signal these people in a 682 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:50,640 Speaker 1: way that they're gonna be able to hear us? Are 683 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 1: they even equipped to come out and get us? You know, 684 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: I mean this was the first trip in to a 685 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:57,480 Speaker 1: lot of these camps. The guys are in the spring, 686 00:33:57,560 --> 00:33:59,400 Speaker 1: so that means they have to you know, take a 687 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: boat out of storage, a motor out of storage. Yeah, whatever, 688 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:04,959 Speaker 1: So there's there's time involved even if they do here 689 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: s right to get to us. 690 00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:08,400 Speaker 2: They've now been in and out of the water for 691 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 2: over two hours, but people on the shore have heard them. 692 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 1: So yeah, I just you know, I remember seeing the 693 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:16,399 Speaker 1: boat come out. 694 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:17,760 Speaker 3: It was two guys. 695 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:21,160 Speaker 1: They were basically you know, I don't think we had 696 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:23,919 Speaker 1: to say a whole lot. I think what they would 697 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:28,279 Speaker 1: have seen would have been pretty self explanatory. Yeah, it's 698 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:30,320 Speaker 1: almost like, you know what, I don't remember the boat 699 00:34:30,400 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: ride from like our canoe back to their their dock 700 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: or their camp. 701 00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,239 Speaker 3: I really don't, but yeah, so it was. 702 00:34:39,239 --> 00:34:41,040 Speaker 1: You know, and then and then I think there's also 703 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:43,600 Speaker 1: both physically and mentally, you know when you see that. 704 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:48,719 Speaker 1: I don't know if it's an adrenaline dump or what, 705 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: but you just again you kind of feel your energy 706 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,600 Speaker 1: just drain out of you, like I think, you know, 707 00:34:53,640 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: your body and with hypothermia, like we absolutely had hypothermia. 708 00:34:57,160 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 1: You know, we had had severe shivers and then stopped 709 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,000 Speaker 1: and then back, you know, shivering on and off at 710 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:02,840 Speaker 1: different levels. 711 00:35:03,680 --> 00:35:07,280 Speaker 2: How long were you out there? How long were you 712 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 2: in the water wet? 713 00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, we were in the water wet for I think 714 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,040 Speaker 1: it was close to two and a half hours, which, 715 00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: like I say, knowing the water temperature, you know, that's 716 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:18,600 Speaker 1: a long time. 717 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:19,800 Speaker 3: It was not fun for sure. 718 00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:22,759 Speaker 2: How long would you have lasted, do you know? 719 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:27,439 Speaker 1: I mean, if we could have stayed out of there's 720 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:29,719 Speaker 1: a lot of a lot of unknowns. 721 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:31,160 Speaker 3: I don't know is the answer. 722 00:35:31,239 --> 00:35:32,839 Speaker 1: I mean, I think if we could have stayed out 723 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:36,360 Speaker 1: of the water, like the air temperature was above freezing, 724 00:35:37,080 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 1: and you know, when we were up on the boat 725 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 1: out of the water, we were Okay. 726 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:46,640 Speaker 2: There's no way to know exactly how long these guys 727 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:50,360 Speaker 2: would have lasted because the variables are just so many. 728 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 2: But after some research on hypothermia, these guys could have 729 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:58,359 Speaker 2: lost consciousness in as little as two hours, but they 730 00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:02,959 Speaker 2: most certainly wouldn't have lasted more than six hours. Them 731 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:06,880 Speaker 2: spending two and a half hours, and these conditions bordered 732 00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:11,040 Speaker 2: on tragedy, but they had just been rescued. Do you 733 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:15,640 Speaker 2: remember what they said to you, what happened when you 734 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:16,760 Speaker 2: got back to that cabin? 735 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 1: You know what, I can't say enough. They were just 736 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 1: fantastic people. And it's to be honest, it's a reflection 737 00:36:25,840 --> 00:36:29,279 Speaker 1: I think of people that live in those northern communities 738 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:32,080 Speaker 1: or you know, to even go broader like I think, 739 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 1: not to say urban people don't help each other. They 740 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,280 Speaker 1: do all the time, of course, but in a situation 741 00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,360 Speaker 1: like that, you know, these were local people born and 742 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:46,360 Speaker 1: raised in Kappascasing northern community. Everybody just lives in that environment, 743 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,840 Speaker 1: and accidents happened in those environments, and. 744 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:52,960 Speaker 3: I think they knew what to do. 745 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:57,759 Speaker 1: They were incredibly you know, caring, compassionate, They were just 746 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:01,680 Speaker 1: they were all about taking care of us, which yeah, 747 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:03,000 Speaker 1: and it really wasn't long. 748 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:04,879 Speaker 3: I mean, I think we were only in. 749 00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:09,760 Speaker 1: Their cabin I'm guessing here, but I'm going to say 750 00:37:10,200 --> 00:37:12,560 Speaker 1: it was under half an hour, like maybe fifteen minutes. 751 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:16,000 Speaker 1: And then you hear the helicopter coming. So again mixed 752 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:18,359 Speaker 1: emotions of of like, okay, well this. 753 00:37:18,400 --> 00:37:20,880 Speaker 3: Is great, but I'm like, where have you been for 754 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 3: the last two and a half hours? Okay, So yeah, 755 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 3: it was kind of you know, it was cool. 756 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: We had the helicopters showed up and it basically there 757 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:32,520 Speaker 1: wasn't much of a land well there really wasn't a 758 00:37:32,600 --> 00:37:34,880 Speaker 1: landing area for it in front of this cab, and 759 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:38,799 Speaker 1: so it was kind of hovering in front, and then 760 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:42,400 Speaker 1: inside the helicopter was one of our one of our partners, 761 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: so it was another conservation officer and part of the 762 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: reason the helicopter took so long. When the helicopter was 763 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:53,280 Speaker 1: initially dispatched to come get us, there was I guess 764 00:37:53,280 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 1: some concern that, you know, when our personal locator beacon 765 00:37:56,640 --> 00:38:00,120 Speaker 1: goes off, nobody knows why that is, right, right, So 766 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:02,600 Speaker 1: they're like, well, if these guys are in a gunfight, 767 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:05,600 Speaker 1: we don't want to send a helicopter into, you know, 768 00:38:05,760 --> 00:38:08,879 Speaker 1: a situation that would be dangerous for them. Long story short, 769 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 1: they had they decided they wanted to get another armed 770 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,640 Speaker 1: conservation officer to go in the helicopter with them in case, 771 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:20,840 Speaker 1: you know whatever, who knows. So one of our partners 772 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:24,960 Speaker 1: gets out of the helicopter. At that point, I think 773 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:27,319 Speaker 1: we they had brought. It was kind of funny. We 774 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,440 Speaker 1: looked really really sad. We looked like prisoners. But we 775 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:32,800 Speaker 1: had our forest firefighters up here where like one piece 776 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:34,440 Speaker 1: bright orange jumpsuits. 777 00:38:34,480 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 3: That's that's the outfit they were to fight fires. 778 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:40,279 Speaker 1: So we put those on in order to leave the 779 00:38:40,320 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: clothes that you know, the people that rescued us gave us. 780 00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 1: And like I say, I don't even think we were 781 00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:46,880 Speaker 1: wearing close to be honest, I think we were just 782 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: wrapped up in a blank yeah, yeah, but yeah. 783 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:49,080 Speaker 3: So we put on. 784 00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: These orange, orange jumpsuits. You know, you feel like you're 785 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:55,960 Speaker 1: this and I'm sure we looked like these pale, white. 786 00:38:56,080 --> 00:38:56,960 Speaker 3: Drowned rats. 787 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:00,279 Speaker 1: Anyway, So we get up into the helicopter were then 788 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,600 Speaker 1: flown out to a town called Hurst, where we went 789 00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:05,840 Speaker 1: to the hospital and we were treated just for basically 790 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:06,399 Speaker 1: a couple hours. 791 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:07,440 Speaker 3: We stayed in the hospital. 792 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:12,160 Speaker 2: It's surprising, but these guys made it out without any 793 00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 2: serious injuries, just a traumatic event. 794 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:18,000 Speaker 1: The funniest part is, you know, there's a couple of 795 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: things that stick out with me. One is how, you know, 796 00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,879 Speaker 1: it would have been very, very different if a few 797 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:28,280 Speaker 1: things didn't happen. If if you know, if I didn't 798 00:39:28,320 --> 00:39:31,640 Speaker 1: find the life jacket that I wasn't wearing to put 799 00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:33,839 Speaker 1: it on, and I had tried to swim to shore, 800 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,880 Speaker 1: I think that would have been a very different and 801 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:39,080 Speaker 1: bad story. I don't think I would have made it, 802 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:43,239 Speaker 1: you know, if I didn't have if my backpack with 803 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,480 Speaker 1: my safety stuff didn't pop up, and I didn't have 804 00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:49,439 Speaker 1: access to that personal locator beacon or the airhorn, again, 805 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,360 Speaker 1: could have been a very different story. And if I 806 00:39:51,360 --> 00:39:53,160 Speaker 1: didn't even bring those things with me in the first 807 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:55,600 Speaker 1: place and didn't have them in the backpack, again, could 808 00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:58,400 Speaker 1: have been very different. So you know, I'm super thankful, 809 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:03,960 Speaker 1: and I guess I'm not proud of our training, but 810 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,279 Speaker 1: you know, I'm thankful that our training and the things 811 00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 1: that we're told to bring that you know, it's kind 812 00:40:09,120 --> 00:40:11,399 Speaker 1: of instilling that, yeah, you just don't leave without those things, 813 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:15,440 Speaker 1: which I didn't. The other thing that was strange is, 814 00:40:15,480 --> 00:40:17,359 Speaker 1: you know, having never been in a situation like that, 815 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,560 Speaker 1: just that you know, you're sitting on top of the 816 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:23,719 Speaker 1: canoe wondering, you know's what's going to happen. You start 817 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:25,800 Speaker 1: thinking about, huh, I wonder you know, who's going to 818 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:27,840 Speaker 1: come to my funeral and what's that going to look like? 819 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:29,640 Speaker 1: And the biggest thing was it was just such a 820 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:32,480 Speaker 1: beautiful day you never think of maybe not making it 821 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 1: tomorrow when the sky is you know, this beautiful blue, 822 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:37,960 Speaker 1: and the trees are nice, and you're out where you 823 00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 1: love to be. 824 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:44,399 Speaker 2: So I think there's something that Rob has seriously overlooked. 825 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:48,200 Speaker 2: I don't hesitate to bring it up. I think we've 826 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:51,600 Speaker 2: all been thinking it since the beginning. Well, Rob, I 827 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:55,239 Speaker 2: hate to be an armchair quarterback. But part of your 828 00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:57,719 Speaker 2: story when you told it to me, I saw ride 829 00:40:57,760 --> 00:40:59,600 Speaker 2: off where you made your mistake, and it was that 830 00:40:59,680 --> 00:41:02,120 Speaker 2: you have had a banana in your boat. 831 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:03,120 Speaker 3: That's true. 832 00:41:03,520 --> 00:41:06,800 Speaker 2: Do they not talk in Canada about how you should 833 00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:09,080 Speaker 2: never breathe a banana in a boat? 834 00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:13,160 Speaker 1: I think even pirates maybe knew about that, didn't they. 835 00:41:13,960 --> 00:41:16,840 Speaker 3: That should absolutely be part of what training. 836 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,279 Speaker 1: You are right, You are absolutely right, and I have 837 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:21,920 Speaker 1: thought of it until you just mentioned it now. But 838 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,360 Speaker 1: that is funny and the whole time, I've been blaming 839 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:28,799 Speaker 1: mother nature. It's not mother nature. It was the banana. Uh. 840 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,080 Speaker 1: Next time, I'm changing my story. I'm gonna say it 841 00:41:31,120 --> 00:41:31,640 Speaker 1: was an orange. 842 00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:34,640 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, you should change that. You're gonna get a 843 00:41:34,640 --> 00:41:35,880 Speaker 2: lot of criticism for this. 844 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:37,120 Speaker 3: There we go. 845 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:42,640 Speaker 2: I can't thank you enough for listening to bear Grease. 846 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:47,640 Speaker 2: Thankfully Rob and Greg survived. These stories are so powerful 847 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 2: because they give us insight for how to survive. And 848 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:54,000 Speaker 2: I hope that none of us ever get in a 849 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:58,120 Speaker 2: situation like that, but if we do, maybe some of 850 00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:01,000 Speaker 2: the stuff you learned here today will help you survive. 851 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,520 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to bear Grease and 852 00:42:03,560 --> 00:42:07,200 Speaker 2: supporting this channel and supporting Old Brent Reeves in this 853 00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:10,880 Speaker 2: country life an old lake Pickle with the Backwoods University 854 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,400 Speaker 2: means the world to us. Please check out our the 855 00:42:14,400 --> 00:42:18,880 Speaker 2: Bear Grease YouTube channel and Instagram, and until next time, 856 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:22,960 Speaker 2: if you have a choice, keep the wild places wild, 857 00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:24,399 Speaker 2: because that's where the bears live.