(BUENA VISTA, Colo.) — A Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) ranger is being recognized for his bravery when he rescued three people who flipped their raft on the Arkansas River Thursday evening on July 6.
After 10 p.m., CPW river ranger, Jeff Hammond, received a call for help from the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO). Hammond was told an off-duty commercial raft guide took two people on a private trip around 7:30 p.m. The three individuals never made it to the take-out spot at Hecla Junction.
Authorities believed the raft had flipped in Zoom Flume in Browns Canyon. The guide was able to send a 911 text for help. Two others were unaccounted for.
CPW said late-night rescues of boaters are uncommon. Browns Canyon is a 13-mile boulder-strewn gorge between Buena Vista and Salida carved over eons by the Arkansas River, according to CPW. The search would be no easy feat, but Hammond did not hesitate even knowing he would have to brave the Canyon’s Class 3 rapids.
Chaffee County Search and Rescue (SAR) took Hammond down an abandoned railroad through the canyon until they reached the Zoom Flume rapids. As the team arrived, they began hearing shouts for help from the other side of the river. Two people who were tossed out of the raft were found on the river bank but were cliffed out by canyon walls.
In the pitch black, Hammond studied what he could see of the river using a headlamp.
“There was no moonlight in the canyon and the water was roaring through the rapids, just upstream,” Hammond stated, describing the scene. “I scouted the river, plotted a course to the two victims, and put my kayak in the water.”
Hammond said the water was calm where he entered, but it quickly turned into whitewater. He explained it was unnerving even for someone like him– an expert kayaker who has logged many days on the Arkansas since joining the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area in 2017.
“It’s still whitewater and you are trying to judge the rapids through the relatively small beam of light from your headlamp,” Hammond said.
SAR members used spotlights to help guide Hammond to the victims as he paddled 25 yards across to the two victims. After determining the rafters were not injured and in no imminent danger, Hammond paddled back across the river to resume the search for the guide. He eventually found the guide one mile downstream.
“We basically hopped from boulder to boulder, resting in the calm water below the boulders before resuming our paddling,” Hammond said.
The CPW ranger would cross the river three times to help save all rafters. At 2:30 a.m., Hammond finally texted his fiance he was coming home for the night.
According to Hammond, the incident could have been much worse.
“First, they were all wearing life jackets,” Hammond said. “That’s the biggest thing. And they had a cellphone. Even though they couldn’t make a call, they could send a text for help.”
Best of all, the survivors didn’t panic, Hammond stated. When they realized they couldn’t hike out, they stayed put and planned to wait for daylight when commercial rafting trips would provide a means for rescue, per CPW.
“If things go wrong, don’t compound the problems,” Hammond said. “Call for search and rescue. It’s free and safer than wandering off into the wilderness. We’d rather get a call early and start searching than get a late call and face a more complex rescue.”
