Countless people enjoy the Animas River every year in a myriad of ways. Hundreds of folks enjoy commercial and private raft trips. Others play in kayaks or on paddleboards, splash around by the banks or float down the river in inner tubes. Still more enjoy fishing.
But as much fun as it is to play in it, the river is not a toy. And as recent events have reminded us, it can be deadly. The Animas must be treated with respect.
In an autopsy report, La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith said last week that 56-year-old Jose Soto died of drowning. Soto was on a commercial raft trip June 16 when the raft flipped in Smelter Rapid. Because of a history of pulmonary hypertension, and the fact that he had only been underwater briefly, the thinking had been that Soto had suffered a heart attack brought on by the shock of the cold water.
“Basically, he drowned,” said Smith, “but it’s reasonable to say the cold water contributed.”
And on Saturday, members of La Plata County Search & Rescue recovered a body from the Animas half a mile north of Bakers Bridge. The body is believed to be that of Cody Pierce, 19, of Albuquerque. Pierce had been missing and presumed drowned since he jumped in the river to cool off June 25.
Also in late June, a woman had to be pulled from the Animas after jumping from Bakers Bridge. She lived, while a 19-year-old man was not so lucky. Devon Opalenik was crossing a creek on a snow bridge near Red Mountain Pass when, in the words of an emergency-services captain, “The ice gave way, and he got sucked under.”
Nature should always be respected, and swift, cold water deserves particular care. That is true even when the river is not at flood levels or at its spring peak. There is the danger of drowning, compounded by the cold, as well as the threat posed by rocks. (There is a reason kayakers wear helmets.)
Proper equipment, knowledge and experience are essential – but so is good judgment. Jumping off bridges, for example is not healthy behavior. Neither is deliberately immersing yourself in water barely above freezing. Tubing should definitely be put off until the river is both lower and warmer.
Done right, river sports are a healthy and enjoyable form of recreation that offer fun for almost all ages. Done right, they are also quite safe. It all comes down to one simple idea: Approach the river as what it is, a force of nature to be treated with respect. And with that, have fun.
