March 13, 2011
Heroic kayakers to the rescue
Posted by Erik F
A group of kayakers today rescued Serena Brown after she had become trapped in Vancouver's Capilano canyon for four days. The group had just finished Dogleg, a turbulent rapid early in the run, and was remarking on the high water. They noticed motion low down on one of the canyon walls, and landed to investigate. Serena was found, curled in the fetal position in a little cave under a rock in an area only accessible from the water. "She was shivering and burrowing her head under the rock", said kayaker Peter Spear, "so I scooped her up with difficulty, and we managed to get her into the cockpit of Erik's (actually VOC member Piotr Forysinski's--EF) boat, because it was the biggest." The group towed Serena, a greyhound/husky cross, across the roaring river to a steep trail that allowed exit from the canyon, and walked her to safety. Fortunately her telephone number was on a neck tag and her worried owners were able to collect her 20 minutes later. They said she disappeared last Wednesday while playing along the canyon rim, and despite calling and extensive searching they had had no luck and had nearly given up.
