Outdoors/Adventure

Delightful and deadly, Alaska waterways are a double-edged sword for kids

The stories told by mourning parents are shockingly similar. "I turned around, and she was gone." Or, "He knew not to go down to the dock alone."

Children are drawn to water from the time they pull on their first pair of rubber boots and gravitate toward a mud puddle, if not sooner. Water is fascinating. It makes noise, it feels different, and when the weather is hot, it cools young bodies.

Alaska is a land of water, water everywhere. It has more coastline than any state, and there are 3 million lakes larger than 20 acres. Add ponds, streams, and rivers to the mix, and it's clear that our children are exposed to water frequently, either as recreation or part of daily life.

And lately, daily life in Alaska has given us a hot summer with melting snow and the occasional gully-washer rainstorm. Rushing water pours down mountainsides and fills creek beds, tumbling over rocks with a cacophonous sound that brings curious kids running to poke fingers into sandy bars or toss pebbles across the surface with the unabashed joy that only comes from getting muddy and dirty.

But it's been a tragic summer along Alaska's waterways. In June, a 2-year-old child drowned in Bathing Beauty Pond in Moose Creek near North Pole. Several days later, a 4-year-old boy exploring the Lower Chena River with his family drowned when the river swept him away.

‘Flowing water is relentless’

Joe McCullough with the Alaska Office of Boating Safety knows Alaska rivers and lakes — and their fickle nature of rising and falling with little notice. He also knows how fast kids can move toward water with little regard for, or understanding of, hidden hazards.

McCullough and I talked about safety strategies last week before another warm weekend across much of Alaska when lots of families, ours included, sought fun in and around water.

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The problem, McCullough said, is not high or low water levels. Rather, too many people simply underestimate the water's force until it's too late.

"The power of flowing water is relentless," McCullough said. "Even a slow-moving stream has amazing strength."

The Chena River, winding through downtown Fairbanks, he said, is the perfect example of an accident waiting to happen. Even at a 4-to-8-knot speed, water like that has a tremendous effect on someone using a watercraft or inner tube, trying to swim, or who just falls in. It's not just about water levels, McCullough emphasized, even though many rivers and streams have been running high thanks to rain and melting snow. The current can even trip up seasoned swimmers. Eddies and currents create whirlpools and trap debris, including the dreaded "sweeper" branch from a fallen tree partially submerged under water.

When kids, especially young children, get into trouble, they don't always cry out for help, so focused are they on the struggle to stay above water. Thus, parents and caregivers are unlikely to know a child requires assistance.

Planning and constant vigilance

But McCullough says it's possible to enjoy life along Alaska's shorelines, embracing both the power and the opportunity for recreation they afford. Whether paddling, swimming, or simply hiking a creekside trail, taking kids along requires planning and constant vigilance to ever-changing surroundings. McCullough offers these tips, useful any time of year:

Be conservative. If you're not sure about conditions along a stretch of water, even if it's familiar to your family, stay away and try a different day. Check conditions with local land management agencies like Alaska State Parks, U.S. Forest Service, or National Park Service before hiking remote trails or visiting public use cabins along water. www.alaskacenters.gov.

Watch out for creek and river banks "undercut" just above the water. These banks can easily slip with too much weight, delivering an unsuspecting person right into the stream. McCullough recommends staying at least five feet from the edge of any bank.

Recognize potential hazards. Floating trees or logs that may entice kids to climb, slippery rocks, swirling currents, and high, muddy water are all danger signs.

Insist upon personal flotation devices (PFDs) for all children, and keep them within an arm's reach of an adult at all times. Ten of 11 children who drowned in Alaska 2013-15 were unattended at the time they entered the water, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Don't have a life jacket handy? Borrow one for free from Kids Don't Float stations at many docks, public boat launches, and parks across Alaska.

Enroll kids in swimming lessons through the many municipal pools, athletic clubs, or private companies that offer them.

Practice what to do for a self-rescue should you fall in the water. Don't try to stand, instead, point your feet up in the air, facing downstream, and backstroke to the nearest shallow place. Take time as a family to practice in a swimming pool or other safe situation.

Become familiar with Alaska boating safety laws. The Division of Natural Resources has an excellent website full of information and tips for keeping kids safe in or near the water. (dnr.alaska.gov/parks/boating/index)

Erin Kirkland is author of Alaska On the Go: Exploring the 49th state with children, and publisher of AKontheGO.com, a family travel and outdoor recreation resource. Her second book is scheduled for release in 2017.

 
 
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