The temperatures have been in the 90s this week with the humidity so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hot. Sticky. And downright miserable. As much as I enjoy being on the water, I usually am not a big fan of getting into the water but this week it has been mandatory to jump in and cool off at some point of the day.
Heat exhaustion and stroke are very real dangers in the Boundary Waters when the conditions are like this. People forget that setting up camp, portaging heavy equipment and paddling a canoe are all strenuous tasks that are amplified with a severe heat index. The best advice I can give is to simply take it easy, find as much shade as possible and use the lake to cool off as often as possible.
Quite a few years ago during a similar heat spell, I was fishing with my brothers from Iowa and my friend, Sue Poche, who works at Trail Center Resort. We paddled into Alpine Lake from Sea Gull for a day of walleye fishing in two separate canoes. It was hot like it is now and from a distant campsite I could hear a guy yelling for Ralph. I did not know who Ralph was but it seemed strange for him to be yelling like this.
We were catching fish and not paying very much attention to the noise when Sue came paddling by us at warp speed and said, “That guy is yelling for help!”
My brothers and I quickly pulled anchor and followed Sue’s canoe to the campsite. The man asked us to help him with his wife who was no longer conscious. She was lying on the ground white as a ghost and shaking. It was clearly a heat-related ailment that was going to require getting her out of the woods. To make matters harder, her daughter, about age eight, was going into hysterics watching her mother slip in and out of consciousness,
We decided to load her into my canoe, lying flat on her back, while Sue took off for help. Our plan was to meet at the base of the Alpine River with the EMTs that Sue was going to return with. Back then you could motor all over Sea Gull, so all Sue had to do was get back to our motor boat on Sea Gull and get some help.
Everything went well and the EMTs were there in no time. They immediately loaded up the patient and took her to the hospital where they had diagnosed her with a heat stroke. This woman was lucky since she was not very far into the woods, but many campers in the “B-Dub” are usually not so close to home. Heat stroke is difficult to cure but easily preventable. Staying cool and not exerting too much energy is key, and drinking plenty of water is a must.
I have had a heat stroke and it is very scary stuff. I was guiding in Key West, Florida on a hot day in April and did not stay hydrated properly. That evening I went into the Hickory House on Stock Island for my usual dinner and as soon as I started drinking a tall glass of iced tea, there were problems. Little diamonds appearing in my vision were a tell tale sign that I was about to pass out. I rushed to the bathroom to splash some cool water on my face hoping to stay upright but down I went. I have no idea how long I was out, but I could hear voices from people in the restaurant. Slowly, I regained consciousness and discovered that I had urinated during the episode. Lucky for me, I was living out of my van at Peninsular Marina so I had a change of clothes in the parking lot.
When I returned to the bar, my food was sitting there waiting for me and the waitress said, “Oh there you are, I was wondering what happened to you.” Too embarrassed to tell the truth, I just told her that I had to take a call out in the parking lot.
At the time I just blew it off as a strange incident, and later realized that I had a heat stroke and could have possibly died. It is a very real concern that should be taken seriously, especially while camping and so far away from real help.
Cory Christianson has worked as a fishing guide on the Gunflint Trail since 2000. If you have any fishing or wildlife reports or stories to share, send an email to: christiansoncory@hotmail.com or call 218-388-0315. You can also visit Cory’s website at Gunflintfishingguide.com.
Leave a Reply