Near Miss

[skearns]

Heads up out there, my brother was on a guided float on the elk on a windy day during the long weekend. They were successfully working the banks with foam when they heard a large crack, looked up and a 60ft cottonwood was falling directly at the boat. The guide only had time to get in one half oar stroke and the 2 foot diameter trunk hit the river 2 feet behind the boat. My brother was in the rear and was struck by several branches but was not hurt. The back wash from the splash half filled the boat. They figure it may have been weakened by a beaver then fell in the strong winds. Not sure you can prevent or prepare for something like that but just thought I would share as I had never heard a story like that. I did see a video of the aftermath as the tree floated away the three shaken and soaked fisherman were realizing what may have been....sk

[jasonvilly]

yikes! Glad to hear they are okay.

[bowbonehead]

Was having lunch on the river this past Saturday which was a little bit on the windy side.... anyways we were sitting at a stashed table when a rather loud crack sounded and a large branch from a cottonwood hit the ground about 20 ft away. I hate sleeping in a cottonwood forest on a stormy night....glad to hear they were alright as you would not expect to hit by a falling tree while floating a river

[PAV]

That happened to me on the Elk a few years ago. The tree was lined up directly at me but when it

landed the tip was about 30' away from my boat.

[bigbowtrout]

I had a trout save my life on the Crow many years ago. It was a normal super windy day on the Crow and as I was getting ready to walk up to the next pool I saw a fish rise in a tiny corner pocket. So I change my attention to that fish and work him after a first refusal. Just then a big gust hit and a large tree falls into the above pool. It hit so hard it sent a wake down to where I was.