The warm spring weather brings students and local residents to the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers in droves each year – but this spring, rescuers warn that rivergoers should exercise more caution than usual.
According to the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, the rivers are colder, higher and faster than they have been in previous seasons mostly due to the unusual winter Lane County has seen this year.
“The Willamette and the McKenzie are very high volume right now,” said Lane County Search and Rescue Program Coordinator John Miller.
The heat wave two weekends ago attracted large groups of people to the rivers to cool off with inner tubing and rafting, but many of them were swept up in the unusually strong current and lost control.

“We had about 13 rescues” on May 18 and 19 combined, Miller said. All the people who went missing were found, but two rafts are still unaccounted for.
“That was a bad week,” said Doug Caven, vice president of the McKenzie River Guides Association. “I’m a professional, and I would not have put my boat out there.”
Jim Blanchard, an instructor in the University’s Outdoor Pursuits Program, attributed that weekend’s high waters and fast current to the “exceptionally large snow pack this year.” Because Oregon experienced an unusual amount of snow in the winter, there is more water melting and flowing into the rivers, making the water both higher and colder. With more water also comes a faster current that’s easy to underestimate and more debris, both dangerous obstacles for the recreational rafter.
“People who go out rafting in the spring are typically eager, not terribly experienced people wanting to get out there,” Blanchard said. “They simply don’t understand the enormous power water has.”
Even a small increase in water volume can lead to a surprisingly large increase in water power, and that power is “what causes people with inner tubes a lot of problems,” Miller said.
But students who are willing to take the risk that comes with inner tubing or rafting on a river with a strong current can take certain precautions to make their experience safer.
“The obvious things are, wear life jackets, put them on properly, have your wits about you,” Blanchard said.
Caven said wearing a life jacket is crucial in any river-related endeavors. Those who don’t wear them face serious risk of drowning if they get carried away by the current.
“It’s a matter of life and death,” Caven said.
Stores along the McKenzie and the Willamette Rivers and in the valley lend out life jackets for free to ensure the safety of those who partake in water sports.
Many 20-somethings who embark on adventures in local rivers tend to be under the influence of alcohol, which both “increases a person’s willingness to take risk” and “reduces their judgment and reflexes,” making alcohol and rafting a dangerous combination, said Blanchard.
In this season’s cold water, it’s also important to dress appropriately and in warm layers. Blanchard recommended that anyone going on the water, especially in cold weather, wear synthetic or wool layers under waterproof layers, like rain jackets or wet suits, depending on the type of excursion.
For all water-related activities, avoid wearing cotton. “Cotton is hydrophilic – it hangs onto the water,” Blanchard said. “Wet fabrics are very poor insulators.”
The only exception would come on a very hot day, when even a cotton T-shirt would dry quickly.
And even after you’ve followed these safety steps, it never hurts to consult an expert.
“Ask advice of people who know what they’re doing,” Blanchard said.
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