IT WAS MEANT to be another boys' trip, the latest in a tradition that stretched back more than two decades. Every other year, the old friends-Jim Farrington, 49, an electrical lineman in Alden, Michigan; Sean Royston, 47, an electrical grid systems manager in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; and Tolan Annis, 53, the co-owner of a craft distillery in Grand Ledge, Michigan-had kissed their wives goodbye and headed out on an expedition. This time they decided to kayak Lake Superior's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, a challenging out-and-back route.
On the morning of September 13, 2016, they loaded up on food and camping gear, donned waterproof paddling pants and quick-dry T-shirts, and zipped up their life jackets. The forecast called for winds building to ten knots and seas rising to one to three feet by early afternoon, then stronger winds overnight. The friends were undeterred. They climbed into their 14- to 16-foot-long sea kayaks and, at about 10:30, pushed off from the beach at Sand Point, less than 100 yards from the park headquarters. They planned to return in a week.
The trio punched out through small waves and headed northeast. Soon the national lakeshore's trademark cliffs began to rise on their right. Their next chance to get out of their kayaks would be some five miles ahead, beyond a tourist overlook called Miners Castle Point.
Away from the shore, the headwind grew to the forecasted ten knots and kept rising. The waves grew to four feet. Still, they never considered turning around. They'd already traveled around four miles and they had kayaked in worse conditions.
They'd been paddling maybe 90 minutes when, suddenly, the waves grew to six feet and steepened. The wind rose to 20 knots. “When it went bad, it went bad fast,” says Annis, who was in the lead, about 60 feet ahead of Farrington. Royston trailed another 40 or 50 feet behind Farrington.
Royston was the first to go overboard.
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2022-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Do You Kiss Your Dog? - Find out how gross your questionable habits really are, according to health experts
I admit it, when it comes to food, I have some eeew-inducing practices, like skimming mold off old cheddar and feeding the rest to my unsuspecting family. We're still alive, so how bad can it be? Because our gross human habits fall somewhere along the spectrum from mildly cringeworthy to full-on repulsive, I reached out to experts to find out where some common behaviors land on the gross-o-meter.
What's Ailing Our Doctors? - Today's physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too.
Today’s physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too. America's doctors are in crisis. Six in 10 physicians say they're burned out, with burnout rates for some specialties, such as primary care, reaching 70%. When polled by the American Medical Association, 40% of doctors said they were considering leaving their practices in the next two years. Another study, conducted by health-care industry publisher Elsevier, revealed concerns about mental health and burnout: 63% of med students in the United States reported that they had no intention of practicing clinical medicine after graduation and will instead work as lab researchers or academics. This is despite a predicted shortage of 124,000 physicians over the next 10 years.
Now Hear This
Losing your hearing suddenly, even if there is no pain, is always urgent
Go for the Gumbo
The soulful stew synonymous with Louisiana is delicious anywhere you eat it
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Pinned by a giant boulder, a hiker had two choices: panic or gut it out. He did both.
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honor the many men who helped her survive her childhood
MY SMART PET
These clever critters are some smart C-O-O-K-I-E-S
How Hobbies Help Us
Far from a waste of time, pastimes are good for body, brain and spirit
1+1 = MORE (or LESS)
A math whiz encourages you to play with your numbers
That Kind of Time
A dressing-room encounter made me get real about aging
