Kayakers ?

[Roe07]

I'm not a kayaker but a very good friend of mine drowned last Monday kayaking at Elkhorn Creek up in Frankfort. It was a pretty big story up in the Lexington area this week so I'm sure some of you heard about this. Apparently he got pulled back from the suction created by the dam at the Jim Beam distillery and they found his body like a mile downstream. He was wearing a life jacket and knowing him he's probably kayaked that spot a million times so he was very familiar with it, but still got pulled under and drowned. I know that Elkhorn Creek is a popular kayaking spot and just wanted to know if anyone here frequents it and just how strong those currents can be that are created from those dams.

 

[Kybluedude]

So sorry about your friend. Reinforces how quick things can change in a family’s life.

 

[Roe07]

So sorry about your friend. Reinforces how quick things can change in a family’s life.

Yeah it’s still hard to process. Dude would’ve been 36 this coming Tuesday.

 

[Xception]

That’s probably a low head dam and they create a recirculating current, wildly dangerous and should be avoided. The problem with that type of dam is you can’t see the dangerous current and it appears to be safe to navigate.

Kayakers should stay away from these structures, getting caught in the boil is extremely dangerous. Life jackets aren’t as buoyant due to the turbulent foam, I grew up spending significant time around those structures. Sorry about your friend

 

[Kaizer Sosay]

So sorry to hear about your friend.

I've never been kayaking but I grew up in Frankfort and owned a canoe. We used to canoe Elkhorn creek all the time. Had a friend who also had a canoe and lived on Justice Ln. which is just down the creek from the Old Granddad distillery (you confused me at first when you called it Jim Beam distillery).

Sometimes we would start at his house and go all the way to the KY River. But sometimes we would leave one vehicle at his crib and then drive a couple miles up the creek from Old Granddad to launch and then canoe to a spot close to his house at Justice Ln. So I am very familiar with that stretch. It is a beautiful stretch of the creek especially the cliffs between Old Granddad and the Peaks Mill Rd. bridge (where they have canoe rentals). And yes it is very dangerous around that dam no matter the water level. Your friend is not the first to drown there. And when it has rained heavily and the water is up (which is the most fun time to go) there are many other dangerous spots all along Elkhorn. When the water level is down it sucks because there are many spots where you have to get out and drag the canoe


Thoughts and prayers to you and his family & friends.

 

[Roe07]

So sorry to hear about your friend.

I've never been kayaking but I grew up in Frankfort and owned a canoe. We used to canoe Elkhorn creek all the time. Had a friend who also had a canoe and lived on Justice Ln. which is just down the creek from the Old Granddad distillery (you confused me at first when you called it Jim Beam distillery).

Sometimes we would start at his house and go all the way to the KY River. But sometimes we would leave one vehicle at his crib and then drive a couple miles up the creek from Old Granddad to launch and then canoe to a spot close to his house at Justice Ln. So I am very familiar with that stretch. It is a beautiful stretch of the creek especially the cliffs between Old Granddad and the Peaks Mill Rd. bridge (where they have canoe rentals). And yes it is very dangerous around that dam no matter the water level. Your friend is not the first to drown there. And when it has rained heavily and the water is up (which is the most fun time to go) there are many other dangerous spots all along Elkhorn. When the water level is down it sucks because there are many spots where you have to get out and drag the canoe

Thoughts and prayers to you and his family & friends.

Yeah it was just a complete freak accident and like I said on the previous post, my buddy had probably kayaked that spot and the entire creek a thousand times. I've looked at videos of people kayaking there and parts of it look more like a rushing river than a creek, which I guess is why it's an appealing spot for kayakers. Any idea as to how deep elkhorn is?

And is that distillery not Jim Beam? I thought I had read in one of the herald leader articles last week that it happened right near the Beam distillery but maybe it's a different one.

 

[Kaizer Sosay]

@Roe07

It's been Old Granddad Distillery for as long as I can remember but it has changed ownership a few times over the years. The Jim Beam holding company owns it now I think. Probably why they referred to it as such.

Elkhorn is a really long creek. Seems like I remember someone telling me it is 99 miles long...which is one mile short of being designated as a "river". The depth varies depending on where you are and how much it has rained. But there are some pretty deep spots. Used to be some really good fishing holes all along the Frankfort area of Elkhorn. But a few of my buddies who still live there tell me it is too heavily traveled now by kayakers to get much good fishing done.

 

[78Gooses]

I’m sorry for your loss. I saw it on the news. I ran the Elkhorn and portaged around the dam back in the nineties.

They say the best chance to get out of a boil is to crawl/swim downstream when at the bottom. Obviously, that’s counterintuitive to the victim.

I’ve lost my brother and an old friend this summer. I’ll be okay. I have to be for loved ones that need me. I hope you can take solace in the fact that your friend died doing something he loved in a place he loved.

I cry between towns in my truck.

I will remember your friend when I see the Elkhorn. Take care.

 

[Xception]

 

[Xception]

The illustration shows how it’s done but it’s almost impossible to escape that scenario especially on the larger ones like the ky river has. Low head dams are often referred to as drowning machines or the killing dams.

 

[robo222]

That is and always has been a dangerous damn/hydraulic... ALL perfect flows like damns are to be viewed with much caution... The damn in question has been run I'm certain but it's events like these that make it in the book. Sorry for the family, friends and the individual. That is a dangerous spot on the popular Elkhorn.

 

[Roe07]

That is and always has been a dangerous damn/hydraulic... ALL perfect flows like damns are to be viewed with much caution... The damn in question has been run I'm certain but it's events like these that make it in the book. Sorry for the family, friends and the individual. That is a dangerous spot on the popular Elkhorn.

Yeah it just makes me wonder if it's so dangerous then why isn't there some type of barrier placed far enough away to keep kayakers from getting sucked back into it? I'm sure there's been other drownings there and my friend's probably won't be the last, but it just seems like this is something that can be easily prevented.