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  1. #1
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    Default Hiker Killed Fording the Kennebec


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    he attempted to swim it not ford it

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    he attempted to swim it not ford it
    a ford can, without warning, become a swim at that crossing - stop defending poor choices from your past.

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    Quote Originally Posted by D2maine View Post
    a ford can, without warning, become a swim at that crossing - stop defending poor choices from your past.
    The water was high. He told authorities he was going to swim. Thats what article says. Thats all we know. No info on preparedness. He knew this ahead of time and knowingly tried.
    Last edited by MuddyWaters; 05-25-2018 at 13:14.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    The water was high. He told authorities he was going to swim. Thats what article says. Thats all we know. No info on preparedness. He knew this ahead of time and knowingly tried.
    http://www.philly.com/philly/news/ne...-20180525.html

  6. #6

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    Yep. Instead of doing a planned early morning crossing, he seems to have gone straight across right when a ton of water was flowing. Predictable outcome.

  7. #7

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    It looks like it can be forded until they get out in the deeper sections, by that time no choice but to swim. Water this early in the year would have been too cold, without a wetsuit he would have lost control of his limbs in minutes. Add in big variations in daily water level due to demand for power and makes it a risky idea.

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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    It looks like it can be forded until they get out in the deeper sections, by that time no choice but to swim. Water this early in the year would have been too cold, without a wetsuit he would have lost control of his limbs in minutes. Add in big variations in daily water level due to demand for power and makes it a risky idea.
    I can't think of any bodies of water I would voluntarily enter that far north that early in the season.

    Good ol' hypothermia... rarely gets credit as it's often followed by some other calamity much more interesting.
    Bit like drunk driving into a tree. The tree is clearly the cause of death but...

    Sucks fer his family.

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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    It looks like it can be forded until they get out in the deeper sections, by that time no choice but to swim. Water this early in the year would have been too cold, without a wetsuit he would have lost control of his limbs in minutes. Add in big variations in daily water level due to demand for power and makes it a risky idea.
    It's hard to overstate how fast cold water disables a person. When i was in the Coast Guard I saw a man made utterly helpless in a minute or less. My crew had to drag him bodily into our boat. It's sobering to think of even decades later. (Police boat got him to shore and treatment where he recovered.)
    Last edited by Feral Bill; 05-24-2018 at 13:58.
    "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss

  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by peakbagger View Post
    It looks like it can be forded until they get out in the deeper sections, by that time no choice but to swim. Water this early in the year would have been too cold, without a wetsuit he would have lost control of his limbs in minutes. Add in big variations in daily water level due to demand for power and makes it a risky idea.

    These events are again why the canoe ferry is available and the schedule info well documented.



    Risky for that time of day, time of year, probably exactly where he attempted the ford, in today's ADHD soundbites only get er dun gotta go go go impatient demanding I watched a YouTube video so now know how to do whatever - build a house, fly a helicopter, etc I know better culture, and...It can and has been forded safely otherwise.



    There are YouTube vids on how to fly a helicopter, run a bulldozer, drive a tractor trailer, become your own dentist(never again needing to pay for a professional with 8 yrs accredited education), climb Mt Everest(without O2),...



    This could have been some of us making comments here, if we acted rashly.



    on a bright sunny day when a teenager almost drowned in less than 2 mins in a small pond at first wading into cold calm freshwater then having to swim less than 15 ft attempting to retrieve a favorite Mepps spinner stuck on a log in early April in NJ. Barely got back to the bank only 30 ft away after loosing all energy and almost all control of my limbs. Two friends were ready to jump in for me. Cold water saps energy quickly.

  11. #11

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    This is Michael Camiso’s sister. My brother was not inherently reckless, stupid or “rash.” He was a disabled veteran, who suffered from a TBI resulting in mental illness and early onset dementia. He had stunning moments of clarity. Before his injury and illness he was a brilliant, beautiful, healthy man who competed in triathlons. He trained in far harsher conditions in Fairbanks, AK, and undertook scouts and Rangers training. While he was ill at the time that he journeyed for the SECOND time along the Appalachian Trail, he was trained, fit and ready. He trained for HOURS a day for months before he began, and he trekked farther than many have had the pleasure of enjoying before he tragically lost his life trying to ford the river.

    There was no ferry the day that my brother lost his life. A police officer reportedly told told him that the ferry could not run because the river was at flood levels. My brother then informed the police officer that he intended to cross on his own. This officer told my brother that he couldn’t, that it was too dangerous. Michael was a paranoid schizophrenic, an unfortunate byproduct of his brain injury. He reacted confrontationally, erratically in conversation with the officer, BECAUSE he was a paranoid schizophrenic. What did that officer do, in the face of a clearly irrational man, who told him that he was going to cross even though they told him he couldn’t? They LEFT. My brother was a human being with a tragic illness. He was also a hero with the type of fortitude, spirit and heart that most men NEVER achieve. EVER. My family is utterly heartbroken, and the world lost a beautiful man with an indomitable spirit. Unspeakably tragic, particularly where authorities apparently knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that an irrational, paranoid man intended to enter the raging waters of a river that he surely could not survive, and they did nothing.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nikkicam View Post
    This is Michael Camiso’s sister. My brother was not inherently reckless, stupid or “rash.” He was a disabled veteran, who suffered from a TBI resulting in mental illness and early onset dementia. He had stunning moments of clarity. Before his injury and illness he was a brilliant, beautiful, healthy man who competed in triathlons. He trained in far harsher conditions in Fairbanks, AK, and undertook scouts and Rangers training. While he was ill at the time that he journeyed for the SECOND time along the Appalachian Trail, he was trained, fit and ready. He trained for HOURS a day for months before he began, and he trekked farther than many have had the pleasure of enjoying before he tragically lost his life trying to ford the river.

    There was no ferry the day that my brother lost his life. A police officer reportedly told told him that the ferry could not run because the river was at flood levels. My brother then informed the police officer that he intended to cross on his own. This officer told my brother that he couldn’t, that it was too dangerous. Michael was a paranoid schizophrenic, an unfortunate byproduct of his brain injury. He reacted confrontationally, erratically in conversation with the officer, BECAUSE he was a paranoid schizophrenic. What did that officer do, in the face of a clearly irrational man, who told him that he was going to cross even though they told him he couldn’t? They LEFT. My brother was a human being with a tragic illness. He was also a hero with the type of fortitude, spirit and heart that most men NEVER achieve. EVER. My family is utterly heartbroken, and the world lost a beautiful man with an indomitable spirit. Unspeakably tragic, particularly where authorities apparently knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that an irrational, paranoid man intended to enter the raging waters of a river that he surely could not survive, and they did nothing.
    Thank you for providing missing details.
    There is not a person here that is not sorry about your brother.

    Everyone just wants to learn from others experiences, and it takes discussion to do that. While such can come across as insensitive to the victim or family, its purpose is to help others avoid similar. There always will be people who choose to cross on their own.

  13. #13

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    Thank you for your kind and considerate response. It is greatly appreciated.

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by MuddyWaters View Post
    Thank you for providing missing details.
    There is not a person here that is not sorry about your brother.

    Everyone just wants to learn from others experiences, and it takes discussion to do that. While such can come across as insensitive to the victim or family, its purpose is to help others avoid similar. There always will be people who choose to cross on their own.
    this ^^^^^^^^^

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nikkicam View Post
    This is Michael Camiso’s sister. My brother was not inherently reckless, stupid or “rash.” He was a disabled veteran, who suffered from a TBI resulting in mental illness and early onset dementia. He had stunning moments of clarity. Before his injury and illness he was a brilliant, beautiful, healthy man who competed in triathlons. He trained in far harsher conditions in Fairbanks, AK, and undertook scouts and Rangers training. While he was ill at the time that he journeyed for the SECOND time along the Appalachian Trail, he was trained, fit and ready. He trained for HOURS a day for months before he began, and he trekked farther than many have had the pleasure of enjoying before he tragically lost his life trying to ford the river.

    There was no ferry the day that my brother lost his life. A police officer reportedly told told him that the ferry could not run because the river was at flood levels. My brother then informed the police officer that he intended to cross on his own. This officer told my brother that he couldn’t, that it was too dangerous. Michael was a paranoid schizophrenic, an unfortunate byproduct of his brain injury. He reacted confrontationally, erratically in conversation with the officer, BECAUSE he was a paranoid schizophrenic. What did that officer do, in the face of a clearly irrational man, who told him that he was going to cross even though they told him he couldn’t? They LEFT. My brother was a human being with a tragic illness. He was also a hero with the type of fortitude, spirit and heart that most men NEVER achieve. EVER. My family is utterly heartbroken, and the world lost a beautiful man with an indomitable spirit. Unspeakably tragic, particularly where authorities apparently knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that an irrational, paranoid man intended to enter the raging waters of a river that he surely could not survive, and they did nothing.
    Don't take anything you read here to heart. White Blaze is full of finger-wagging, self-appointed experts who are quick to criticize and pontificate without benefit of actually knowing the facts.

  16. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nikkicam View Post
    This is Michael Camiso’s sister. My brother was not inherently reckless, stupid or “rash.” He was a disabled veteran, who suffered from a TBI resulting in mental illness and early onset dementia. He had stunning moments of clarity. (snip)
    There was no ferry the day that my brother lost his life. A police officer reportedly told told him that the ferry could not run because the river was at flood levels. My brother then informed the police officer that he intended to cross on his own. This officer told my brother that he couldn’t, that it was too dangerous. Michael was a paranoid schizophrenic, an unfortunate byproduct of his brain injury. He reacted confrontationally, erratically in conversation with the officer, BECAUSE he was a paranoid schizophrenic. What did that officer do, in the face of a clearly irrational man, who told him that he was going to cross even though they told him he couldn’t? They LEFT. My brother was a human being with a tragic illness. He was also a hero with the type of fortitude, spirit and heart that most men NEVER achieve. EVER. My family is utterly heartbroken, and the world lost a beautiful man with an indomitable spirit. Unspeakably tragic, particularly where authorities apparently knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that an irrational, paranoid man intended to enter the raging waters of a river that he surely could not survive, and they did nothing.
    Unfortunately, the police can't do anything unless an actual crime is committed. (which is why I suggested making fording the river illegal) While crossing the river at that time was reckless, he wasn't doing it with the expressed desire to commit suicide, although that's what it amounts to. The police did their job, they told him not to do it and he did it anyway. While your brothers death was tragic, don't go trying to blame someone else for his death.

    Given what you say about the state of your brothers mental health, it sounds like he was losing the ability to make rational decisions and probably should not have been allowed to do this hike alone in the first place, especially at that time of year in that part of Maine.
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    Nikki, thanks for letting us know more of the details and also a little about who Michael was and how he spent his life. I am sorry for your loss.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Nikkicam View Post
    ...........My brother was not inherently reckless, stupid or “rash.” He was a disabled veteran, who suffered from a TBI resulting in mental illness and early onset dementia. ............Michael was a paranoid schizophrenic, an unfortunate byproduct of his brain injury..................
    It seems that this man is an indirect casualty of his wartime service. It is Memorial Day so maybe we should be honoring him for his service and sacrifice rather than arguing about the circumstances of his death. You can go back to arguing tomorrow.
    If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TexasBob View Post
    It seems that this man is an indirect casualty of his wartime service. It is Memorial Day so maybe we should be honoring him for his service and sacrifice rather than arguing about the circumstances of his death. You can go back to arguing tomorrow.
    The only intelligent and sensitive post on this thread. Nikkicam, to you and your family I offer my deepest condolences and salute your brother's service to our country.

    I'd also like to share with the forum this article from The Trek which includes information on funds set up for your family and in support of other injured officers. https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail...ennebec-river/

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    he also didnt take the advice of a law enforcement officer......

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