TAOS COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – An adventurous outing turned into a near-death experience in Taos County after two paddle boarders became stranded in a canyon last week.
John Fullbright, a veteran river guide in Taos County, was just minutes away from eating dinner with his family when he got a call from the Taos County Sheriff.
“He says, ‘This is a bad one,'” said John Fullbright. “These guys are down there.”
Fullbright was told two paddle boarders were stranded in the Rio Grande Canyon, just south of the Gorge Bridge, and that the sheriff’s office needed him and another river guide, “Copper John” Nettles, with the rescue effort.
“We immediately started packing our gear for supplies,” Fullbright said.
The two paddle boarders, 43-year-old Daisy Norris and 37-year-old Sydnie Keeter, had planned a trip down the river that Tuesday afternoon. Based on blogs they read, the two got into the river at a spot that had calm water and was considered safe for inner tubing and paddle boards. But, that’s if you go upstream. Not knowing, the two went downstream several miles into chaotic water conditions.
“There’s rocks everywhere,” said Nettles.
They flipped their boards and were stranded in hypothermic conditions. Thankfully, Sydnie was able to send an SOS with her phone after climbing hundreds of feet up the canyon.
“John and I knew that if somebody is in there at 6 o’clock at night, temps in the 30s, there was no questions that we had to go at night to prevent a serious incident,” Fullbright explained.
Once the sheriff’s office located the paddle boarders with a drone, Fullbright and Nettles were dropped off at their entry point around 10 p.m., finally reaching the two around 1 a.m. They brought with them sleeping bags, food, warm beverages, dry clothes, and firewood.
“We were working on memory a lot, as far as getting through these rapids, just cause we’ve both done it hundreds of times,” Nettles added.
Fullbright and Nettles stayed with the duo until morning when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) River Raft Team was able to take the two downriver to safety. Moving forward, Fullbright said he’d like to see a dedicated team created for rescues such as these in Taos County. He’d also like to see informative signposts put up for visitors looking to enjoy the river.
“Have signage there that says, ‘Hey, this is what the class ratings are,'” Fullbright said. “One through six. This is class four – experts only. Lots of opportunity for injury.”