Canoeists say man saved them from frigid Yukon lake

Two men want to thank a stranger who leapt to their rescue this weekend, after their canoe capsized on Yukon's Kathleen Lake.

One of the canoeists, 71-year-old Frank Glass, says he's convinced the stranger saved his life.

"I can certainly tell you that I wasn't going to make it back to shore," Glass said, back home now in Quebec City. "Most definitely I am here today because of that."

Glass was visiting Yukon to take part in a geology conference last week. He and a friend from Yukon, 69-year-old Donald Francis, decided to end Glass's visit with a paddle on the scenic lake in Kluane National Park.

Glass says they had taken appropriate precautions before heading out in the 18-foot canoe. Both were wearing life jackets.

Along for the ride was Kody, an eight-month-old Portuguese water dog, also wearing a flotation device. 

Deadly cold water

Glass says they had been out for while when suddenly the wind picked up. 

The men turned the canoe back toward shore but Glass says it started rocking with the waves, side-to-side.

"The wind increased, broadside — parallel to waves," Glass said.

The canoe capsized about 50 metres from shore, spilling the men and Kody into the deadly cold water.

Glass remembers trying to load gear back into the canoe, but the men and the dog were unable to climb back in.

"The dog was swimming away. I'd put him back in, but each time the canoe would roll over again with another wave the dog would come out," he said. 

Glass thought he was going to die. He looked for Francis, and remembers seeing him clinging to the stern of the canoe.

"At a certain moment in very cold water the switches simply turn off," Glass said.

Francis, who lives at Mendenhall, outside of Whitehorse, admits that having a young dog like Kody on board "didn't help" in either navigation or rescue.

"At one point, he was climbing up on top of me and pushing me under water," he said with a laugh.   

'This other guy ran in'

Glass doesn't know how much time they spent in the water. Francis guesses it was about 10 or 15 minutes.

"We were holding on to the canoe and the dog. It was all very confusing," Francis said. "It's hard to know because it was a very intense experience." 

The two men tried to swim to shore while holding onto the canoe. It was exhausting and difficult in the bone-chilling water. 

"I was losing a lot of energy and I knew I wasn't going to make it," Glass said.

Their struggle was noticed by some people on shore. One man stripped down to a bathing suit and got in the water to reach the canoe.

"Just as we're getting to the shore, this other guy ran in and grabbed the front of the canoe and pulled us out. We staggered out and Frank looked in pretty bad shape. I thought I was in good shape, but then I started to get cold," Francis says.

"The man took off my vest at shore and put a shirt on me which was dry," Glass says. "He rubbed my hands, my upper body. He put his body against mine to get more warmth." 

The man even offered him a banana.

After a few moments, the canoeists tried to walk toward Parks Canada's public cabin at Kathleen Lake, but Glass was unable to stand. He says his rescuer lifted him to carry him inside.

"Apparently I was incoherent on the beach," Glass says. 

Francis says he was able to walk. He watched as other bystanders provided a sleeping bag to keep his friend warm.

An ambulance soon took Glass to the community health centre in nearby Haines Junction. Francis says he took the dog and followed behind in his truck.

Safe and sound 

Glass says nurses at the health centre found him exhausted but unharmed. 

He was released after about an hour and found Francis and Kody, also in good shape. The dog "kissed and licked my arm," he said.

Glass says he'd like to find the stranger who helped pull them from the water. Francis says his first name was Jeppe or something similar and both describe a strong European accent. 

Glass believes the man should receive a formal commendation from the Canadian government, but he also wants a chance to offer his own personal thanks.

"I want to mail him a bottle of maple syrup every year," he said.