This week I had an afternoon Nature Exploration Canoe Trip with a grandfather and his two grandchildren. The weather was forecast to be near perfect with little wind and a few clouds to keep the sun from being too bright. I arrived at the boat launch a few minutes early to unload canoes and get ready. The party was already there and as soon as I was introduced to the young boy he told his grandfather and I that his sister had something in her foot.
On the other side of the boat ramp she was sitting in tears holding her foot with a fishhook stuck in her heel. Not a good way to be introduced! This was a first for me, I am usually the one that gets stuck with a hook (old blog post). When handling fish or on someone’s stray cast.
After lots of encouragement and talking her grandfather was able to get hold of the string I had wrapped around the back of the hook and quickly remove it while holding down the shank to keep the barb out of the way.
A little bleeding, a bandage and within minutes we had that behind us. All of us having learned a thing or two, so for all of you.
Please be more careful with your fish hooks. When we looked around the ramp we came up with a small handful of hooks. I assume that they had fallen out of someone’s tackle box. Please be more careful keeping track of those hooks!
Please be more careful around the boat launches and keep your shoes on! Walking around a boat ramp barefoot is never a good idea. I know that the water is cool and very pleasant on a hot day. There are just too many things that could be in or around the ramp that might cause trouble hooks would not be first on my list but broken lenses from trailer lights are common enough. I would add here that swimming in a boat launch is also not a good idea. You are hard to see behind the trailer when someone backs down to launch not to mention you are in the way of boat traffic.
We were able to complete our planned trip and everyone had a great time. Hopefully I do not have to use my first aid training any more this summer!
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Glass Fragments
Thankfully no fish hooks yet this summer but I have been extremely frustrated with the amount of a broken glass the kids and I have found on the beaches and around our campsites. It has gotten to the point where I hesitate to allow them to run around barefoot.
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