The Day My Friend Saved Two People and a Dog!
Channel: Zachrey Helmberger
Date: 2020-12-20

This is an account of what happened at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. Their email address is:
millelacskathio.statepark@state.mn.us


A long time ago in the 1980s, my friend and I were fishing at my dad shore-side cabin (on Pine Lake??). The fishing was poor so we asked Dad if he knew of any good fishing spots nearby. He suggested Kathio State park dam. So we hopped in the car with him and went over there since we did not know where it was.


We arrived at the dam and there was this big warning sign showing a stick figure of a man trapped in a circulating current just downstream from the spill-over dam. I looked at it for a second and thought that it was quite dangerous (little did I know...). We got to the dam and happily started fishing.

Then Dad's dog, doing what black labs do, started swimming around on the upstream side of the dam. eventually she got swept over the spill-over dam and was trapped in this deadly double down current.

The water level on the downstream side was about one foot lower than the top of the dam. So when it spills over it falls down with a little bit of speed (the quiet, innocent laminar flow of the water over the dam was deceptive). Well, that water falls down perhaps 20 to 30 feet to the bottom of the river and then it comes straight back up and meets the downrushing water from the spillover and gets pulled down again. So you end up with this double downward current much like a paper shredder mechanism or the old fashioned clothes wringer mechanism. There is pretty much NO ESCAPE!

The poor dog was forced to paddle like mad to stay afloat.

Then Dad, wearing this huge down jacket get in on the upstream side of the dam to rescue the dog. He squats down to reach the dog and right when the the water hits his butt, he goes over. Now we have the dog paddling and my dad slogging and sloshing in this giant coat trying to stay afloat. I hollered to dad and then I take my shoes off (and I think my coat, too) and do the same stupid thing and get in on the upstream side of the water trying to stay upright on the slippery algae coated rocks. I tried to plant my feet firmly before squatting down to get dad knowing that if the water hits my butt I might go over too. And of course the minute the water hits my butt, I lose my footing and go over the dam, but in a miracle from YHVH, my friend catches me by the ankle! He pulled me up and I was standing again (my friend was very high up in speed skating so he was a pretty strong fellow, PTL)!
In a dire situation, we then agreed to try and get Dad. My friend would be the anchor and I would straddle the water over the dam and grab Dad's hand. By this point he was exhausted and all that was left was his hand and God put my hand in his hand and I got his head above the water.

Then I started pulling with all I had and I could see my arms bend as I was pulling and, with my friend's help, SOMEHOW we pulled him, with that giant, waterlogged, jacket, against that current over the dam. Then like some primitive scene I pulled Dad along by the hand like a canoe on a rope until I beached him on the shore. He was coughing up water but was otherwise OK.

Then we finally got smart and went to the downstream side of the damn and this time my friend went in and I held onto his pants. The dog came over to us and he grabbed her by the collar and pulled her forward about one foot to get past the "hump" of water that was secondary downcurrent that prevents escape from the primary, spillover, downcurrent and she easily swam to shore and acted like nothing had happened.

That night, nobody got any sleep as we were involuntarily and constantly hitting replay in our minds and sighing.

I praise YHVH for my friend Erik who risked his life to save me, my dad and his dog.

Jesus famously said:
"13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
--John 15:13


And the apostle John said:
"16By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?"
--1John 3:16

So if you feel moved to do so, please contact Kathio State park and ask them to install a life ring and a rope out at that damn dam!


millelacskathio.statepark@state.mn.us


Mille Lacs Kathio State Park
15066 Kathio State Park Road
Onamia, MN 56359
320-532-3523