Andrew Raven
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 25/05) - Despite what police are calling a heroic rescue attempt in near-freezing water, a Yellowknife canoeist died Saturday while paddling the Kakisa River.

Christopher Brennan Richards drowned when his canoe overturned while passing through a series of rapids, about five kilometres from the tiny settlement of Kakisa.

Yellowknifer canoeist Christopher Richards died Saturday while paddling down the Kakisa River.

A second person in the canoe was thrown overboard and tried for nearly 40 minutes to rescue the 23-year-old Richards, who was trapped in a funnel of swirling current.

Suffering from hypothermia, the man was eventually forced to swim ashore where he was helped by vacationers from a nearby campground, said RCMP Cpl. Rob Harkin.

The pair was traveling with a couple, who witnessed the accident from shore.

When police arrived on the scene - about 7:30 Saturday evening - the survivor was shivering and according to Harkin "had a blank look on his face." He was transferred to the hospital in Hay River and is expected to recover.

"It was a heroic rescue effort," Harkin said. "Unfortunately the person was unable to reach his friend."

Police, Coast Guard members and Kakisa residents combed the river Saturday in search of Richards, but found no sign of the missing paddler.

When the search resumed Sunday morning, a police helicopter spotted his body nearly three kilometres downstream from the rapids.

The stretch of river where Richards overturned - a series of rapids about two kilometres upstream from the scenic Lady Evelyn Falls - is not a particularly dangerous area to paddle, according to local residents.

The area where Richards likely died, however, was buttressed by a sheer rock cliff that created a swirling current known as a back-eddy, said Kakisa resident Anita Simba-Chicot.

Several elders have noticed animal bones at the bottom of the back-eddy, Simba-Chicot said.

The water level and strength of the river are higher than normal because of the spring melt, said Simba-Chicot.

The water temperature - which Harkin estimated at a few degrees above zero - probably made it difficult for Richards to swim, said Deputy Chief Coroner Cathy Menard.

Richards and his paddling partner were wearing life jackets.

While the police investigation continues, his friends gathered Monday in Yellowknife to remember a man they described as caring, generous, and spiritual.

"We all feel so blessed to have known him," said Brodie Dawson. "He was a bright, shining light."

Originally from Halifax, Richards first came to Yellowknife two summers ago. After graduating from Dalhousie University with a degree in kinesiology, Richards returned to the capital last year and settled into the eclectic Woodyard area.

There, he became a skilled guitar player and developed his spirituality, said friend Jen Walden. "He loved to sing," she said.

Others remember Richards for his laugh, which Kirsten Larsen described as infectious. "He had the best giggle - like a little girl about to pee."

Alex Beaudin, another friend, described Richards as a free spirit who loved existential debates about life and truth.

"He affected us all."