GOWANDA — Four kayakers on Cattaraugus Creek ran out of daylight Wednesday and had to be rescued by members of the Gowanda Volunteer Fire Department and state forest rangers.
The kayakers, two men and two women, had put in on the creek off Hammond Hill Road in East Otto late in the afternoon, but low water levels slowed their progress toward Gowanda, where they had a vehicle parked.
Gowanda Fire Chief Steve Raiport said the Gowanda department’s rope rescue teams responded to the Valentine Flats area after learning the group was on the main branch of Cattaraugus Creek near powerlines.
The kayakers had used a cell phone to call 911 and a Cattaraugus County sheriff’s dispatcher was able to get GPS coordinates of their location. Raiport asked the Erie County Sheriff’s Air One helicopter to scout the area before the rescue team got there.
The helicopter pilot found the group had started a fire and were awaiting rescue. The rescue unit walked down into the gorge, across Valentine Flats, crossed the South Branch and continued walking for another mile before meeting the group.
No one was injured and they were able to walk out on their own as rescuers lit the way over rocks and across narrow trails through the woods.
However, a second team had to be sent to the location with boots because the two men had nothing to wear on their feet, Raiport said. That extended the rescue operation a little.
Members of the Collins Center Volunteer Fire Department stood by on the Erie County side of the gorge, and Otto and East Otto firefighters stood by at the Forty Road area on the South Branch.
“Don’t go on the creek if it’s too late,” Raiport urged kayakers and others on local waterways. “Know your area.”
Raiport said the helicopter crew was able to guide rescuers to their location by about 11:30 p.m. and everyone hiked out around midnight.
The group found themselves pulling the kayaks over long stretches of shallow water, which slowed their progress as darkness approached.
The group, who were identified only as local residents, had rented recreational kayaks for the trip, but were likely to get them back by Thursday morning, since they were left on the bank overnight.
State Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers were expected to retrieve the kayaks later Thursday.
