Douglas “Oly” R. Olson, 48 years old, died yesterday afternoon after his canoe capsized, sending him into the water along with his companion, Elizabeth Meyers, 42, of Olympia.
The accident was reported to park rangers at about 1:30 p.m. yesterday, after a Port Angeles couple who was fishing in the area observed an overturned canoe near the south end of the Lake Mills reservoir, in the Elwha Valley of Olympic National Park. Rangers responded to the area and found Meyers onshore and Olson unresponsive in the water.
Accident investigators credit Olson with saving Meyers’ life, by helping her into the swamped canoe after it capsized. Olson then declined to re-enter the canoe himself, fearing that it would sink under his additional weight.
“This terrible accident underscores the risks associated with canoeing and water recreation,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Bill Laitner. “Afternoon winds can quickly transform a peaceful outing into a harrowing or even tragic experience, and cold water is a constant hazard for water enthusiasts.”
Although winds often remain relatively – and deceptively – calm at the north end of Lake Mills near the boat launch, winds frequently come up in the afternoons on the lake’s south end. Yesterday, winds of up to 25 miles per hour were blowing at the south end of the lake, creating one-and-a-half to two-foot waves.
Peninsula Daily News report from Monday:
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK – A Port Angeles man died Monday after his canoe capsized in Lake Mills during a Memorial Day outing.
Park officials did not release the man’s name Monday night because family members had not been notified.
The man and his woman canoeing companion – an Olympia woman who park officials also didn’t identify – were discovered in trouble by two Port Angeles residents who were fishing in the area.
At the scene following her rescue, the woman, 42, did not appear to be injured but was chilled and visibly shaken.
The relationship between the man and woman was not known, said Dee Renee Ericks, East District ranger for Olympic National Park.
The 451-acre Lake Mills, formed by Glines Canyon Dam across the Elwha River about 10 miles southwest of Port Angeles, is fished for rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout.
Hillary Fluke and Greg Allen, who were fishing on the lake early Monday afternoon, said they saw the canoe sticking up in the water near the south end.
