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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Commercial solar farm proposed north of Medford ... Josephine County Sheriff: Oil slick in river may indicate location of submerged car ... Video captures sucker punch at Medford bus station ... Commercial solar farm proposed north of Medford ... Josephine County Sheriff: Oil slick in river may indicate location of submerged car ... Video captures sucker punch at Medford bus station ... Riding the Rogue A Tale of Survival Uncle of teen who fell into the Rogue River Gorge and lived says there's no rational reason for the boy to have survived For Rudy Grahn, Sunday afternoon marked the lowest point in his life. Comment By Bill kettler MailTribune.com By Bill kettler Posted Aug. 5, 2008 at 12:01 AM By Bill kettler Posted Aug. 5, 2008 at 12:01 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Surviving a wild ride • Video: Uncle talks about teen's plunge into Rogue River Gorge... » Social News For Rudy Grahn, Sunday afternoon marked the lowest point in his life. Grahn was walking the scenic trail at the Rogue River Gorge looking for his nephew, Vance Falls, when he heard someone say a boy had gone into the water. Grahn walked a little farther up the trail and saw the red camera bag he had given Vance — but not his nephew. "A lot of people saw him go in, and nobody saw him come out," Grahn said Monday, recalling an anxious half-hour when 16-year-old Vance was presumed drowned in the roiling tumult of the gorge, where the river level drops 45 feet over a distance of about 500 feet. Much to everyone's astonishment, Vance survived his unplanned swim — a welcome bit of good news in a summer that has been marred by six drownings on the river. Grahn talked about his nephew's ordeal while the boy slept, recovering from the beating he took in the water. "He described it as being hit over the head by Mike Tyson with a bucket of ice water over and over again," Grahn said. Grahn, who lives in Oakland, Calif., and his nephew, who lives in North Carolina, have been spending the summer together, traveling up and down the West Coast. They were returning from a visit to Crater Lake when Grahn felt weary and decided to stop briefly to rest. He chose the scenic viewpoint at the gorge because he knew it would be "the kind of place (Vance) would like." Grahn sent Vance to take a few pictures while he rested. The boy walked upstream beyond a section of trail where a fence prevents visitors from getting too close to the edge to a point just above the narrowest part of the gorge. Grahn said Vance told him he waded into the water just above the gorge while trying to get a photograph. He was using a stick to maintain his balance in the rushing torrent, but the stick broke and Vance went in. "He said it was the first time he had a concept of something beyond his control," Grahn said. "He was involved with something bigger than he was." Grahn said Vance does not know how to swim, and neither he nor his nephew, both native Midwesterners, had any previous experience with whitewater rivers or the power of fast-moving water. "We're not outdoor types," he said, "but you don't need to be much of an outdoorsman to look at that (place) and realize nobody comes out (alive) — and he did." Grahn said emergency personnel who arrived at the gorge told him to prepare for the worst. The river is pocked with lava tubes below the surface of the water, and the bodies of some drowning victims have never been recovered. "It was a blessing there was no cell phone service up there," Grahn said. "I would have had to call everybody and tell them he was gone." Grahn said Vance told him the river pushed him against some rocks and he was able to hoist himself up onto a ledge, where he presumably passed out or fell asleep while searchers and rescuers mobilized for what they assumed would be a body recovery. A hiker downstream from the fenced portion of the trail happened to see what looked like a body on the ledge and contacted rescuers. In the depth of his despair, Grahn noticed a rescuer running, which seemed like unusual behavior for people involved in a body recovery. Then he heard Vance was alive, but he feared the boy might have suffered brain damage from being in the water. "There was a long time between when he went in the water and when he was found," Grahn recalled. Remarkably, Vance had only minor injuries: a good-sized bump above his eye (probably from striking a rock), a sore ankle and some bruises. He was taken to Rogue Valley Medical Center for observation, and released a few hours later. "By the time he got discharged he was really feeling it," Grahn said. Grahn said his nephew has been sleeping most of the time since he was released from the hospital, but he has been waking him every four hours and talking with him to make sure he doesn't have a concussion or some other serious injury. "He does understand he went through a life or death experience," Grahn said. Grahn said he was touched by the kindness people showed him during the incident. "I was attended to by people that I never got to thank," he said. Somebody from Shady Cove sat with him during the worst moments, and someone else rubbed his back during the anxious wait. Another person drove his car down from the gorge so he could ride in the ambulance with Vance. "I can't say enough about the people," he said. Grahn said he's still trying to understand what happened, and why. To call it a miracle "doesn't go far enough," he said. "There's a reason for it. I don't know. There's no rational reason for him to be alive." Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492 or e-mail [email protected]. By Bill kettler MailTribune.com By Bill kettler Posted Aug. 5, 2008 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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