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To a parent, there are few things worse than seeing your child in trouble and not knowing if there’s anything you can do about it. For Christa Blackman, a lifetime resident of Andrews, “one of the scariest moments” in her life occurred on July 13.
Blackman and her four children were at Ron Henry Horseshoe Bend Park in Mineral Bluff, Ga., where they were attending a meeting with Graceful Academic Homeschool Group. This was her family’s first trip to that area on the Toccoa River.
As you might expect, with the sun blaring from above, her kids were begging to play in the river. The water was completely calm, with barely a current, but Blackman still had the kids walk in slowly to make sure it was safe.
“I only allowed Phoenix and Vincent to go out to the middle because they are both strong swimmers,” their mom said. “There were parts that were just barely deep enough to swim in.”
They walked further down the trail to find a different spot. There were more rocks around that they were standing on, so there was a hint of “rapids,” but nothing strong enough to push them forward.
Blackman said she turned around to set up a hammock for Zephyr and Aurora because they were getting bored, but kept glancing over at the boys. After finishing a few minutes later, she looked closer.
“The water seemed more intense, and I was startled,” she said. “It was so bizarre, because it had only been seconds since I had glanced at the water.
“There was a circular dam made for a swimming hole. It had been sticking up about a foot, and I realized it was almost completely submerged underwater. The rocks the boys had been standing on were completely gone. I looked up at Phoenix and Vincent, and saw them struggling to make it back to us.”
The water was quickly rising, and the currents were getting stronger. It was about waist deep on Phoenix, who had a firm hold of his shorter brother Vincent and was dragging him along.
“Phoenix looked like such a man holding on to his brother,” Blackman said of her teenage son, who has always been protective of his younger siblings. “I immediately panicked and started instructing them to hurry, and do not let go of each other. I jumped into the water and started walking toward them, leaving my other two children with a friend.
“Phoenix screamed at me to get back out of the water, and told me that they were fine, and that they were going to make it. I could tell that they were both scared, but they remained calm and steadfast.
“I got in up to my waist and panicked even more once I felt how strong the water was. I kept screaming at them to not let go and to hurry, that the water might rise more. At this point, I felt completely powerless.”
She looked around for anyone who might be able to help, but saw no one. That’s when she started making her way toward them.
“If they were floating down,” Blackman said with conviction, “I was going to go with them.”
The river continued rising, and fast.
“Phoenix had been looking in control, but I could tell it was getting harder and harder for him to get through the water,” Blackman said. “I was starting to see fear in his face.
“Out of nowhere, a random man appeared. He was strong and tall, and
was able to maneuver in the water better than Phoenix. He made sure Phoenix was steady, helped Vincent climb over the swimming hole wall and I walked him to shore.”
Their guardian angel never gave his name, but will never be forgotten anyway.
“Once they were both safe,” Blackman said, “I just burst into tears and couldn’t stop thanking him.
“He explained that they let the water out at 10 a.m. at a nearby dam, and it takes about four hours for the water to rise here – right around 2 p.m. He said to always make sure and check the TVA website before swimming.”
Blackman said she will spread the word about checking dam releases online. However, she wishes there were more – and bigger – warning signs about the river at Horseshoe Bend Park. She plans to talk with the Tennessee Valley Authority about it.
I’ve known Christa for her entire life, and she is a very attentive, caring and loving mother. If this kind of thing can happen to her, it could happen to anybody.
The mom is proud of her boys for being strong and determined, and staying calm during a tense situation. She would like to think they could have managed to get out of the river themselves, “but you never know.”
“Even though I thanked the man multiple times,” Blackman added, “I feel like I didn’t begin to thank him enough.”
David Brown is publisher of the Cherokee Scout. You can reach him by phone, 837-5122; email, dbrown@cherokeescout.com; or on Twitter @daviddBstroh.