Bellingham kayaker dies on Nooksack River
Published 8:38 pm Monday, March 30, 2015
GLACIER — Authorities say a 52-year-old man who recently moved to Washington from California drowned while kayaking on the Nooksack River near Glacier, Washington.
The Bellingham Herald reported that Holdeen Cushing-Murray of Bellingham became trapped underwater Saturday in a log jam. Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks says two fellow kayakers and nearby residents tried to pull him free but the current was too strong for them.
Parks says by the time other rescuers arrived, the man had been submerged for an hour.
Cushing-Murray had been scheduled to marry on May 1.
Friend Marc Gallin says the man previously lived in Mammoth Lakes, California.
Fiancee Maureen Kennedy says Cushing-Murray was not experienced at kayaking so two friends had taken him out Saturday to teach him.
