Heads-down Pin - Roadblock Rapid, Upper Richland, 3/28/09

[RandyJ]

Posting this to help reinforce previous warnings about this rapid, and maybe help provide a reminder to be prepared for the unexpected.

Quick Summary - got plastered to upstream side of the Roadblock in Roadblock.

Water Level: 5-6" airspace at put-in
Temperature: mid-thirties, occasional light snow
Group: Joe (Russellville), Jason Meillor, James ?, Lance Jones, Scott Hanshaw, me

I'm familiar with the drop and dangers there. Jason and James were well ahead and probably through Crack in the Rock when Joe and I approached Roadblock. Lance and Scott were just in sight behind us.

Joe ran the right slot and was eddied out below. I was headed right too, and ended up drifting left a bit. My bow t-boned the rock about a foot or so from the right edge of the rock. Stern immediately swung around left, flipped upstream, and pinned against the rock.

Tried to hang on to paddle and got pulled back on the back deck, so released the paddle. Did a big sit-up to get forward. The brain started zipping along pretty fast, but here's what I remember thinking:

• Dang it! Can't believe I let this happen.
• Stay calm. Panic never works.
• I'm stable. Zero indication that things will shift and I can slide out.
• Deep enough that there's no way I can twist up and get any air.
• Extremely doubtful that boaters around me can effect a rescue in time.
• This could end badly. My wife will be really p-o'd and I've got to get out now.

When I reached up for the grab loop, the water was pushing me far enough forward that I grabbed the rescue bar first. Then pulled the ripcord and popped out pretty quickly. Bumped along the back of the boat and/or river-left side of the rock out into the pool below. Gave Joe the I'm-okay signal and swam over to river-left bank.

Was probably under water 10-15 seconds. Ended up with a pulled hamstring and bruised upper thigh. No idea where the bruise came from, but am pretty sure the hammy pull came from cranking up against the current to do the sit-up. Paddle (recovered) and one brick-red Chaco Z2 got away during the incident.

Not sure when Scott and Lance pulled up. I walked back up and could barely just see ends of the boat visible. Scott paddled by on the right and says he didn't see it.

Anyway, from last year's incident here, I knew to walk out on river left. Lance gave me good directions and I started walking at 3:45pm. I did have on neoprene socks in addition to the Chacos, so didn't have to barefoot it. Got to the road near the put-in about 90 minutes later. Lance and Scott found the paddle just below Crack and put it up high on the shore.

Next day, I rafted in with Terry Demoe and Jeff ? back down to Roadblock. We looked and thought the boat MIGHT still be there but hard to tell. Cowper cut a cedar branch and poked around and didn't get positive feedback. Couldn't believe it was still there, but hard to believe it came out on its own. I finally hopped up on the rock and looked straight down and knew then that the boat was gone.

Back in the raft, boated on down a ways and picked up the paddle. Moving on down, Lance and Jason spotted the boat over in the trees right above the Green Room drop. The hull was a little deflected on the bottom, with some abrasion, and the seat was out of whack a little, but I hopped in, paddled out the rest of the run, and by the end of the run, you could hardly tell there was any hull deformation at all.

So except for one less Chaco and a gimpy leg, it all ended about as good as it could.

Many thanks to all of the help and moral support out there - Terry and Jeff for the raft ride back in on Sunday, Cowper for "fishing" for the boat, Lance and Scott for finding the paddle, Lance and Jason for pulling the boat out of the brush and getting it straightened out, Bartons for a place to crash Saturday night, Joanna Demoe for spaghetti dinner, and lots of you for positive thoughts sent my way. Cowper was even offering to take a vacation day to go back in today and retrieve the boat if we couldn't extract it yesterday, but had to disappoint him (I think he played hooky anyway today?).

Hindsights:
1) wasn't aware there's a fin/blade rock in front of the Roadblock. It wasn't visible Saturday, but was slightly out of the water Sunday. Don't know if that contributed to the left-side drift above the rock.
2) Importance of good footwear.
3) Glad I could walk out on my own. Would have been a totally different scenario otherwise.

Well, that may be more detail than you may have wanted/needed. Hope it helps others avoid problems there or elsewhere, and helps generate some constructive criticism (would appreciate you spare me the Monday-morning quarterbacking - thanks).

[RandyJ]

Couple of photos of Roadblock from Sunday:

[ARzach]

Randy,

Thanks for the report. I'm glad to hear you made it out with minimal wear and tear. Thanks for posting as much detail as you did. I was commenting on Sunday afternoon that someone had posted about recovering your boat and I was wandering how it had ended up where it was. During that day a good buddy of mine had a run-in with the roadblock rock and managed to luck his way out of it without a swim. I kept telling him he was quite lucky and he should take seriously the implications of that spot, he didn't seem to be too worried about it. Hopefully your report will bring some attention to the fact that that thing is pretty stinking nasty and nothing to take lightly, not that you did, but it seems a few folks may be. Hope your gimpy leg recovers soon, there's rain on the way

--Zach Williams

[ScottH]

Yes, thanks for posting Randy. I was going to ask if you would post when you were ready. I did not think you were feeling much like de-briefing on Saturday night so I did not ask much.

As stated in other posts, this spot is VERY dangerous and deceptive. On at least one of the laps this weekend, James and someone else were in the eddy on the left and wanted/almost tried to ferry across to river right, upstream of the rock, where others in the group had gone. I signed them off and pointed to just run down the left side because it just is not worth it. Niether side is any more exciting or fun then the other. And both are easy line and not worth the risk of messing with the ferry.

So catch either eddy, stick to it, and run down that same side.

[Randy Dodson]

thanks for the report Randy. It brings back bad memories from last March when I had an incident at Roadblock Rock right after floods had moved it downstream into it's present location. I was trying to ferry from river right to river left just upstream of the rock. Next time, I'll stay far left through that one.

Glad you're otay.

[tomcat]

wow....close call there Randy!! Glad you're okay. That rapid is very deceptive and hoepfully now will get due respect and caution.....especially at those higher flows like you had Saturday. Who knows.....maybe one day you'll reunite with the Z-2....so don't throw the other one away.

[Lazer]

Jason is the one that spotted your boat and pulled it out of the rocks/trees on the left bank at Green Rock.

Then we wrangled into position to push the caved-in side back out.

Glad you and your boat were able to go home together.

[RandyJ]

Hey, just for the record, I take FULL responsibility for missing the move Saturday. Wasn't the boat, no sun in my eyes, and sadly, no Sirens seducing me toward the rocks in the middle. No excuses - missed move. Maybe that makes me a "duper" (Boofaholic, you owe us some definitions here ).

It wasn't the fin rock in front of Roadblock, either, but it's worth pointing that rock out to folks less familiar with the drop. It's the rock in the photo above that - no good way to say this - looks like it's coming out of Cowper's butt (sorry Cowper).

Moral of the Story: Far right or far left. Avoid the Hero line. :)

[Fish]

Glad you're still breathing air with the rest of us Randy. Been there only at low water and it's ugly as homemade soap.

- Fish

[ARzach]

looks like it's coming out of Cowper's butt

Cowper, was it really painful when you passed that?

Randy, we all blow lines, usually the ones that don't seem all that hard to us! I still look up to you

[Boofaholic]

Randy your not a duper!Your a solid boater for sure! I just like to stir the pot.Plus if you noticed I just prefer a longer displacement style boat.Not tryin to sell grandes bud, I would like a nomad 8.5 probably just as much.Different strokes for different folks, i guess.The hero's have become annoyingly popular here in arkansas however.I just like to pick on JK boats b/c IMO their gimmicky kinda like the reebok pump of boats and the hero is based off of a play hull yet everyone under the sun is considering it for a creeker!! OK last I promise.Also your comment on the fin rock is dead on. The reason the right line is deceptive at any level is that d@mn fin rock and if people arent familiar w/ it yet they need to be..We all miss moves sometimes, that is why I keep boating-to be challenged and get better, so I can work on the skills needed to stick the ones I missed and fire up new even harder and bigger drops! .It is no different than missing any other line on any other day except that you have to pay the piper on this particular one! I will be first to admit SH!T happens.I actually blew a line on a new run on fri. and paid the piper!Got Thank god for ropes! I analyzed my run, reset safety w/ Ray and asked HIM if he was cool w/ me firin it up again since I was sooooo sure I was capable of stickin it.He said yes(probably b/c I wasnt bleedin yet), so i decided to give er again. 2nd time I stuck it!Point is I know your not a duper, risk is a part of the game in this sport,we ALL miss lines, and I wish you a speedy recovery. May you stick all your lines w/ style your next time on the creek in any craft you choose to paddle. JOE C.

[Roger]

" (Boofaholic, you owe us some definitions here )." Randy J

Let's try this one:

Duper Also found in: Wikipedia 0.06 sec.
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dupe (dp, dyp)
n.
1. An easily deceived person.
2. A person who functions as the tool of another person or power.
tr.v. duped, dup·ing, dupes
To deceive (an unwary person). See Synonyms at deceive.

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[French, from Old French, probably alteration of huppe, hoopoe (from the bird's stupid appearance); see hoopoe.]

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dupa·bili·ty n.
dupa·ble adj.
duper n.


Just guessing!

[Fish]

This reminds me of a decision I may have to make in the near future about creek boats. Don't want to hijack this thread, but Joe C brings up some good points. I've been partial to shorter, lower volume creek boats for a while now for Arkie paddling. I do understand the advantage of having really fat volume under you - I've had some really big boats (Gradient and CFS, for example) and in a momentary pin, the things bob like a corks. Nice to have a boat that really wants to stay on the surface. But, it also seemed sluggish for me to make the moves I wanted to make. I went from a CFS to a Huck and have loved the Huck ever since. I'm 180 lbs and the Huck is about 67 gal and 7'7" - it fits me well, responds well to get me where I want to be on the steeps, and it runs big drops and holes with nonchalance.

But there are no more Hucks, so when this one wears out, I'm likely out of Huck... What I buy next is the question. I've paddled a Jefe pretty extensively and didn't think that much of it (compared to the Huck). Good design, but not what I wanted on the steep and rocky stuff. The Chico looks about like the Huck in terms of stats: 69 gal and 7'9". However it is supposedly rated for paddlers up to only about 165 lbs.

Of course there are plenty of other boats out there too... Is the Chico really not going to do well with my weight in it, despite being a bigger boat than what I paddle now? Will a 35" inseam even fit in the Chico? Or should I go with something bigger? Like I said, I can see the advantages both ways, and I am on the fence. I'd be interested in hearing thoughts on the issue.

By the way, there are several photos of me running some pretty big drops in a Godzilla and a G-Ride. I creeked in those boats for several years. Eventually got rid of them because I backed down from a few large falls because I was worried about ankles though. Hero looks like a Godzilla imitation to me. If so, it's a great design for running a bunch of stuff, but if you're going for bigger air and shallower landings, it's not the best boat.

- Fish

[L.A.paddler]

Yep, just glad you are okay Randy. You are one of the best boaters I know and it has been a real pleasure boating with you the past couple of years . I have been on many runs with you that I probably would not have been without you. I hope we have many years of good to great runs left in us.

TD

[BooF4FooD]

Yo Fish.. there are 2 hucks on the mt buzz gearswap right now...

LINKS

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/swap/showpr ... 066&cat=16

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/swap/showpr ... 041&cat=16