Friday myself, Mike Sacomani, and Lance (newer boater) ran Hot springs creek at a medium to slightly low level...Lance did great through all of it, only swimming once after running into me while I was side surfing in a hole. I take credit for that one. After reaching the take out, we found that my truck had been towed and impounded...for "parking against the flow of traffic", and for an unhappy neighbor worried about druggies who told the officer my truck "had been sitting there for two days". We were on the creek less than an hour. The motor would've still been warm. Anyway, we call the cops, he comes back out and is basically going to leave us stranded with no phone, no ride, just our boats. We used a neighbors phone to call. Long story shortened, I got a backseat copcar ride to Mikes van, came back, loaded gear..and while loading, the cop comes back, gives me $50.00 of his own money to get my truck out. We drive half hour to find the impound lot, the wrecker guy was super nice and sympathetic. ( we still had to pay it, he wasn't a saint), and began our long journey back home about 10 o clock that evening from the wrecker yard.
Saturday Mike and I headed to Gulpha creek which was at a great level since we'd gotten rained on the whole day...set shuttle and had a great run down the creek, found a soccer ball to toss back and forth through some of the rapids, and which eventually got me stuck in a much stickier than it looked hydraulic. After about two minutes of trying to claw my way to the only feasible edge to get out of it...I decided to pop my skirt and hop out. I washed out downstream, and even after my boat filled completely..it wasn't letting go. Mike was able to paddle close enough to grab the stern, and eventually it floated free. After regrouping, we headed to another couple waterfalls only to be skunked.
Then we decided to head to an old favorite..lake catherine falls. One word...BEEFCAKE!
The falls were running bigger than I'd ever seen them. Needless to say we were psyched. Mike got first run down on the middle line, great run.I went for the right side line (the one only available at higher flows) and although I'd run this line several times..there is a tree blocking the main flow to it..so you have to put in across the creek and hug the right side. I was off line by about a foot..which was plenty for me to miss the only boat width of that part of the drop..and it rolled me off sideways and inverted me so I was facing the curtain as I fell, scraped against the rock with my hand, and pitoned at the bottom.
Great footage of that one by the way. Rolled up and made sure my thumb wasn't broken, then went back for round two.We each got about 5-6 hucks in, much to the delight of the hikers and photogs who were there. When leaving, I decided I needed that right line for redemption and fired it up again..this time everything was smooth..readjusted my entry and sailed off the lip to the froth. The sun was shining, the water was reasonable warm, and a great time was of course..had by all.
If you haven't boated Hot springs general area, then you are truly missing out.
Joe