Trip Report from the Buffalo My Stupid Story

[Clif]

ditto, Ryan man. I got a cataraft that needs some overnighters.

[GutIt]

You know, Allen, I liked the way you titled this “My Stupid Story”!

Though I have never met you, that tells me a lot about you. It’s a good eye-catcher and will hopefully get a lot of interest in reading it. Then, once you get into the story, one gets a glimpse of how things can go and sometimes it doesn’t even matter how seasoned a veteran you are (and it is obvious that you are of that number). Sometimes it is just a matter of certain elements/conditions coming together to form a certain situation. How you deal with it is what separates the seasoned river dwellers.

I have always been of the belief that it is not necessarily always what comes down the pike (since we can’t usually predict what that may be), it is how you deal with it when it does that makes the difference. Goes for pretty much everything.

I may be the world’s worst about pitching a tent at the shoreline on a flatwater run, but not after a lot of rainfall. I have been on sections of water where we didn’t see a drop of rain and the water rose unexpectedly. We all camp downstream! I try to make up for this fault of mine by tying my boat painter to my big toe! At least if it tries to make a break for it in the dark of night it will have to do it with me in tow! After all? That is my ride home! No luxury of a cot, but I have woken up in the dead of night jammed against the downstream end of my tent tossing cartwheels/barrel rolls on my Thermarest!

I, too, am glad your story had a happy ending and that the two of you are not so much worse for wear! Very cool of you to share it and I would agree that it would make an excellent article to run in a boating club newsletter. I also agree with Eric. There are a lot of lessons that you, as a seasoned boater, will be able to impart to your fellow stick swingers and your write-up will go a long way toward that! A lesson is only good if it is learned! Your story is certainly worth its weight in gold and I would advise any river-runner to pay attention. I suspect that that is one of the main reasons you wrote it. And you made it so cool to read! My hope is that the electronic gear was saved and thank god the beloved Cooch & diet Pepsi made it! Everything else can just be dried!

Well done, Allen! It might have had a different ending if you didn’t know what you do about being on the water. I hope I get the chance to see you out there soon and get to hear the personal account of your adventure over a diet Pepsi or what-not!

You certainly have an “I Remember the Time I…” war story!

I love the title? But it is anything but “Stupid”!

Right On!

And by the Way? I can personally attest to the sailor analogy and aside from fire, you are right on the $$! Another story!

[Richard]

I was part of a BSA Leave No Trace course camped at Reddell Bluff. Mile 73. About 15 miles downstream. We too heard the thunder. Listened to the rain. Wondered how high the river might rise. At 6am the river had not risen. Amazing the difference 15 miles makes. By the end of breakfast it had risen over a foot and rising fast. The clear water was now streaked with brown. Floatsum was frequent. We broke camp and headed for Skull Bluff. We had planned to stay there two nights. We experience a downpour and knew this would not be good. We paddled on to Woolum and called the outfitter. In the time it took the outfitter to get there with the bus the gravel bar had disappeared. Plan B became the plan for the rest of the weekend. The Scout leaders were Prepared.
The pour off along Hwy 65 near Leslie was awesome.
http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/571700888ergpPS" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jim Krueger]

Allen,

I remember when I was in high school in S. Alabama, kids at that time brought cow bells to the football games, all painted up in school colors. At any rate, I think most were purchased at the local farm supply store.
Thanks for sharing your experience, your report was well done.

Best Regards
Jim

[prophet]

i was just kidding about the cowbells but i guess it would work if rigged right.

a better idea might be to hook up a whistle to one of those self-inflating lifejacket Co2 devices that release the gas when wet. if you need some more ideas, let me know

[Eric Esche]

If you want a rising water alarm, Susan suggests getting a battery water level alarm like are used up north for folks with sump pumps in their basements. There are inexpensive (relatively) models that are just a screamer set to go off when they get wet. Tie it to a brick or a stone, cover it with a plastic bowl that will keep it from being set off by rain or fog, but will float away when water rises. If you can hear it through a closed door, you can probaly hear it through most snorers in a tent.

Here's a link to one, probably more out there.

http://www.deanbennett.com/zoeller-pumps-page16D.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Eric

[Eric Esche]

Here is another battery powered rising water alarm.

http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/pr ... /1622.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Eric

[GutIt]

I gotta say Eric! That’s not necessarily a half bad idea! Especially in the monsoon season and on something like the Buffalo that can blow up in a heartbeat sometimes! I’d rather pay $30 than lose no telling how much in gear or worse. No wonder you married that lovely, intelligent, and charming Miss Susan!

Something I do every night in a tent. And I almost found out the hard way while camping in the high desert. I always have a knife with me in case I have to hack my way out of that tent. My tent door got jammed up by a flash and I darned near didn’t get out of there. Your story kind of reminded me that something like that would not be impossible in a gravel bar scenario.

But that whistle/CO2 system deserves a patent!

Prophet? Are you any relation to my Hero, Rube Goldberg?

[Allen Rittman]

Ok, scratch the cowbell I’ll take two of those. And I think from now on I’ll set up a little further up from the water. WHEN I KNOW IT”S GOING TO RAIN! The more I think about this the more stupid I feel. I knew better than to camp that close to the water, but I did it anyway. I guess I thought I would wake up the water would be right in front of the tent and I make a mad dash and get everything in the raft before it got all wet. Thanks for the info Eric I will have one or two by the next time I go in 3 weeks. But I do not intend to field test it.

I think now I’m going to build a platform that will fit on my raft I can set my tent up on. Kind of a Red Neck house boat for the river! If you had some kind of light weight folding floor……No No I'm just joking!!!

[Ryan Center]

Allen, let me know when you go.

[scott yarbrough]

If you spend enough time on the river you will see and experience some strange stuff. I knew where the story was going before I even finished reading. Had a similiar experience at Lake Nimrod. Drove into primative campsite via a old Jeep trail. Set up camp and got into the adult beverages before noticing that the waterline was getting closer to my fire. By the time I was tying my canoe to the top of my Jeep I was standing in ankle deep water.
The Corp of Engineers was holding water to help with flooding downstream. It could have been a lot worse if I had fallen asleep.
Live and learn.
Yarbrough