Spirits Creek

[Bozman]

Bob, I'm glad to see that you finally got to try that boat out. Remember what you said about it coming back to you..... Go figure. It was really nice meeting, and getting to know you. Hope we get to paddle together soon. Take it easy. Boz.

[turboturtle]

Some great pics and vid Randy. I do the Ti Chi on the smaller creeks to increase the effect of the smaller boat.

[n2outdrs]

Great pictures! It looks like a lot of fun.
Judy

[Half Ton]

I have to give major props to our shuttle driver for taking his Tahoe through the "Hell Hole" on the shuttle drive up.

Is that one nasty clay hole the only one to worry about ?

And, on that note, it's story time.

It was a sunny afternoon on May 6th when 5 boaters embarked on a spirits creek adventure....

All, but one had never made the run before and the 1 individual member that had run it before was way late with the other boater....

Upon deciding that quorum was nearly complete, but with a little time to kill before quorum was obtained the first 3 boaters decided to check out the shuttle route in a 2-wheel drive dodge ram....

First 3 boaters said "Heck no!" we ain't gettin stuck out here in this shiznit. We knew we could make it through the hell hole but getting back through, having an out on the other side, and not knowing what may lie inbetween the Hell hole and the put in helped make it an easy decision to go back to take out and wait....

After waiting for a while we checked out and old forest road that almost served as an alternate route, but no luck in the 2 wheel drive....

Back to the take out we go, and wait, wait, wait, we waited for the 2 other boaters until we could just wait no more.....or risk no paddling at all.

Without a quorum necessary to embark on the trip the 3 boaters decided to hike up to the flume, run it a coupla times, and get about a mile on the creek. As it was getting late and time to make a run was diminishing. Who needs quorum when you don't need a shuttle anyway? On the way up there we ran into the most friendly 3 foot long timber rattler named "timber" who politefully shaked his tail most repetitively to let us know not to encroach upon his personal space....

We 3 did have fun with multiple flume runs, some good surfing, and just being on the water and when we got back there was not a note, nor a sign that the other 2 had ever even made it....so we left out for fayetteville.

Upon making mtn burg, someone checked their phone which revealed that the other 2 boaters had a slight problem.....

Their problem was trying to skirt the hell hole on the left and through the woods in a 2 wheel drive volkswagon (the folk with iron balls...or just silly?). And stuck the folk with iron balls were. We had no 4wd or winch, or chain so we said....call a wrecker or an ozark folk. the 2 boaters were eventually rescued bya good natured hubble who had a 4-wd jeep rubicon.

After this it was decided that if we 3 had the same set up again that we would at least bring a 4wd and a bike... or we could even waste gas and money and increase our carbon foot print... or bring a cross country runner who likes to run and only 1 vehicle.

[T Yamashita]

So, the road from campbell cem rd north to the put in is 4wd? Or is it the final leg going down to the put in?
Sounds like a fun adventure.

The more I drive the land cruiser, the more I don't like to paddle w/o going in it, even if it gets horrid gas milage.

ty

[prophet]

the mud hole has got worse since Sunday. its not that much longer to go around by Shore's lake to White Rock Mtn Rd. Not sure about the road from Campbells north

[prophet]

for those Sunday Spirit Creek paddlers, i found a waistband throw rope in the truck.
Bob, Ryan, Randy, Chuck?

[RandyJ]

Not mine. Does Chuck troll this board?

[iYak]

The mud hole has gone from being a sloppy hole to a bottomless pit.

We were there on Sunday and I made it through in my big truck, but Max's 4x4 Cherokee got stuck when we went through my ruts and we had to push it out. On Wednesday, a large group of us tried to cross it again in my big F-250, but the mud pit (no water just mud) proved way to deep. It’s got a steep downhill entry, so you can’t hit it too hard without tearing something up. Everyone held on tight for the ride through the hole, but the truck just sank like a stone. There was a wall of mud in front of my grill and bumper and it was resting on the frame. There was no way we could have pushed or pulled that heavy diesel out without a winch, thank goodness I had one it still worked. Slowly but surely we winched it and at least one hundred pounds of mud caked to the undercarriage and wheels and made it to the putin for a nice run on Spirits. Opted to go out on White Rock Mountain Road instead of Mineral Hill on the way out. Spent 6 dollars at the car wash later trying to clean the mud out from under the truck, it's some thick and sticky stuff.

If you have a Cherokee sized vehicle there is a sneak route to the side of the mud hole that's pretty easy, but I'm not sure you could get a full size vehicle through without scraping up against one of trees.

Nick and some others have video of the mud hole event, post em if you got em…

[turboturtle]

Well, I have my throw rope. So it's gotta belong to someone else.

I was wishing I had my little Toyota truck there to see if it would make it through. It's got selectable locking difs front and rear. Plus a Warn HS9500 lb. winch mounted up front. It "can" go anywhere I want it too.
It mighta got stuck, but only for a minute!

T.T.

[T Yamashita]

GOLLY!

Going thru mud and paddlin' a cool creek! How much more fun can you have in the ozarks!

That mud hole sounds like the small mud hole the kids dug in the yard and call the BLECK HOLE--'cause you go BLECK!!! when you step into it!

ty

[dog]

T, my 2006 Tacoma 4x4 TRD Sport ran through that hole on the right like a $2 hooker passing a church on Sunday... and I do have a warn 8,000lb winch, but didn't need it:)

Drove back through it after the 1st and third bunch softened it up for us, but it only wagged its tail and popped out the other side like a house cat coming out of a drain pipe on a rainy night:)

[Max Carruth]

Heres some of the fun we had on the way to the putin.

http://community.webshots.com/album/571 ... =community

Sorry so late on posting pictures. I wish I could have gotten some pics of when Ryan went through it. I bet that was a show.

[T Yamashita]

Yup,

That's what I be callin' a BLECK Hole!
ty

[Don Harwood]

You can get there by taking the road near the entrance to Campbells Cemetary north and its not really a bad road at all.
It is kind of a long way around but it's much better than getting stuck in the "hell hole"! We discovered it by accident.
Man, we need a dump truck full of gravel dumped in the HOLE!