Arkansas Canoe Club Forums

With Richland running minimal today on the USGS gauge and a 70% chance of t-storms tomorrow and me having a relatively free weekend and I haven't boated in four months... It seems like it might be a good time to head south to paddle. Anyone else thinking Richland has a good chance of going, or are my spidey senses failing me?

- Whitewater Starved in KC

Better than average. SHould not take much.

Your spidey sense is on target. I'm thinkin' same thing. Sunday will be high probability and possibly even a late Saturday put on too time and circumstance depending.

Gathering momentum in KC for a group to head down there. We'll assess the situation tomorrow AM and most likely head for a Sunday run (unless Sat afternoon really gets a downpour).

Perfect day on Richland Sunday. The combination of seeing so many old friends, meeting some new ones, and paddling all that clear, cold, frothy water was a most smile-inducing experience. Good to be back in a boat in the wild country with such great company.



Team Stupid out.

- Fish

Be advised, we were seriously thinking we'd have to find you and hurt you if your advance prediction jinxed us.

But you dodged the bullet, couldn't have been much better! Great water level, several relatively newer paddlers (their excitement is always infectious), smiles from all the veterans/friends, and Shelby even provided at the end of the day.

Me of little faith.
I read the same forecast as you - Oh leader of the stupids. I just wasn't man enough to pull the trigger.
You receive the first "Good Catch" award of the decade, awarded to Kansas City boaters who have the stones to invest 10 hrs in a car to catch the good stuff, based on internet info only. Next time I will believe in your prognosticating skills.
I hold several of the "STBY" awards from the olden days before internet particularly for my 11 hr drive to a bone dry Tot.

Dave, I've gotten the "Golden Skunk Award" many times, driving to dry creeks. Continue to question my predictions. Sometimes the magic works. Sometimes it doesn't.

No one's talked about it, but we had another potential close call at Roadblock again on Sunday. A first-time Richland paddler, one with good skills (later ran Lower Screw Up, door #1 without incident) ran the rapid just above the undercut, pinned and flipped on a small rock and ended up swimming. He did not know what was coming or that he was in serious danger. Fortunately there were lots of boaters in the eddies just above the hazard, and I yelled at him to let go of his boat and swim to the eddy. When he hesitated, I yelled to look where he was going and that he was gonna die (or something along those lines). He abandoned his boat then and swam for the eddy, grabbed the back of Amos' boat and was pulled in maybe 10 yards from the undercut trap.

The main thing is that this hazard sneaks up on people, maybe even those who have done the creek many times. If you see folks you don't recognize on the river above Roadblock, talk to them and give them a heads up about the rapid. I'd even say urge them to scout it if they've not seen the hazard. Also, if someone's swimming above that spot, assume they don't know where they are or what's coming up. Try to immediately shout to get their attention and urgently signal them toward the left bank and the eddy there. Point only where you want them to go - not at the hazard. Try to help them out if you can (good work Amos) but not if you put yourself in danger of going under the rock too.

So this also got me wondering, besides pointing toward the direction they should be swimming, what hand signal best conveys the gravity of their situations. I'd have liked to have a signal that said "abandon your boat and paddle and swim like hell this direction or you are going to die." I had to shout that instead, which may or may not be heard (it was in this case, but probably not most of the time). What's that hand signal again?

- Fish

That would be left hand making a slashing motion across the neck, while right hand is a fist with thumbs and finger directed at yourself, with middle finger extended. Dale

I think Dale nailed it.

I did both enjoy and benefit from Dale's brief but descriptive summation of roadblock on halloween.

"boy's this one's short and sweet but it can kill you"....... my ears were fully tuned in after that for sure.

Dale - I don't remember you makin' that hand motion when I lost my paddle just above roadblock.....

Amos most surely would have assisted, I'm sure he has before and will again, but this time it was Scott H that was in the right place at the right time and provided the tow. What many didn't know is that he was paddling at about 75% due to a fall the day before on a slippery rock down at the Tot, so he put himself at some risk by jumping in when he did.

There were also some other issues here and there; our younger paddlers proved that you don't need no stinkin' drysuit if you're under 25 (but it sure would feel nice), and at least one helmet took a blow that still rang the head inside.

I think all these minor things and near misses would go away if it would rain more and we got to do Richland more often. I'd also start losing weight and quit growing older.

Any of you not familiar with Roadblock Rapid, or would like a reminder, here's a previous thread with a couple of photos. Don't underestimate the deceptiveness or danger of this spot.

Cowper's right on the rescue. All I contributed on that one was to grab a wayward paddle. Not sure who pushed the boat to the bank, but Jeremy Mackey was the man with the mad skills ferrying the boat across to its owner downstream of the rock.

Good to see everyone. What a great day on the river!

May bad - sorry Scott. Credit where it's due!

All due respect to Dale's fine suggestion, but I'll stick to my point at the eddy and yell like a banshee technique. Seemed to work that time.

- Fish